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Vocal Range
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nacoran
7153 posts
Sep 21, 2013
7:51 PM
It occurred to me that people have asked about vocal range a few times on here in the past, and usually the advice has been for them to go to a piano and test it out. That's fine if you've got a piano, but there has to be an easier way!

Here is a quick video I found online that will help you find your range. All you have to do is sing along and write down the bottom and top notes you can sing. It will even tell you whether you are a bass, baritone, tenor, alto, mezzo soprano or soprano.



I didn't find any apps that would make it easier, but any tuner app will do the trick too (someone with programming skills could write one that just asked you to sing your highest and lowest note and it could tell you, but in a quick search I didn't find one (but it was a very quick search.)

Knowing your range is a useful way to pick a key to sing a song in. Me personally, after some vocal warming up (I was kind of hoarse this morning) At one point I could go F2 to F5 comfortably- I used to annoy my choir teacher because I'd get bored when she was dealing with the other sections and I'd sing along with the altos and tenors. I can still make it, but not strongly anymore (actually, while I was hoarse this morning I got D2, but that's not typical). Range I was pretty good on. Rhythm has always been my white whale. I'm finally getting better at it, but I'd still consider it my weakest point.

So, what is your range?

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Nate
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dmitrysbor
117 posts
Sep 22, 2013
11:39 PM
Thanks, nacoran.

It might be usefull for me.
Grey Owl
311 posts
Sep 23, 2013
5:47 AM
Yes, interesting Nate.

As I've got older the bottom end has got a bit lower. As I go higher into tenor range I increasingly find myself bailing out and choose the easier (for me) falsetto pitch.

I sing a fair bit but don't really practice singing anymore (scales, exercises etc.,) which I think I would have to do to try to reclaim my tenor range. But who knows, cos age sadly takes it's toll.

Here are a couple of links of me singing one higher pitch song and one low one.

The first is a Bon Iver cover of Re:Stacks which he sings falsetto anyway so is more comfortable to hit. I think the highest note here is G#5.

The second is 'Hurt' Johnny Cash version which goes down to low G#2 and that's just about my limit. In fact I've cheated here and put a capo on the 1st fret as I think Johnny goes down to G.

RE:STACKS

HURT
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Last Edited by Grey Owl on Sep 23, 2013 7:23 AM
kudzurunner
4277 posts
Sep 23, 2013
6:21 AM
I'm a tenor, it turns out. I can sing A2 to A4 in non-falsetto, with some reasonably smooth falsetto above that. (When I sing "Tore Down," the B4 just above that is the "Well..." in "Well...I feel like this when my baby can't be found." I'm definitely in falsetto when I do that.)

In a recording on the new Blues Doctors album, I hit a G4 repeatedly. The producer initially told me that I should lower the song key, but when I was warmed up it was no trouble and he later agreed that it was the right key.

Great test, Nate! Thanks.

Last Edited by kudzurunner on Sep 23, 2013 6:25 AM
barbequebob
2340 posts
Sep 23, 2013
10:24 AM
Every vocalist's range is going to change over time and it's something you can't avoid. The changes to the range start to become noticeable about roughly every 5 years, as the change comes gradually over time.

With male voices and many female voices as well, you lose the top end of the range, but at the same time, you get an increase in the bottom end of the range and if you've been singing for a number of years, it is a wise move to check your range out every 5 years and for certain tunes, adjust the key you sing in for certain tunes so that you don't strain and potentially harm your vocal chords.

With some female voices, the range gets higher, meaning more top end, but loss of the bottom end.

Warming up is also a very important thing and also avoiding drinks that have a high sodium content like beer. Over the years, the best thing for the voice in terms of a tip for what to drink is what a vocal coach told to drink is some water with lemon with ZERO sweetening in it (NO lemonade), as the excessive sweetening can cause just as many problems as too much salt.
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nacoran
7154 posts
Sep 23, 2013
11:35 AM
The weird thing to remember is that notes change number at C, so B3 is right below C4 (middle C).

atty1chgo, sounds like you'd be a high tenor.



http://operalively.com/forums/content.php/706-Opera-Terms

This chart is for opera, only counts notes you can project loudly, since they aren't amped. Amped music tends to give you credit for a little more of your range, and the charts very a little from site to site, but they cover basically similar ranges.



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Nate
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