How to Characterize Your Vocal Range

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Many people love to sing, but when asked what part are unsure or pick the part that has the melody. There are several different vocal ranges. This article discusses how to determine which you might fit into.

Steps

The first thing you'll need is a piano or other instrument where you know what the notes are.

Find the pitch at which you speak and the pitch at which you laugh. These two pitches are good indications of where your voice is most comfortable.

Using a staccato (short) ha, move up and down the scale to find your highest and lowest note. Make note of where you feel the most comfortable and sing the best. Exaggerated sighing where your voice moves through pitches is also a good way to find how high and low your voice can go.

The notes you sing most easily and beautifully are called tessitura. Your working range are the notes where you can comfortablely sing beyond this. The extreme range of a voice is usually only accessible by professionals or those who have been trained.

The highest voice is a Coloratura. The tessitura is from B above middle C and up the scale to G above high C. Their working range extends from E above middle C to A above high C.

The next voice is called a Lyric Soprano. The tessitura for this voice is from A above middle C to F above high C. The working range is from D above middle C to G above high C.

Next we come to the Dramatic Soprano. The tessitura is from G above middle C to E above high C. Their working range extends from middle C up to F above high C.

Mezzo Soprano is next on the list. The tessitura is from E above middle C to high C. The working range is from B below middle C to E above high C.

Contraltos are the lowest of the treble voices. Their tessitura is middle C to A above middle C. Their working range is from G below middle C to high C.

The Lyric Tenor straddles the treble and base clefts. They can sing from A below middle C to F above middle C in the tessitura range. Working ranges are from D below middle C through A above middle C.

Dramatic Tenors come next. The tessitura is D below middle C up to D above middle C. Working range is low C to F above middle C.

Baritones have a tessitura from B below low C to G above low C and a working range of A below low C to D above middle C.

The next lowest voice is the Bass Baritone. The tessitura is from A below low C to F above low C. Working range encompases G below low C to middle C.

Finally we have the Bass. This voice has a tessitura from G below low C to E above low C. The working range is F below low C up to B below middle C.

Things You'll Need

A piano or musical instrument

Ability to read music

Sources and Citations

Information gathered from The Voice of Singing by Esther Andreas and Robert M. Fowells.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Characterize Your Vocal Range. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

1 ball Sugar & Cream 100% Cotton yarn (makes more than one)
Crochet Hook Size H

Chain 32

In third chain from hook, double crochet. Continue across. (30 double crochet + chain 2 = 31 double crochet). Chain 2 and turn.

In first double crochet, front post double crochet. In next double crochet, back post double crochet. Continue across alternating front post/back post. Chain 2 and turn.

Back Post double crochet in first stitch. Front post double crochet in second stitch. Continue alternating back post/front post across. Chain 2 and turn.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have a square shape. (approx 14 more rows in total)

Edging: Half double crochet in each space between stitches across top. When you come to the end of the row make 3 half double crochets in the last space between stitches. Turn and continue on the side making 2 half double crochet stitches on each post. Make 3 half double crochets in the corner space. Continue across the bottom and other side as before. Slip stitch in top of first stitch, when you arrive back at the beginning of the edging. Tie off.