The Human Voice Ranges:
SATB (Soprano Alto Tenor Bass)
Louis Armstrong vs. Frank Sinatra or Whitney Houston vs. Tina Turner - Have you ever wondered; what makes the sounds different from one another? If you have spent time listening to choirs, you might have seen a group singing high and some low. Have you ever thought about what makes the difference in the categories?
Well, different vocal categories make the vocal ranges different from each other. 'Voice' is a delicate and imperceptible thing. You cannot 'touch' or 'see' it, right? According to the experts 'science' is concerned; that crafts one voice different from another. A voice is classified with certain qualities, like, vocal range, vocal weight, tessitura, vocal timbre, and vocal transition points. The singers and composers use these voice classification tools and categories based on breaks and lifts within the voice.
From high to low notes, voices are categorized based on range, gender, and quality. Voice range determines the assortment between which a singer can sing. The vocal category depends on tessitura, the extent of notes where the voice feels most restful. Also, it depends on flexibility, which implies, how fast the voice can move from note to note.
The basic vocal categories in Western Music depend on Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass. The male voice types are based on Bass, Tenor, and Baritone whereas; the most usual range for a female voice type lies between that of a true Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, and Contralto or Alto. The scope of any one voice is limited. Yet the range of voice, i.e, from the top of the highest Soprano voice to the base of the lowest bass voice is about 4 octaves. Pavarotti, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury are some of the great musicians whose vocal ranges span in 4 octaves!
Soprano
Welcome to the women's association, categorized by vocal domain. This is a special voice type that consists of various shades of stunning female voices. You will get few exceptions here as few dedicated male voices join the women's league.
Apart from the unique style, Renée Fleming, Celine Dion, or Marian Anderson, has their voice quality. And that makes them different from one another. This voice is categorised by striking high notes and the domain is focused on these exclusive sounds––Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, and Contralto.
Soprano may also fit for the young boys who have a soft and airy tone. This vocal type works well in chorus. Surprisingly, some men used to train themselves to be able to build up their highest notes to sing Soprano roles in the 17th and 18th centuries!
Mezzo-Soprano
Mezzo-Soprano voice ranges between Soprano and Alto. Audra McDonald, Beyoncé, Lea Michele, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, and Lady Gaga are a few of Mezzo-Soprano from this team. This is a kind of strong middle, lower register voice that makes them apart from Soprano and Alto. But it lacks the intensity of the higher Soprano voices and the opulence of the lower alto voices. Mezzo-Soprano voice type has three generally familiar subcategories: Coloratura Mezzo-Soprano, Lyric Mezzo-Soprano, and Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano. A coloratura has a temperate lower and a supple high register voice. On other hand, Lyric has a smooth and sensitive vocal with lachrymose quality. A female singer with a Mezzo-Soprano vocal category might play a role of a seductive lady in an opera or a musical show!
Contralto
Contralto formerly referred to the same voice as Alto. The experts use "Contralto" to differentiate the voices that are even lower than a typical Alto. Elena Obraztsova, Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Tracy Chapman, Cher, Annie Lennox, Toni Braxton are the perfect examples of this vocal category!
The key characteristic of this category is the lower register. The Contraltos are well aware of the fact that they are better than anyone to make the most of their low "chest" tones. This vocal range is quite exceptional. It has similarities as well as dissimilarities to the Alto. It is somehow roughly alike to that of a Countertenor (Countertenor is often likely baritone or tenor).
Alto
"Alto" is a broad term nowadays. Instead of a specific vocal category, this term is used to describe a lower female voice. Yet in Chorus strong and middle voices are usually call 'Alto'. There is no separate voice type in Western Music that specifies Alto. It is more like a Mezzo-Soprano or a Contralto.
Now recall Sara Bareilles's Love Song or Amy Winehouse's Valerie, else Baby Can I Hold You by Tracy Chapman? Do you find any differences? At times it seems, Contralto to carry the connotation of a deep Alto voice. The basic quality of this type of voice is typically rich, deep, dark, and husky.
Here go a few names of eminent and well-accepted Western singers. They are treated as the queen of this vocal category. Such famous names are Ethel Merman, Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Lea Salonga, Idina Menzel, Linda Eder, and Sutton Foster.
Tenors
Have a glance at Male voices too! This is a voice type that walks around all aspects of the male sound. And guess what? No girls are allowed here!
Tenor is a typical male singing voice and the category range is one of the highest. Like Soprano, Tenor has different subcategories which are based on range, timbre, weight, and deftness of the voice. Amongst the sub-categories, Leggero Tenor has the highest tessitura also it includes a light, agile voice. The voice is competent enough of delivering breathtaking high notes. Young boys, whose voice has not changed yet, are not into this category. According to the singing expert, Richard Miller, Tenor voice is an adult male sound full of energy!
Any list of top Tenor vocalists would be incomplete without Freddie Mercury or Luciano Pavarotti! The list also includes Enrico Caruso, Juan Diego Flórez, Alfredo Kraus, José Carreras, Franco Corelli, Plácido Domingo, Juan Diego Flórez, and Paul McCartney.
Baritones
Like Mezzo-Sopranos, Baritones are too in competition with the most extensive male voice types. The category came into existence, style, and fashion in 19th-century operas. These categories dwell in with an extensive range of vocal timbres between the Tenor and the Bass, overlapping both of them. The voice is familiar with its magnificent middle register. The vocal comes in two forms, which include Lyric and Dramatic. Lyric is the lighter voice tone, use to get featured on the typical classical concert shows! The relatively darker tone is known as Dramatic. Baritones are more probable to show up in the western countries and R&B types. Norm Lewis, Thomas Hampson, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sherrill Milnes, Leonard Warren, Toby Keith, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr., and Luther Vandross are few Baritones that you would want to spend time listening to these.
Bass
Male voices with low notes are generally termed, Bass. Many opera originators use this Bass voice to characterise out-of-the-world performances, like gods and devils! The pitches at the bottom of the scale are extremely difficult to hold. With this amazing quality, a singer may advertise himself as a Basso Profondo. There's also a special sub-category of Bass vocal range that makes the most of the Bass low range for comic effect is known as Basso Buffo. This is considered as a unique category, as a superlative low note sound makes itself super loud so that it could be heard over an entire orchestra. Learning the Bass voice singing techniques is quite difficult and it will help to develop the lower part of the vocal range as well.
Boris Christoff, Nicolai Ghiaurov, René Pape, Ezio Pinza, Paul Robeson, and Barry White are the perfect examples of Bass vocal category which you will want to listen to.
The average human voice ranges between 3 and 1/3 octaves. And that's enormous! Don't hesitate to discover your lowest and highest note. It is your vocal identity that is an essential piece. Instrumentalists are well aware of which notes their instruments can play. Then why not is it applicable for the singers? It would be easier to fold your notes, once you find out your range.
If you are still hesitant about which vocal category suits you, then ample professional music educators are there who will be happy to help you to unlock the mysteries! Till then, keep on practicing and happy singing!
Hope this was useful !!! Stay tuned for more like this.
Love - WinterChild
