Vocal Types or Classifications

         Okay, I PROMISE this entire post is all about Vocal types with no more interruptions.  For ANY of these types, don’t forget you still HAVE to warm up appropriately.  It’s also very important to realize that just because you are PRIMARILY one Vocal Type, this doesn’t mean you can’t also sing in other categories as well.  For the purposes of choral music, voices and music are divided by only four, distinct Vocal Types:  Soprano; Alto; Tenor; and Bass.  Within these parts, there are occasionally further subdivisions but these are not referred to as Contralto, Lyric or Dramatic, Spinto, or any other specific subgroup title.  Choral music is much more about vocal ranges within a piece of music, as opposed to Vocal Types.  As a performer from college years on, I had a large range, which meant I could sing Soprano, Alto, or Tenor in choir, kind of go wherever I was needed.  It can even be good for you to sing in different vocal parts to stretch your voice, and to work and strengthen different areas of your range.

         The lowest Vocal Type is male and it’s called BASS.   Of all the voice types, this one has the fewest true “members”.  By this, I mean that there are LOTS of Baritones, even Sopranos but true Bass singers are decently rare.  A typical range for Bass singers is E2, two octaves below Middle C, to E4, the E note just above Middle C.  Professional Bass singers, however, routinely sing strongly from C2, the second lowest C on a full keyboard and two full octaves below Middle C.  They may also sing as high as G4, which is the G above Middle C.   Depending on specific range, the versatility and elasticity of the voice, as well as the weight and qualities of the tone, Bass voices may be further divided into one of several SUB-categories:  Basso Profundo (the lowest Bass voice with the darkest, richest qualities); Basso Cantante (this is the Bass singer whose voice is much more lyric, has more elasticity, and a higher range); Dramatic Bass, which borrows from each of the first two types; it has a rich deep tone but a more flexible range capable of greater variety in tone quality; and Bass-Baritone (as you will see from the next voice type, Baritone, this Bass voice is a cross between the Dramatic Bass and the Baritone, which implies a higher range while retaining a more intense color.  You might recognize this voice from:  Barry White; Johnny Cash; Avi Caplan with Pentatonix; and opera singer Rene Paps.

         Baritone is the most common male Vocal Type.  It lies between Bass and Tenor ranges, which includes areas of range within both of them as well.  A “typical” Baritone range begins about G2 (two G’s below Middle C) and extends to approximately G4 (the G above Middle C).  Similarly to the female Mezzo-Soprano voice, the Baritone voice will commonly be stronger through its middle range.  There are certainly Baritones whose range reaches below and above these notes, as well as more limited ranges but this is a good estimation.  Like its range, the Tessitura of a Baritone also tends to be between that of Tenors and Basses.  In addition, Baritone Vocal Color and Weight is also usually a blending of the Tenor and Bass characteristics.  Baritone is more often richer than the Tenor voice but still lighter than the classic Bass sound.  This is the reason there are so many amazing and beautiful Baritone-range songs and musical parts. featuring them.  This Vocal Type can be divided into numerous subcategories, which are common in Classical music, but the most important thing to remember is that versatility in a vocal range gives you MORE tools, most possibilities, not less.  There are lots of famous Baritone singers, including:  Elton John; Elvis; Phil Anselmo; John Mayer; Michael Buble’; Blake Shelton; my husband, Rick Riso; and Gianluca Ginoble, to name a few.

         The highest male Vocal Type is Tenor.  Many of today’s most popular male singers are Tenors:  Justin Timberlake; Justin Bieber; Chris Brown; Steven Tyler; Paul McCartney; Stevie Wonder; Ed Sheeran; Bruno Mars; Marvin Gaye; Luciano Pavarotti; and my personal favorites, John Barbour and Alfie Boe.  These voices have “typical” ranges from approximately a3 (two A’s below Middle C) to C5 (the C above Middle C).  Again, there are individuals whose ranges surpass these boundaries but this is a guide.  It is also important to note that this range does NOT include any use of the Falsetto Range; these tones are all produced in the singer’s Modal Register.  The Tessitura of a Tenor is, obviously, higher than that of a Baritone or Bass but there are subcategories of Tenors whose Tessitura is even higher.  The “general” Timbre, Weight, and flexibility of a Tenor voice is lighter BUT there are definitely types of Tenors whose Timbre, Texture, Power, and Presence exceed that of a “typical” Tenor.  Subgroupings of Tenors include:  Countertenor (this is often considered a completely separate Vocal Type; the entire range of this subgrouping is using in the Falsetto); Leggero (the equivalent to a Coloratura Soprano) - light and flexible with an upper range that extends to approximately F5 or even higher in full voice); Lyric (a bright, warm sound that is still not heavy); Spinto (bright and warm but also heavier than the Lyric Tenor); and Dramatic (an emotional, rich, darker Timbre, yet still bright and powerful).  These are typically Classical classifications BUT there are absolutely examples in non-classical, contemporary music.  Freddie Mercury of “Queen”, for example, sang Baritone first but as he came to know his voice, his range extended into Leggero, Dramatic, and Countertenor ranges, at least.   The male Countertenor is very similar to the female Contralto.  The human voice is a miraculous wonder!

         Now, for the female voices, the lowest of which is Alto.  Incredibly, true altos are pretty rare.  A “real” Alto’s typical range is from about F3 (the F below Middle C) to F5 (two F’s above Middle C).  The Tessitura of an Alto is the lowest for a female and the Timbre of the sound is rich, full, and dark.  There are really only a few sub-types of the Alto Type:  Contralto (the very lowest female range, which overlaps significantly with the Tenor range); Lyric (lighter tone color); Dramatic (richer, fuller tone); and Soprano Sfogato (Contralto with a seriously extended upper range to around C6 or “High” C).  “Technically”, my Vocal Type was a Soprano Sfogato, though my range extends lower into the Baritone Range and higher into Lyric Soprano Range.  Some famous Altos are:  Adele; Edina Menzel; Beyonce Knowles; Aretha Franklin; Lady Gaga; Stevie Knicks; Shakira; Alicia Keyes; and Ewa Podles.  The amazing richness and Vocal Timbre of these voices is what draws us so powerfully to them.

         The Mezzo-Soprano Vocal Type is the most common range for female singers.  This range is between the Alto and Soprano areas.  The approximate, ordinary range for a Mezzo-Soprano is between A3, just below Middle C, and A5, two A’s above e Middle C.  The Timbre of a Mezzo-Soprano voice is usually a mixture of dark and rich with lighter and brighter, though many singers within this range tend to embrace darker, richer, heavier tones, which can make transitions into Head Voice tones more difficult.  As a result, Mezzos often have a stronger “Mix” but a somewhat weaker Head Voice, compared to that of a Soprano.  A Mezzo-Soprano’s Tessitura lies higher than that of an Alto but lower than a Soprano’s.  This Range often overlaps Alto on the bottom and Soprano on its top.    Notable Mezzo-Sopranos are:  Madonna; Whitney Houston; Enya; Gwen Stefani; Rihanna; Taylor Swift; Mary J. Blige; Linda Eder; Barbra Streisand; and Joyce DiDonato.  Many of the young singers I know WANT to be Sopranos and have sung or attempted to sing Soprano in choirs, primarily because it is usually the melody of a given song and does not require singing harmony.  It can definitely be a thrilling thing to sing soaring high notes.  However, it is also possible to strain and even damage the voice , not to mention the likelihood of singing out of tune on notes that are beyond comfortable range.

         Soprano is the highest Vocal Type for female singers.  The range for a Soprano is generally between A4 (just below Middle C) and “High” C or C6 (two octaves above Middle C).  The Tessitura of a Soprano lies higher than any other Vocal Type and the colors in the Soprano voice can vary from individual to individual, light and lyric to heavy and dramatic.  Generally, the Soprano voice does not reach maturity until around the age of 35 years of age..  In years past, pop singers such as Julie Andrews were Sopranos.  However, in more contemporary times, the Soprano range is reserved more for choirs and musical theater.  It is not unusual, though, for singers who are primarily Altos or Mezzo-Sopranos to utilize the Soprano Range for “riffs”, “improvisations”, and other embellishments.  Mariah Carey and Celine Dion are well-known for such vocal gymnastics.   Many sopranos are still famous today and they include:  Sarah Brightman; Bjork; Jodi Benson; Renee Fleming; Kristin Chenoweth; and Charlotte Church.  There are several sub-categories of Sopranos:  Coloratura (ultra-high, known for its flexibility and ornamentation); Sopranino (also ultra-high but not known for agility and note manipulation); Lyric (warm and full); Dramatic (powerful, rich, and  even dark); Soubrette (young voice that’s light and bright); Spinto (also young but more dramatic and rich).  As I said above, the Soprano Range has many different and varied traits.

         The more I study it, the more amazed I am by the human voice.  You will have noticed from details in this post that there are areas of overlap and parallelism in voices and specific Vocal Type ranges, such as Contraltos and Countertenors having similar ranges.  What MIGHT be misunderstood here, however, is that these two parts or voices could never be interchanged or substituted for each other because the qualities of the male and female voice are extremely different from each other.   The notes may be the same but the voices themselves are completely distinct.

         If given the opportunity, get a view of your voice on a Spectrograph.  You will see some of the wonder, diversity, and astonishingly miraculous aspects of all the colors, resonance, intonation, overtones and other acoustic elements, and how everything comes together to form your beautiful, unique instrument.  Thank you for reading this post.  I hope you found it informative but also helpful.  Hopefully, this will become yet another tool for your Vocal Toolbox, and one that will allow you to better understand your voice, and craft arrangements more effectively with this knowledge.  If you have any questions about my lessons or me, check out my website at http://cathyriso.blogspot.com/.  Please send me any and all of your questions, comments, and suggestions for future blog posts.  I REALLY want you to, not only, understand this information but also be able to use this information to aid you in moving forward with future musical projects.  Thanks again!  Sing it forward!