Hey guys,
now, I know a lot, a LOT of people go around posting questions on the internet, specifying the range of notes they can sing, and asking what voice type is that. Problem is, the majority of those people have ranges that can be easily categorized, like F2 to E4, or E3 to F5... and then you can tell who's a bass, tenor, alto, blah blah blah.
When a person has a larger range though, how do you tell what type they are? I am a 17 year old boy/guy (my voice has already stopped changing, I had an early puberty), I can comfortably sing notes (chest range) between E2 and F5, and I'm to start training my voice to go even higher, to be able to hit certain notes with my chest voice instead of falsetto (with falsetto, I can comfortably reach about C#6, highest note reachable is E6 for me), which will, in due time, mean a few additional higher notes. Ultimate goal - sing the original intonation of Hallowed be thy name :lol: :P.
So looking at the classical classifications of voice ranges, I'm not a bass (comfortable range E2 - E4),
I'm not a baritone (F2 - G4),
I'm not a tenor (C3 - C5).
I can sing notes that are outside of any of these three classical ranges, singing notes the bass has, but also higher. The notes the tenor has, but also lower, etc etc...
So I'm kind of confused, into what vocal type do i classify myself into then? Should I determine it judging by the pitch my normal (speaking) voice has? (which is around B2 - D3, depending on pronunciation of words in sentences)?...
Any suggestions guys (and gals)?
Lots of people confuse "range" with voice type - but there's more to it than that.
The standard span of a voice type is two octaves, give or take a step. The average non-trained singer is capable of an octave to a tenth; the average trained singer can span two octaves. So it's easy to say "oh, I can sing this range, so I must be a bass". But the fact is, there are lots of singers who have three, four, or even five octave ranges - but being able to sing across a large range i's not the same as singing well across that range!
Your voice will have different weights in different registers. The change in power and timbre as you go through your range determines your sweet spot - that's your voice type. If you've got a bigger range than your standard voice type, then you are able to take on more opportunities. I know an operatic vocalist who regularly gets bass roles, and once was cast in a tenor part, but it doesn't really make him a bass-baritone-tenor... ask him and he'll tell you he's a baritone, because that's his sweet spot.
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