Vocal Range Explained: How to Identify Your Vocal Range

Vocal range is the scope of notes—from the lowest note to the highest note—that a vocalist can comfortably sing in their chest voice. In other words, notes within a person's vocal range must be fully projected and not sung via falsetto, also known as head voice. Different vocal ranges are described as vocal types, including soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass.

At the center of a person's vocal range is a tessitura. That is the set of notes that a singer can reliably project with their greatest possible strength, following a vocal warm-up. This singing technique is sometimes referred to as belting. A vocalist may also feel comfortable singing notably low notes or high notes within their range, but if they cannot belt them out at maximum volume, those notes would not fall within their tessitura.

The human voice breaks down into numerous categories. However, composers and voice teachers generally reduce these categories to seven major voice types.

1. 1. Soprano: The soprano voice range describes a rather high range of the female voice. The classic soprano range begins at B3 (the B below middle C) and extends to A5 (an A that is an octave plus a major sixth above middle C). Many professional sopranos can sing an even broader range when asked. The soprano range has multiple subcategories including a coloratura soprano (who specializes in operatic singing) and a sopranino (who can sing extremely high, sometimes all the way up to F6, which is more than two octaves above middle C). Sopranos famously sing the lead melody in traditional choral music.
2. 2. Mezzo-soprano: This is often considered the middle range of female voice types. Its classic range runs from A3 to G5, with many singers able to push those boundaries in either direction.
3. 3. Alto: An alto is the classic low range for a female singer, although some male voices naturally slot as altos. Most trained altos can comfortably sing from G3 in their lower range to F5 in their upper range. A contralto goes even lower than a traditional alto singer.
4. 4. Tenor: The higher range of a traditional male voice is called tenor. Tenors have a typical range of C3 on the low end to C5 on the high end, although many tenor singers can hit higher notes. The highest male singing voice is called countertenor.
5. 5. Baritone: A baritone singer's voice goes somewhat lower than that of a tenor. It typically sits between A2 and A5. Many baritones can comfortably hit a C5, which gives them a similar range to a low tenor. Baritones represent the midrange among male singers.
6. 6. Bass: The lowest standard male voice is called bass. A bass singer typically sings notes from E2 to E4, but some basses can hit even lower notes on sustained vowel sounds.
7. 7. Treble: The treble vocal range applies to children who have not yet gone through puberty. Most treble singers have a comfortable range between A3 and A5, which puts them in a similar range to a mezzo-soprano.

There are a few common strategies for finding your vocal range.

1. 1. Solicit the help of a professional. A professional voice teacher can give you a vocal range test that takes you through various vocal exercises. They can also provide singing lessons that will help you expand your existing vocal register.
2. 2. Sing along to recordings or instruments. If you don't have access to your own vocal coach, the simplest way to find your own voice classification is to try singing along to recordings. You can also use a pitched instrument like a piano or a guitar to match your voice to particular notes or try a variety of apps designed to help you find your vocal range.
3. 3. Focus on your strengths. Trying to directly align your voice with that of famous singers like Beyoncé, Freddie Mercury, or Mariah Carey may not be wise; some of these leading vocalists have such broad singing ranges that they defy categorization. Focus instead on individual songs and matching your chest voice to specific notes.
4. 4. Warm up properly before singing. Whether you decide to identify your vocal range using voice lessons or apps, be sure to warm up before you begin belting out songs. Warming up will protect your voice over the long term, and it will help loosen up your vocal cords to give a realistic picture of where you sing most powerfully.

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