How to Sing Better: Your Vocal Range and Ability

I have decided to label all of my singing articles under the "how to sing better" label. Why? Because I truly want you to learn how to sing better! Singing is one of my passions, so why in the world would I keep that from you?

Today in my "How To Sing Better" series, I would like to open up the can of worms known as your vocal range. Wikipedia has an excellent and "scholarly" definition of vocal range: the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. In Layman's terms, vocal range is the amount of notes your voice is capable of singing.

Vocal range is most often used to classify singers into certain categories. This is not to be confused with voice type. Voice type has many different factors, including: timbre, vocal weight, tessitura, vocal tone, etc. However, many differing voice types often fall within a certain vocal range, so vocal range is used to classify a singer's voice. The most common classifications within the bounds of a certain vocal range are as follows:

(For our purpose, and it seems to be a common definition, middle C is C4. These definitions are based off the most commonly used classifications - some singers can sing higher and/or lower than what their classification allows)¹.

Soprano: C4 to C6
Mezzo-soprano: G3 to A5
Alto: F3 to F5
Tenor: C3 to C5
Baritone: G2 to A4
Bass: E2 to F4

As I said before, these ranges are general classifications - there are plenty of exceptions!

Something about our human nature is fascinated with high notes. You can't pinpoint it, but you know it is there. It shouldn't surprise you that singers on the radio often seem like they are singing in such a high vocal range - it's what draws listeners to the music. However, the average male voice is within the range of A2-D4 and the average female voice is within the range of A3-D5.

So how does knowing your vocal range teach you how to sing better?

Knowing your vocal range teaches you how to sing better by allowing you to understand your foundational ability and illuminating new ways to build up your voice. When I first began to intentionally work on singing, I had to calculate my vocal range and abilities before I started. If you don't calculate your abilities now, how can you realistically set goals for yourself? It is extremely tough to set viable goals without understanding your current position. If you want to learn how to sing better, you've got to come to terms with where you are at now.

Knowing your vocal range also teaches you how to sing better because it allows you to discover latent singing abilities. As I tested out my vocal range for the first time, I discovered that I had the uncanny ability to detect pitch and sing along with it in a scale. Some people (and I would go so far as to say many people) don't have this ability. I also discovered I had more low notes in me than I originally thought. Because we generally sing along with the radio, we never truly discover our bottom vocal range. When you attempt to learn your vocal range, you may be surprised at some of the notes you can actually hit!

This is just Part 1 of the "How To Sing Better" series: Your Vocal Range and Ability. My next article will give an extensive write-up on how to expand the vocal range you have been given (yes, it is expandable)! You can't learn to expand if you don't know where you are at now; this article is the building block for vocal range expansion. So I encourage you to learn your vocal range and prepare for my next article! I hope you are well on the way to learning how to sing better!

If you are interested in learning more about how you can sing better, please view my other vocal articles today!

Don't forget to check back soon for Part 2 of the "How To Sing Better" series: Expanding Your Vocal Range!

1. "Vocal Range" Wikipedia