Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
“I’m confused about these stupid vocal ranges, because it seems like I can sing way more notes than I’ve been finding listed online.” It’s critical for singers and composers alike to be familiar with singer classifications. I can help. Keep reading to learn more – including vocal range charts.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
I'm Confused About These Stupid Vocal Ranges: Clearing Up the Confusion
“I’m confused about these stupid vocal ranges, because it seems like I can sing way more notes than I’ve been finding listed online.” The reason for this is that most of the vocal range charts you’ve found were probably intended for composers and songwriters.
For example, the vocal range charts below give a conservative tessitura for each voice type:
- These are the singer tessituras I got in music theory class at UMass Lowell in the ‘90s.
- They’re intended to help composers to know what notes will work for almost every singer within a particular voice type.
- Nevertheless, individual singers will often be able to sing more than that.
- For instance, the tenor tessitura chart shown below is an octave and a half.
- Yet, my personal tessitura is about two and a half octaves, meaning that I can comfortably sing any note on the chart… and many people have even greater note spans.
However, you can use the vocal range charts to find your tessitura (and therefore get a hint at your voice type) on a keyboard or piano.
I'm Confused About These Stupid Vocal Ranges: What Are Voice Types?
Voice types (such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, among others) help us group singers by tessituras:
- In other words, they’re sorted by what notes each voice type is going to be able to comfortably sing. Also, it implies the general tone quality of the singer in question.
- Singers can be further sorted by the ability to sing gender-relative high notes (sopranos and tenors) and low notes (altos and basses).
- Also, they can be sorted by gender itself (e.g., sopranos and altos are women while tenors and basses are men).
These are the basic categories, with further subcategories such as: coloratura, lyric soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, countertenor, and baritone, all of which we’ll leave for other posts.
I'm Confused About These Stupid Vocal Ranges: Vocal Range Charts
The following vocal range charts are for the basic voice types:
Sopranos: They have a conservative tessitura of C4 to G5. (C4, also called middle C, is the fourth C from the left on the piano.) These women have a higher, lighter tone, even when singing with intensity. They usually take the main melody in showtunes, pop songs, opera, and choral arrangements.
Famous Sopranos:
- Celine Dion
- Diana Ross
- Whitney Houston
Mobile users: for best results reading the examples, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Soprano Tessitura Chart:
Video: Soprano Celine Dion
Altos: They have a conservative tessitura of G3 to C5. These women have a warmer tone than sopranos and will often play more of a supporting role in choir and Broadway arrangements.
Famous Altos:
- Bonnie Raitt
- Gladys Knight
- Norah Jones
Alto Tessitura Chart:
Video: Alto Norah Jones
Tenors: They have a conservative tessitura of C3 to G4. These men can, at times, have either a bold and bright tone or a light and airy sound. They’ll often take the lead parts in pop/rock groups, musical theatre, and opera.
Famous Tenors:
- Art Garfunkel
- Justin Timberlake
- Luciano Pavarotti
Tenor Tessitura Chart:
Video: Tenor Art Garfunkel
Basses: They have a conservative tessitura of G2 to C4. These men possess a rich, low tone and often supply the bottom end in chorus and other ensembles.
Famous Basses:
- Barry White
- Geddy Lee
- Johnny Cash
Bass Tessitura Chart:
Video: Bass Johnny Cash
Final Thoughts
To summarize:
- We can define vocal range as all the notes that a person can produce, and the tessitura for a singer grouping as being what they can comfortably produce. (Shown on the charts above).
- The basic groups are soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, which also includes the tone quality of each group as part of the definition. (See the videos for examples of how they sound.)
- Other subgroupings exist such as: coloratura, lyric soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, countertenor (i.e., male soprano), and baritone.
Have fun singing!
Related Posts:
- 10 Elements that Impact Performing in Tune
- Where Do I Start if I Want to Be Able to Sing A Cappella?
- Perfect Pitch – Discover the Secrets [Plus Absolute Pitch Test]
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
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