What Are The Different Types Of Singing Voices?

As a vocal coach, students and singers alike always ask me:

"How many notes can I sing?" or "What is the range of my voice?"

What they are actually asking is: "What is my Voice Type?"

What is a Voice Type?

A voice type is a group of voices with close vocal ranges, capable of singing in a similar tessitura, and have similar passaggio.

To make it simpler, a voice type gathers voices that can reach the same notes (highs and lows) and have the same comfortable singing zone and vocal transition points.
So, voices who can sing the same notes and sound almost similar will be categorized in the same voice type!

How many Voice Types exist?

There are 6 common voice types: 

    3 Male Voice Types

• Bass                     the lowest singing range
• Baritone              the second lowest singing range
• Tenor                   the highest singing range of male voices

   3 Female Voice Types

• Alto                      the lowest singing range of female voices
• Mezzo Soprano   the middle-range of female voices - it overlaps both alto & soprano ranges
• Soprano               the highest singing range

Professional singers, especially opera singers, are placed into a category depending on different factors in their voices.

If you're wondering about those factors, here's a quick list:

1. Range: Figuring out your vocal range means defining which notes you can actually hit without struggling or straining your voice.

2. Tessitura: Regardless of how strong the notes at each end of your range are, those are surely not the most comfortable notes to sing for you.
Somewhere around the middle of your range, you’ll find the notes that you feel most comfortable singing. That is your tessitura

3. Transitions: Have you ever noticed that you have to adjust your voice in order to hit higher notes?
This zone is called the transition spot. It’s where you switch from your chest register to your head register (your lower fuller voice to high notes).

4. Vocal Register: It is determined by measuring both the chest (lowest to highest note of your chest voice) and head (lowest to highest note of your head voice) registers.

5. Weight: It’s the lightness or heaviness of your voice.
One singer might have a deep, rich voice, while another one, in the same range, can have a lighter, brighter voice.
Think of a Violin and a Cello for instance, they can play few similar notes but, when played simultaneously, you can hear a difference in their sound because they are of different sizes.

6. Physical Characteristics: Your Body Weight, Age and Size of your Larynx...
Vocal maturity is usually reached in late or after puberty, Most of the time, women reach it earlier than men (women at around 18 and men around 21). Did you notice how pre-puberty, your speaking voice sounds different than after puberty? It's lighter, brighter and higher pitched and becomes deeper and lower pitched the more you grow. This is due to your body and larynx getting bigger in size.

A child's body is short and small and so are his vocal cords! So, if you're speaking voice changes when you grow up then surely your singing voice will change too, affecting your vocal type!

Vocal Type Ranges:

Talking about the range of a voice type is not only mentioning the group of notes it can reach, it's mentioning also the passaggio and tessitura.

The more you practice and develop your technique, the wider your range will become improving the quality of your voice; so, don't let the range classification bring you down, keep working and expanding your voice!

• Bass

The Bass is not only the lowest of male voice types, it's the lowest singing range in general:

• Its typical range is from E2 to E4 (some basses can sing from C2 up to G4)
• Its comfortable range is from B2 to B3
• Its passaggio ranges from Ab3 to Db4

• Baritone

The Baritone is the second lowest singing range, overlapping both Bass and Tenor. It's also the most common type of male voice.

• Its typical range is from A2 to A4 (some can extend from F2 up to C5)
• Its comfortable range is from C3 to E4
• Its passaggio ranges from B3 to E4

• Tenor

The Tenor is the highest of the male voice types. They control their falsetto so well it allows them to reach female registers.

• Its typical range is from C3 to C5
• Its comfortable range is from F3 to F4
• Its passaggio ranges from D4 to G4

• Contralto / Alto

The lowest and deepest of female voice types. Technically, the term "Alto" refers to a choir line (the lowest female voice part) in a 4 part harmony; if you're a soloist, the correct term would be "Contralto" yet, the two terms are sometimes used as on and the same.

• Its typical range is from F3 to F5
• Its comfortable range is from Eb4 to Eb5
• Its passaggio ranges from B4 to Eb5

• Mezzo-Soprano

The mezzo-soprano is the middle-range female voice type. It overlaps both alto and soprano ranges.

• Its typical range is from A3 to A5
• Its comfortable range is from F4 to F5
• Its passaggio ranges from C4 to F5

• Soprano

The highest of female voice types, sopranos have less weight on their voice which gives them more flexibility to reach high notes.

• Its typical range is from C4 to C6
• Its comfortable range is from G4 to G5
• Its passaggio ranges from Db5 to Gb5

It is important to mention that those classifications are mostly important for classical voices. In fact, it is somewhat irrelevant for modern singers as they can sing any song by transposing the music; so, when it comes to choosing a song, comfort is key!

Finding out your voice type is a process that usually takes time as it demands knowing your instrument and your capabilities. It took me several months to figure out what my voice type was!

Regardless of what your vocal type might be, you can always work on your voice to maximize your vocal abilities. The best and quickest way to do so is by taking regular weekly singing lessons with a qualified voice teacher!

So, do you know where your voice fits?