Voice Types: The 8 Singing Classifications. Find Yours Here!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
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Introduction: (0:00)
Definition of Voice Types: (1:12)
8 Vocal Classifications: (3:37)
Tessitura: (5:33)
Timbre: (7:28)
Vocal Weight: (7:40)
Bass Voice Type: (9:21)
Baritone Voice Type: (12:24)
Tenor Voice Type (15:10)
Countertenor Voice Type (17:23)
Contralto Voice Type: (19:21)
Alto Voice Type: (21:06)
Mezzo Soprano Voice Type: (23:58)
Soprano Voice Type: (26:15)
Final Notes: (29:31)
Every singer wants to find their voice type! That's because knowing your voice type (bass, baritone, tenor, countertenor, contralto, alto, mezzo-soprano and soprano) will help you know exactly what kind of music that you can sing.
For instance, if I'm a bass, then singing a Sam Smith song might be very difficult for me. Or, if you're in Alto, singing an Ariana Grande song might be difficult for you.
But today, we'll look at the 8 main singing voice types. I'll show you how to identify each and I’ll show you how to find your own voice type.
Your voice type is the vocal classification of your singing voice. It's based on the 8 major Italian voice types: bass, baritone, tenor, countertenor, contralto, alto, mezzo-soprano and soprano. Now many people believe that the only way to find your voice type is just based on your vocal range.
While it's true that finding your vocal range is very important in establishing your voice type, it's not the only determining factor. You also want to look at the vocal weight, the tessitura and the Timbre of the singing voice. And before we jump into the main voice types, you should know that every voice type has its place and is important. So even if you're a bass that wants to sing high notes, you need to learn to hit your high notes for a bass as well as humanly possible. Those notes will sound just as cool as when a tenor hits a high note in their own voice.
The eight singing voice types are separated by gender. The four male voice types are bass, baritone, tenor, and countertenor. The four female voice types are contralto, alto, mezzo, and soprano. Now keep in mind when I discuss the different ranges today that they're based on a trained voices not because you just can't sing high.
The lowest male voice type is the bass with a tessitura of E2 to E4. Examples include Johnny Cash, Barry White and, Leonard Cohen.
The next higher male voice type is the baritone with a tessitura of A2 to A4. Examples include John Legend, Hozier, and David Bowie.
The second highest male voice type is the tenor with a tessitura C3 to C5. Examples include Freddie Mercury, Jason Mraz, and Sam Smith.
The highest male voice type is the countertenor with a tessitura of E3 to E5. Examples include Bruno Mars and Dimash Kudaibergen.
Now let's look at the four major women voice types. The lowest female voice type is the contralto with a tessitura of E3 to E5. Examples include Nina Simone and Annie Lennox.
The next higher voice type is going to be the alto with tessitura of F3 to F5. Examples include Lana Del Rey, Tracy Chapman, and Amy Winehouse.
The second highest female voice type is the mezzo soprano with a tessitura of A3 to A5. Examples include Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyonce.
The highest female voice type is a soprano with a tessitura of C4 to C6. Examples include Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston.
Remember, none of these voice types are more valuable or more important than any other. Whatever voice type you are, the most important thing is that you train your voice to get the most out of that you can. - เพลง
Me having the flu: baritone
Me talking to my friends: contralto
Me talking to strangers: mezzo soprano
Me talking to my cats: drunk soprano
haha
I love this ! Totally right on! 🤣🤣
That makes me
Mesozoic right
I am going to guess that your telephone voice is alto
@@DaskaiserreichNet78
My telephone voice is high mezzo or soprano. I'm a tiny 5'1 woman and I tried my best since childhood to sound petite like my figure by elevating my tone to almost anime-like. 😅😅😅 Maybe it's the curse of being Asian...men expecting women to have cute voice here.
My voice type is drunk guy at karaoke night
haha
I love that comment. You realize that is a personality type, right? 😂😂
Me too, except I've never drunk or went to a karaoke night
You sir, have the actual best vocal type!
@@skye387 🤣 Same
As someone with no musical education whatsoever, I really appreciate you putting in examples of different artists for every voice. Made it really easy to spot the difference.
In either case, whether it's sarcasm or honesty, I do very much appreciatie the commentary.
As a girl I’ve always had a heavier singing voice compared to my friends. I loved singing Demi or Kelly but I couldn’t sing Ariana because it wouldn’t sound “right”. But I’ve learned to work more with my voice and accept that it won’t ever sound light and airy which is okay. Now I find myself singing more sultry songs and they work really well for me.
I liken my singing voice to a smooth creamy almost low like fluidy style! but i can go higher but not much and certainly not like mariah or Ariana!
I'm the same, Selena Gomez and Miley I can sing pretty well. And same with Ariana 😂
Singers with a deep and heavy voice are my favorite!!
I'd really love to have a raspy voice like Amy Winehouse or Angelina Jordan.
But I'm still proud of my own singing voice c:
It's not quite my music type (mezzo soprano).
But it's just heartwarming to think that our voices are made for other people to love, enjoy and to listen to.
Therefore to share our unique tone with each other.
c: ♡
same!!! i love ariana and mariah carey. i love singing their songs eventho I am a alto lol
demi and ariana is a soprano too
As a women who has a low voice naturally i tend to sing a males tenor. I feel like not alot of wonen with deep voices get as much hype as women with voices like ariana grande.
Me too! I always felt like I sing male voices better.
unfortunately true :(
Oh man, as a woman with an contralto/alto voice, singing Myles Kennedy is so, so much fun.
Definitely not but I think that it sounds so beautiful when women hit low notes
Nina Simona, Annie Lennox, Sade, Norah Jones and more...in a way women with low 'voices' are rare...they might not get the hype but they have the magic cause they are unique.
Fun fact: Freddy Mercury was a natural baritone. His vocal range was just to huge that he could easily sing as a tenor.
interesting idea, not my thoughts
he was way up there to be a natural baritone. His tessitura including his speaking voice lies on the tenor field
Yes it was his different structure of his teeth that gave him such a huge range. I think his morals were shaped distinctive than ordinary people. But speaking of voice type he was a lyric baritone. Many people don't know but Brendon Urie is also a lyric baritone.
@@ZENOBlAmusic yes he can sing a d5 in chest voice but the question is how comfortable he is and what is the reason behind having being able to sing so high which btw is his unique teeth structure and hence he couldn't be classified as a tenor. But he is a legend and I love his voice anyways voice types doesn't really matters so much . It was just a fact that he is a natural baritone mark my words natural and I wanted to share it with you guys.
@@satyamdas5929 Your teeth has nothing to do with your vocal range. At most it might affect your head resonance or dictation. People have had their teeth fixed before, and it does not change or affect your voice. This from Wikipeadia: “The human voice is capable of producing sounds using different physiological processes within the larynx. These different forms of voice production are known as vocal registers;
"Full chest voice is your lowest and most powerful voice. Most singer simply use mixed voice or head voice to sing higher, which is far easier then using full chest voice.
Your larynx and some of the other muscles within your throat are elements dictates your vocal range. In general it is very difficult for baritones to sing past G4 with full chest voice, their voices generally breaks into falsetto around F4. It is easy for them to use mixed voice or head voice to sing higher. The opening high note Freddie that was used in this video for Freddie was a G#4, that is a really difficult note for a baritone in full chest voice, for Freddie it sounded low and easy. It is actually quite easy to determine Freddie Mercury’s vocal range, because he simply sang in full chest 80% of the time. There are a lot of D5 notes in full chest voice from him, and the rare E5 note. Freddie could sing high notes with real power, when baritones or basses sing high notes they have to use mixed voice or falsetto and as result their voices tend to sound thin on high notes.
Freddie Mercury’s full chest voice is in the range of a tenor. You get many different tenors. Leggero tenors, Lyric tenors, Spinto tenors, Dramtic Tenors and Heldentenors. They have all have different timbres and sounds to their voices, they have different weighs to their voices and different breaking points. Leggero tenors can have breaking points at around G#4 -A4, their range E3 - E5, Lyric tenors which is by far the most common, have a breaking point of G4 - G#4, and the common tenor range of C3 - C5. Spinto tenors have a breaking point of F#4, their range is B2 - B4 and sometimes C5, Dramatic tenors and Hendon tenors have a breaking point of F4, their range is B2 - B4.
Spinto, Helden and Dramatic tenors are all heavy voiced tenors. They have biggest and more powerful voices, they also have depth and richness in their voices. These tenors are very rare, you mostly only see them in opera. The description of a Spinto tenor is; a lyric tenor who can push their voice into the dramatic range. They can sometimes sing like a lyric tenor but they have bigger voices and can therefore push their voices to become dramatic. According to opera singer Rosalind Plowright she describes a Spinto voice (either male of female) as one that has the tonal colour of the voice type one step lower of their own range. That means, a voice within the tenor range but with a baritone's tone colour, that is the description of a Spinto.
Dramtic tenors are known for having a metallic or a steely sound at times, it is described as a sound that can through the mix.
Another interesting test that you can do is to see how Freddie sang when he was sick, a singer tends to stay more within their comfortable range while they are sick, an they have to sing for 2 hours. You would expect a baritone to sing a few more low notes. Wembley 1986 was a concert where Freddie Mercury had a cold, here is the vocal range from that concert:
th-cam.com/video/OhsTOfRLBmM/w-d-xo.html
The first thing note is that there was no notes outside of the tenor range, his full chest voice, match that of a tenor perfectly. Freddie Mercury is far more comfortable belting out A4 notes in full chest voice then doing low notes. The low notes were fine, but his higher notes are far better, and they have power.
Listen to a comparison between a Lyric Tenor and a Spinto tenor:
th-cam.com/video/ds_PGBe_pf0/w-d-xo.html
THE STUGGLE of being in a rock band with two others alto/mezzo girls, as a soprano girly with a very thin voice. I always wondered why I could not have that beautiful depth they have in their voice. Im just starting to embrace my voice and requesting to do more songs that I would feel comfortable in, as well as practicing harmonizing with them with my higher notes. Thank you for this!
I can relate so much! All my singer girl friends are contralto and sing tenor parts in choir 😂. meanwhile I can't even hit a low F with much volume
@@moonlightsonatina4154 low F you mean F3 right?
@@ivblizzard3616 yeah!
Stuggle
I like the way you made this video. You didn’t choose the blasting whistle notes of each range, you just showed their comfort, which was comfortable and nice.
You speak well and are nice to listen to.
Mariah
Bass
Baritone
Tenor
Countertenor
Contralto
Mezzo Soprano
Soprano
Carey
That’s the voice classification hun
JK
yes, she has amazing range
What about Colaratula Soprano
Well she classifies herself as an alto so anyway...
I don't think she can hit bass notes
@@thrattjaouhard3372 she can go down to Eb2
I've always felt really self conscious hanging out with my girlfriends and hearing how they speak compared to me. They sound like the auditory equivalent of bubble letters while I sound like, idk, helvetica. No nonsense, no fun, deep. It always felt.. un-feminine. It feels a lot better to think I sound like Tracy Chapman. Thanks, seriously.
deep voices especially in women are very cool. I'll give you a few more: Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Lauren Bacall (look her up if you don't know who she is)
Oh HELLvetica yeah! I'll take me some smoldering, resonant depth over some bubbly pitch that makes my ears bleed, any day!
No shade to Ariana Grande or any other Sopranos, but I like their voices better when they're NOT pushing those high notes. Am I blown away by Mariah's Whistle tone? Of course. Would I prefer to listen to it for longer than just a few seconds? Oh hell no! But Mariah in her nice low resonant voice? I could listen to that all day, every day.
I love deep voices!!! Wish I could go lower!!!
Yeah I was always a little insecure about my voice too because it felt un-feminine like you said. Sometimes I wish I had that sweet airy soft fairy voice. But yes, I'm finding a new appreciation for my voice now too. :)
agreed, @What
You've explained this perfectly! What I love about your teaching is how comfortable you make everyone feel about their own voices in each video you do. That shows the work of a great singing teacher 🙂. Thank you so much for this video! 🥰
I’ve never taken music classes but I absolutely love to sing. I always wondered what my vocal classification would be and thanks to this video I know it’s mezzo soprano! Thanks for sharing! ❤
Same
Did I intend to watch a 30 minute video about voice types today? No.
Did I just discover I'm either an alto or mezzo soprano? Yep!
excellent
This. 🤣
Me too!
😂😂
Lol. Nor did I.
I am also (I think?) A mezzo.
I am a contralto (even down to most of the baritone range), daughter of a bass so I got it naturally. When I started leading contemporary worship, many ladies thanked me for singing in ranges they could reach. Finally, they heard songs that weren’t so high they couldn’t follow. Every voice does indeed have value, especially since most women I know can’t reach the stratosphere.
so true
Yes, I usted to think that my voice was so low that it made It ugly and unable to sing , but I started taking lessons (at 50) and I discovered that it didn't, t sound that bad When I "dared" To sing Macy Gray or Amy Winehouse songs, so Yes, you don, t need to be an Ángel to sing. Thanks from Barcelona!
That’s so COOOL ! I can’t drop my voice low at all, but I’m OBSESSED with contraltos like you sound so cool ans powerful and I just sound like I’m about to cry 🤡
@@happyjellycatsquid that crying angst in your voice can be quite moving too, especially in the right song. I encourage people to sing to their strength. I used to be jealous of sopranos until I learned to appreciate what I have and sing songs in keys that show it off. You can do that too. Just keep singing!
@@juliajones1425 For sure, I mean there so much stuff out here written for sopranos/mezzos (I think I’m a soprano but I’m still not super clear about that, I only sing for fun ahah) so it’s definitely not like I have the bad end of the stick ! I just wanted to show some love for contralto and lower voices like basses and baritones because I’m frankly obsessed with low voices, they’re so charismatic and powerful and they don’t get half the love they deserve 🥴 Step aside tenors, my favourite phantom of the opera is a baritone-bass 🤡
I want to be friends with this guy.
Comes off as so genuinely himself with such love for everybody.
And the way he gets into the songs while watching clips, but is able to keep his teaching hat on… definitely subscribing.
It was so healing to hear you say “their voice is airy but they are confident in that note and that’s a great thing” brb my inner child is healing 😭
I had no idea this classification existed. All my life I was so frustrated that I couldn't sing high notes like all the singers. And now I know that I am not supposed to. I am one of the lowest female types. It was very good to know.
glad you found it!
It's interesting you say that - I can't sing at all but I love to listen to singers who sing low notes. When I listen to a female singer who hits the high notes like there's no tomorrow I'm still impressed but I can't enjoy it for long, no matter how good she is. I was always frustrated that there are so few female singers who are comfotable singing low too. Thank god I like Rock and metal so there are at least a few but in other genres there's nobody. When I have head aches but need to listen to music I only listen to Bass covers now cause everything else hurts too much but I don't like high female voices for more than two or three songs without a lower second voice.
Anyways to get to my point: I can imagine it's frustrating when you want to sing them but I personal think it's great when there's somebody who can sing the lower tones. Especially as a female that's way too rare.
Every voice has its limits. We shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. Especially unrealistic voice types different from our own.
Could be worse, I've got random inflammation of the vocal cords, so some days I'm a bass and some days I'm significantly higher. But, I just accept it and enjoy the ride. Somedays, I'll be singing along to Johnny Cash or Roger Miller. Tennessee Ernie Ford is a bit of a stretch most days, but on a good day, I can sing along without much effort.
I just always found myself instinctively gravitating towards harmony parts when my friends would be singing. I can sing significantly higher and sound good, but those lower parts just felt better. He's definitely right about comfort, that's probably the easiest thing to figure out on your own and the thing that's going to allow for the most actual singing without risking the voice.
Every vocal coach I've seen has "reassured" me that I'm not a contralto and have a "normal enough" voice (not kidding!). Thank you for making this video and confirming for me that I AM a contralto with your simple, clear explanations and examples.
Why would anyone see having a voice type like Annie Lennox, or Nina Simone as a flaw? I don't get it! Glad to be in that rare group.
absolutely!
It's a great voice...love your voice!
"Normal enough"? Rude. 😂😂 I assume "average" was what they actually meant. I would have loved seeing Karen Carpenter up there too, such a beautiful contralto voice.
A lot of guys like the lower-pitched women's voices, just FYI. I was once told by an ex that my voice was very "womanly," as opposed to high and "Barbie-doll." Mind you, I took it as a compliment. I like sounding like a woman, and not like a little girl. 😜
And Annie Lennox is one of my favorites! I love her singing -- it's jazzy, very down to earth. Her version of "I Put A Spell On You" is phenomenal, IMO.
@@a.katherinesuetterlin3028 lower pitched women's voices are beautiful too! Even regardless of the actual pitch, the timbre of a woman's voice just has a different sound.
I like low voiced woman singers and high voiced male singers. It's cool to hear them sometimes sing the same notes yet sound so different.
🤯 Dude not only you know what you're talking about, but you also have excellent delivery. Thank you!
Surprised you didn't mention Mary Travers for contralto - she goes LOW. She's actually how I figured out I was a contralto! Great video!! Love the examples and breakdown.
I think I am a bass and my dog is tenor, plus my mum is a soprano when she's angry.
Haha
How about when she's not angry and how TF do you get the vocal range of a dog
funny thread
@@ramseyvoicestudio yep especially when you still have no idea on how someone get the vocal range of a dog
@@vincentvillareal1812 well yeah but how are you going to get a dog to sing well bark their whole range
True contraltos scare me lmao. Insanely talented.
yes
Ha ha boo
@@ramseyvoicestudio Karen Carpenter!
I think I'm a contralto---I can sing lower than Randy Travis on "Forever and Ever Amen".
@@catwhisperer9489 Holy cow! 😲 Then you're a bass!
I'm a little surprised there were no singers from acapella groups in the mix here - if any singers are put into very distinct categories, it's them. But then I remembered just how many of the best ones have absolutely CRAZY vocal ranges. Geoff Castellucci (the Bass of Voiceplay,) can reach subharmonic low notes with ease, but can also hit high tenor notes just as easily - as can Tim Foust of Home Free. Mitch Grassi of Pentatonix is an incredible counter tenor, but can also sing easily in a low chest voice that's in the baritone range - and Scott Hoying of Pentatonix can hit everything from Bass notes to high tenor. I can recommend checking out those three acapella groups (the well known Triad of Excellence in the acapella world!) for examples that might be a little harder to pin down to just one, if you're up for the challenge!
I'm just over 3/4 through your video and very much enjoying learning these little gems of knowledge. You have a lovely manner to you also 😊
Some people categorize sopranos as great singers than other lower voice types that is why you actually made me smile when you said 'all voice types are equal and valid!'
I really appreciate your videos!! (happy tears!)
Rock on!
Heck, a lot of my favorite pop songs are in that range, and hard for me to sing, so I am jealous of those who can sing lower comfortably.
I'm so god damn tired of sopranos being credited as more talented... Makes me just feel 'blah' about singing in general and that i should just give it up
@@erasedshallbehisname5100 Yes I know I feel the same way... I go terribly off-key trying to sing like Ariana Grande or Sia's songs, but it's great to know now my voice is just naturally lower. "All voices are equal" is very reassuring to me. :)
As far as I could see (hear?) from my personal experience with a choir, most of the time sopranos are given the "main theme", and therefore their voice stands out a lot more than altos which cover the other notes of the chord. In this sense, it is true that sopranos often develop a bit of primadonna complex ;)
(FYI: no offense intended, I have been a soprano for years so joke's on me!)
Am I the only one who feels slightly robbed by my voice coaches? My whole life I was trained as a soprano. I sang high pieces written for lyric sopranos and I had a very hard time. I struggled with insecurities for years, feeling like I was a terrible singer because even though my voice had been classified as a soprano by my teachers and choir directors, I struggled to hit notes that were supposed to come easily to me. I always felt more comfortable in my lower range, but again and again, my coaches pushed me to sing high. And now I've realized my tessitura is that of a contralto or alto. All these years of feeling like I wasn't good enough because my coaches refused to let me play to my strengths very often. I had one teacher even say that From Eden by Hozier seemed to sit at a very natural place in my range, and yet she wanted me to perform Defying Gravity for my recital that year.
Damn, I'm sorry. I imagine you feel like you wasted your time. I hope you realize that 1. You can start practicing your natural range now, and 2. you've proven that you have the power and commitment to practice. All practice is practice, as my old karate teacher once said.
I hope that helps a little.
@@NothingYouHaventReadBefore it does help, thank you! It did feel like a bit of a waste, but at the same time, I know that the foundational training I received is still going to apply regardless of voice type. I'm excited to train my voice moving forward, and maybe finally move past my insecurities as a singer :)
I know exactly how you feel. As a child I sang as a high soprano in my choir and once I got a vocal coach I was categorized as a mezzo soprano. This continued into uni, where they wanted me to sing Cherubino and other lyric mezzo stuff (which I struggled with since I felt it sat right in my passagio and it hurt) and it was only after I finished uni, got my degree and found a new teacher that I found out that I'm actually a lyric or dramatic contralto. Just with a rather wide range. I've also learned that the deeper, more dramatic voices tend to mature a lot slower, so while you may feel that you have wasted your time, it might also be that your voice needed that time to fully mature. You have the rest of your life to discover and enjoy this "new" voice that you have found. It is a wonderful journey you're on, and you have lots of fun exploration ahead of you. :)
@Hailey, it's so common for this to happen, I hear it all the time in these comments. Take courage and keep on!
Thanks, @Berend and @Lomenar for sharing your stories, it's encouraging for others
This was an awesome video!! Truly appreciate the effort you put into it and your great energy! ⭐️👌
I'm balancing well between an Alto and a Mezzo Soprano. I was really suprised that I could do it. Soprano is a bit breathy and huskier whereas I'm straining my voice for contraltos. So yeah I'm balancing between Alto and Mezzo Soprano. Thank Ramsey you helped me a lot. ❤️
Because I hit puberty early, I adjusted both my speaking and singing voices higher not to sound like Lauren Bacall when I was eleven years old. I was classified as a lyric soprano all the way through public school. I auditioned for the head of the voice department in collage with art songs intended for a lyric soprano. Half way through my first college semester, my vocal teacher decided to exercise the lower part of my range. I had always liked to sing with the tenors when I was bored in choir practice so that day my teacher ran me up and down my comfortable range and proclaimed that, with a four octive range, I had sung my way into the alto section of the college choir. God had given me a wonderful instrument but I wasted and mistreated it for a very long time. Now, at sixty-eight, it is mostly gone. If you have any talents don't waste them. Get proper instruction and practice. I wish that I could still sing, even in the shower. It might be that you could thrill an audience of fifty thousand but the soul deep joy is in singing for yourself, your loved ones and your creator. Don't ever forget that a talent is a gift. Appreciate it.
what a beautiful comment, Karen, and wise too
Thank you for this...I hope you still find much joy in your signing. As an aspiring Singer, I m very grateful to you for sharing this. God bless you 🙏❤️👍
I am so sorry that you injured your voice by misusing it when you were young. I hope you find that you have regained at least a few notes that you can sing softly. It would feel awful to not be able to sing even though the dog is the only one to hear me now.
Thank you for the wisdom Karen.
Voices can be healed and rehabilitated.
main thing is not to injure your voice, comfort, and endurance
Absolutely
I took your vocal range finder and revised many times and i got C3 to C6. And after watching this video, I am confirmed i am an countertenor.
Hitting C6 is amazing!
I love your videos! Referencing weight and how everyone has different highs and lows really help. I love singing Hozier songs, and so it was almost immediately clear I was a Mezzo-Soprano ❤❤❤
One point that was missed: when two different voice types sing the same note, they're probably going to use different techniques, and that makes the lower voice type sound weaker and lighter, not thicker and more powerful!
For instance, imagine a bass and a tenor singing A3. The bass singer would probably have to belt or use head voice for that while the tenor is on the lower, warmer side of their range
NO ONE brings this up, yet this the biggest way to easily tell.
When you hear male chesty G4-A4 theres no way its a lower voice type because theyd be forced to lighten it to heady mix or strain so much they wouldn't last one performance.
And thats what pisses me of that when tenors sing low, they get classed as baritones by the community.
A real baritone would have to sing even LOWER to get that same thick sound.
@@nightmare4eVerr1 this gets especially confusing when, to survive in today's tenor-oriented pop music, a lot of baritones develop a nice head voice and falsetto range and stay there, rarely using their awesome lower range. It makes it difficult for the average person to tell who's a baritone and who's not
Huh? How does that make the lower voice sound weaker? The lower voice has to sing higher and higher notes are louder than lower notes.
@@Marco_Fabian37 louder doesn't mean chesty.
You can be in a light mix while being just as loud
Head voice can be just as loud but it will have minimal chest resonance.
Imagine barry white trying to sing chandelier or My heart will go on.
Barry whites chest mix will top out by F4 while for those 2 songs he needs a chest mix till F5 probably.
Sure he could be equally loud in a head mix, but hell sound horrible tbh because your deviating from the songs tonal requirement
@@nightmare4eVerr1 that can be said the other way around. You give a tenor and a bass a low note the tenor disappears
I cant sing and i'm tone deaf. Best 30 minute of singing lesson in my life😍 Your explanation and examples are so easy to understand. And you're so respectful and warm. Thank you for making this video.
you're very welcome
I was always told that "tone deaf" is a made up term. Now, I don't mean to say this to discount you, but to encourage. Start simple, listen to a single, long sound and see if you can try and match how it sounds. Privately record yourself or have someone help you if its not easy to tell how close you are just by doing it. I hope it helps and I don't come off as a jerk. I hope you have a great day!
@@th8aone-147 I also feel I can't sing because I'm off-key. I can't hit the right notes. But I've also noticed that being older I seem to do better with very low tones. I think I almost hit the right 'key' of a song. Two problems I have are the amount of phlegm in my throat but also running out of breath trying to sing all the way through a song. I just try to sing when nobody's around.
@@th8aone-147 that is so kind of you. thank you for encouraging me! and i'm so grateful for your advices. have a pleasant days ahead :)
Love this! Best explanation I've found so far.
Awesome video! Exactly what I was looking for as someone who enjoy singing and had lots of questions in my head about it since I have no knowledge of music or singing. Thanks!!
“Male and female voice types don’t really overlap”
Me, a boy with a soprano range: oh
if you're a younger boy, be patient, it will change
@@ramseyvoicestudio ahahaha, don’t worry, I’m still relatively young but I actually worked up my range significantly on my own, I used to have the range of a baritone but I eventually worked my way up to a tenor range and beyond to a soprano. It’s not a case of my voice hasn’t dropped yet because it certainly has!!
then you have worked up a great range, but remember, unless you are female or identify as one, you're not a soprano, but you use that range
As a woman with a baritone range: also oh.
@@ramseyvoicestudio Omg the voice change thing really is so drastic, my voice changed this year and now I have a Baritone range whereas before it was countertenor-like. xD
Also very random but would you say with Baritones hitting A4s, would you say that them hitting notes around that mark but having to use their falsetto is an okay thing or would true Baritones be able to do it with head/chest/mixed voice?
Contralto here with a fun fact! “alto” actually is not its own voice type! It’s actually a choral line. Many people who identify as altos are actually mezzo sopranos with a slightly lower range!
thanks for your feedback
I thought that I was just an alto, didn’t know about contraltos till today. So I was thinking that I was either an alto or a contralto, and I am on the lower range, so I guess I am a contralto!
@@Chris2.1 Same here. I sing alto in choir so I was expecting to get that or close to it. Then I identified with contralto/alto.
oh that helps. I've had a choir teacher place me in alto but then soprano the next year and so i was always confused to where i stood but I'm realizing that i have a much lower range and more weight than an actual saprano so i think I'm mezzo saprano!
@@celestialgz Me too I sang soprano in the school choir and later on when I joined the church choir I was placed in Alto so confusing...I like to sing Madonna, Beyonce and yet I can sing Mariah's hero comfortably (not saying I am as good as them lol) so does this make me a mezzo soprano? @ramseyvoicestudio
Love your videos dude! Thank you for all your help so far in my vocal journey! Looks like I’m a baritone :)
I really loved seeing your examples of voice types. I found myself guessing the artists.
Thanks so much for your sharing your expertise.
What's so strange about Gaga is so many people think she's a contralto (it even says so on her Wiki bio) because she can easily reach low notes, but she's clearly a lyric mezzo-soprano. People have mistakenly also said the same about Pink and Katy Perry.
interesting!
i often hear about people arguing that pink is a soprano.
katy perry is typically a soprano
Microphones typically make classifying voice types difficult sometimes. Areas of the voice typically inaudible are able to come out easier. Nothing against it, as it is just another tool singers should exploit.
@@Das644 K.Perry is mezzosoprano, same is Lady Gaga (big mezzo), Pink could be an alto.
@@mickygabriela8165 mhh.i see
Disappointed you didn't use Cher. Definitely one amazing example of a contralto/alto, even now.
yes, she is
But everyone can pick out Cher. The other examples round it out.
After singing along to your "finding your range" video and then watching this one-- I'm a contralto PLUS! I can comfortably sing C3-A5 without going into vocal fry or falsetto. Woohoo! Excited to keep going with voice lessons.
Stumbled Upon one of your videos and I'm loving it, Subscribed
Idk if it’s really said, but for young singers it is HUGE to NOT lock yourself into a classification. These things can make it difficult for pedagogical growth. It can help to know what you can do in the moment but don’t lock yourself into it.
I agree completely
I remember singing soprano when I was in little girl. The. When I was 8, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed and it went away. But I'm a Martina McBride, Amy grant style with some good falsetto. Also at the age of 6 or so, I remember singing in church out of the sing book. I was harmonizing and didn't know it . I just mimicked my mom bc it sounded neat. Now when I sing to myself, I harmonize with myself but in my head.
I'm a contralto and I mostly sing music by male artists because it fits my range better. Also so glad you mentioned Annie Lenox, her voice is beautiful ❤️
same! 🖤 it took me years to find that out. school choir teachers didn’t know what to do w me lol
@@pchoir1740 same! very hard to practice chest voice being a contralto in a choir, I didnt start practicing my true comfortable range until I learned guitar and started singing male artists' songs
Big same! :D I just hate the problem where you're comfortable in the high range of the tenor range, but can't go too low, and then comfortable in the low range of the alto, but can't go high. It's like we have a foot in two worlds, while being wholly of neither....
Yes! Same! And now I know why! Hello fellow contralto! 👋
Ari Lenox *
I love this video. Thanks for making this video Ramsey. Now I'm able to know my voice type.
This video has done what you promised it would Very well done!
I always felt my voice lacked something when I sing low… It turns out it’s vocal weight. Thanks for helping me find this out! Btw, turns out I’m a baritone
wonderful!
Im a baritone aswell. I though i was a bass, but i feel my voice is more comfortable in baritone range. I feel glad about this.
@@mrbard1 I'm a bass vocalist that's very comfortable in most ranges, quite weird
I love reading the music nerd comments... it's spicy in here lol
come in, stay a while, lol, lots to see
Hahahaha me too :))))
Spicy 🤣👍 love it!
This is a FANTASTIC video! Thank you!
Wow! Thank you so much for this video. This helped me more than anything so far. ❤
This made it so easy. I’m pretty sure I fall into the Mezzo-soprano category. In school when our music teacher tested our range for choir he put me in the soprano range but I always struggled with those higher notes, but I wasn’t low enough for the altos. Never knew there was a category in between. Thank you for this.
Yeah some people just call them Soprano 1 or 2 or just say Soprano and bunch it all together which is in poor taste in my opinion.
Same!
he's so positive lmfao
yes, I am
Good thing.
you have a really good energy! nice video, thank you!
I have a great bit of trouble breathing. This video in concert w/ another video (standing tall, I think) has made it possible to take me off the iron lung. You have given me the greatest gift I could ever have. Thank You is pathetically inadequate.
A middle eastern singer named Nasrin Kadri has a SUPER deep voice but it sounds so beautiful and powerful!! She has nothing to envy to Ariana or Mariah, her vibrato and longer notes are marvellous
deep female voices are so interesting
This is amazing! I was classified as an alto in high school choir class and just went with that, but higher alto notes have always been difficult for me to hit. I always thought I just didn’t have great range.
But thanks to this video I discovered I’m actually a contralto! I was shocked at how easy those lower notes were to hit, and now I’m super excited to start exploring this new facet of my voice 🥰
excellent
I am classified as a sheep
I was put in soprano all throughout my primary school choir years. While I could sing those high notes, i always thought that I was more a mezzo-soprano. I’ve done voice lessons on and off my entire life. I started with a new voice teacher about a year ago, and the first thing she asked me was what I thought my voice range was. I told her my thoughts and she had me sing for her. She’s a former opera singer who also felt the same way as me about her voice. (sang in one voice part but thought she was another) She came to the conclusion that I was a mezzo-soprano, like her. I feel this video was proof of that. My voice feels the most comfortable singing the mezzo range. Thanks for putting out such an informative video! It’s really helpful!
Soprano 😊 Great video! You explain different voices perfectly!
I am 36 and I just started vocal lessons. Been trying to sing my whole life unsuccessfully. Men were too raspy and women too squeaky. She told me I’m a countertenor. She had me sing Love, Me by Collin Raye and it wasn’t absolutely terrible. I might not be doing concerts, but for the first time it sounded decent. This stuff really matters.
so glad you're finding your voice
I tested my range against your tessitura examples in each section and I'm a contralto!!! I've always loved having a low voice as a female, my mum and her mum are both altos so I'm definitely holding up the family legacy xp
I rarely hear any contralto or even alto female singers get much love these days, so thank you for your words about how every vocal type is equal and amazing. I really needed that
That is awesome!
I'm jealous! My mum is a soprano, her sister and mother all had beautiful voices. I missed out. I'm partial tone deaf. It still upsets me when I think about it.
Insightful, Ramsey. Much appreciated.
So adorable how enthusiastic you are, love it. Thanks for this ❤
"Male and female voice ranges don't usually overlap"
Me, a grown woman with a baritone to contralto range: 🥲
good for you!!
Me ma is a low tenor too.
Yeah, I'm still confused after this video as to what I am. I remember in a high school play the director tested my range and they were kind of astonished at my range. They never told me what I was but I sang tenor through alto.....????? I feel pretty relaxed with all of that.
Also, I don't really sing much anymore as an adult. I was just curious because this video reminded me of that day.
They don't overlap much when using classical technique, because classical music says they shouldn't overlap. It's normative, not descriptive.
"usually"
As a child, I sang whatever part we were short on in my church choir. Had a huge range, so it was very easy and entertaining to do this. I enjoyed chiming in in whatever area was needed most. From soprano to bass, only in an adjusted octave, if necessary. This was a very informative video. Thank you!
good for you!!
I did this too! I jumped all around from high soprano down to contralto. Naturally I fit in the soprano range the most comfortably though.
@@MrsMysteryWoman Me, too!!😊
I did this too! It's so much fun lol
Though if you were having to adjust the octave, that wouldn't be singing in that same range. It would simply be singing the same melody.
Excellent video with many examples ❤
Excellent , easy to understand , Thanks for straightening all this information out for me .
I’m a contralto and I remember someone told me that my voice sounded too “meaty.” But hearing you say that it’s an impressive trait many women don’t have makes me feel better about my singing. Thanks man! Sharing this video now 🌹
you're very welcome!
Contraltos rule! My favorite female register!
My voice type is "excuse me little girl are your parents home" when the phone rings....im 34 😅. Lol I love rock songs and id love to have that heavy weighty voice. I have alto envy.
me too!
meanwhile i'm the person who is often mistaken for a dude just from my voice.. the exact opposite 😂
my cousin has the same “issue” and she’s 37 😂
So eloquently put. Thank you!
Very nice video! I'm a man with a much higher voice than most others, but it was really cool to find out that I classify as a rare case in male singers.
According to my husband, when I sing in the shower it sounds like a cat drowning...
that's not very helpful, for sure
@@ramseyvoicestudio Yes, not helpful to find out my voice type. But we both had a good giggle. 🙂
Lmao, sounds like a Filipino jokes. 🤣 🤣 🤣
I was told I sing freaky, couldn't wrap my head around that...just told them I enjoy singing to my babies..
You made my day.
It’s funny how we have this tendency to appreciate and want what we are not. I’m a tenor in my church choir but it’s always the bass and altos that gives me the chills. Lol
me too, I'd like more deep notes
I feel the same way! Lower notes just gives me chills
Agreed! I always thought I was a mezzo soprano... Turns out I am a soprano. 🤣 I would LOVE to be able to go to very deep ranges. 😭
Very interesting guy and video!
After watching it all makes me appreciate it so much more. This is a classic video. Thank you for giving us this lesson on music/voice appreciation.
Mezzo-soprano here..... I enjoy your channel. Top stuff!
I’m an Irish countertenor. “Oi did it MEEEEEEEEE waaaaay”.
cool, love that accent
@@ramseyvoicestudio hey I don't have voice,when I sing my friends laugh at me,can u be of help,I want to learn how to sing ,am new here. Thank you
🤣🤣🤣
🤣
Cute but probaply hard to listen to for everyone who has english as a second language like me
The best part about being a contralto is being able to sing all my favorite songs by tenor musicians fairly decently haha
good for you
I’ve done that! 🙂
Same lol it's almost frustrating that a lot of songs that I find the easiest are usually songs sung by guys. 😏
You obviously enjoy what you're doing. Your spirit and smile says it all.
This is a great video, & you've just confirmed for me that I'm a Basso Profundo. My full range is something like E1-A-4. My tessitura is B1-D4, & my vocal weight is VERY heavy. Thank you.
I, too, am a basso Profondo. My lowest chest note is an E1, but learning subharmonics has changed this considerably; now, my lowest daily note is Eb0 to F#5 in falsetto. My tessitura is G1-B4.
Bruh I'm so jealous.
I'm just a Baritone with a E2 as lowest
@@arsalanmuhammadalikhanbalo9803 I am also jealous, although I am a high bass with a range usually from C#2 to D4, but I can get B1 in the morning, I would like to have more subcontroctave in the range, but it is more difficult to develop the bottoms in the voice
@@johndeeregreen4592B4 from a basso profondo is soooo amazing
My own tessitura is C2 - F4
My old choir director compared male singers to chocolate. Basses are dark chocolate, baritone are milk, and tenors are white. All yummy, but very different.
interesting
That’s a good analogy.
me who likes dark chocolate because i like my cookies bitter like my love life be like: cool, why do i still sound like a prepubescent boy despite eating so many dark chocolate cookies?
@@ryezheld it’s supposed to be an analogy.
@@thomasnguyen6144 i know. and somehow the joke went over your head like a staccato over a note...
Contralto here and it's really hard to find people that appreciate or even believe that we are comfortable singing in such low range... I go from C3 to E4 tops.
Thank you for this video! :3
Absolutely!!
Contraltos have the best voices though! I really admire yall
I am a man with Soprano range but an octave down. What is the classification.. is it true with term "Bass 2" or "contrabass"?
The examples really help! Thank you!
I’m not a singer, but I watched this all the way through because it was fascinating. Your positive energy is a joy to watch. You must be a damn good teacher!
well, thanks, Stephen!
I'm a mezzo soprano! I've always been able to hit low notes and go up to those really high noted too. Thanks for this video! It's helped me a lot!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much for making this video!!! this made me feel more normal per se i’ve always sang tenor parts in choirs but i’ve always had trouble in the lower register but thanks to you i realized i’m a counter tenor :) i thought my voice was just high since my tessitura is in E3-F#5 comfortably and can whistle up to f6 confortably 😃 i am working on my g6 though and it’s going well !!! just having some trouble staying on tune. I recently just got accepted into AMIS and I was able to enter the festival as a Countertenor !
This is so helpful!! Great tutorial.
I think I’m a contralto, I always feel like I sing along to male voices easiest and struggle to match the height of female voices! But I felt comfortable singing along the Annie Lennox! I remember being made to sing alto in my school choir and found that too high.
you can try my vocal range app and see:
rangefinder.ramseyvoice.com/
@@ramseyvoicestudio Eb3 to G4! I don’t like singing in my head voice though!
Same, I’m not a singer but always fine myself listening to either male singers or low voice female singers like Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus and Adele or Alicia Keys but is Adele/Alicia Keys consider alto or higher than that?
Same, I always sung tenor parts in school - as most boys moved lower the older we got.
could this be another helpful indicator to figuring out which range you feel comfortable singing in? because i find it really comfortable to sing to lana and amy winehouse songs more than lady gaga or ariana
I grew up singing Alto in choirs as a kid/teenager. However, I was really a Contralto, there just weren't many options to sing that low at that time. I would typically switch to my falsetto/"head voice" around F-G3. In my 30s, I decided to take voice lessons through the local university. They had a program where you could choose to work with either an undergraduate vocal student or a graduate student. I chose to work with a graduate student. She asked me what I wanted to work on when we first met. I explained that I was thinking about applying to the music school there and wanted to be able to pass an audition. She encouraged me to work on my "upper range" for the audition. (NOTE: She was a soprano and I'm not sure she really realized I was a Contralto.) When she tested my range (after warming up), she claims I hit a Bflat4! (I think she was smoking something, but I KNOW I hit a Gsharp4!). Unfortunately, we were pushing too hard, too fast...I wasn't completely understanding what she was trying to tell me (and was still "singing in my throat" instead of my "soft palate"!) and I ended up injuring my voice. After seeing several doctors, it was determined that I had pulled the muscles that hold the vocal chords tight. (Think of an athlete pulling a calf or thigh muscle.) Any time I tried to even talk, the sound would just stop when those muscles relaxed. It was AWEFUL!!! It took me a full 6 months before I could sing one verse of a hymn at church and another 6 months to be "fully" healed. However, even today, if I use my voice too much (or try to "push" my upper register) those muscles will start to relax on me and I have to completely stop. Ironically, this injury shifted my vocal range down just a bit and i am now an official "female Tenor" instead of a Contralto. Thankfully, I was able to keep my Alto range, but my falsetto now hits at D3! I can hit an E4, but I'm a bit scared to attempt to go above that as I'm afraid of reinjuring my voice. I don't EVER want to go through that again!!! But, when I'm warmed up, I can hit a C2 with no problems. I've even hit a Bflat2!!! That REALLY freaked me out! ;) My tessitura is a D2 to D3 with a range of Bflat2 to E4. I might be able to go higher, but, as I said, I have no interest in pushing things. ;) ;) But, because I have such a "low female voice," I can put almost ANYONE to sleep by just talking! :D Sometimes, this is super fun and sometimes it's EXTREMELY annoying! :\ Sure helped when my kids were little, though! :D
Wow I'm so sorry you went through this. No one should injure their voice to please someone else. Hope you are fully healed now.
Im confused ... U can hit a C2 as a female? Do you mean a C3?
@@ivblizzard3616 Yes, I had my "middle C" at C3 instead of C4....oops. So, add 1 to all of the numbers and it should make more sense. Sorry about the confusion and thanks for the catch. 🙂
@@ivblizzard3616 I start at C2 as a female. I’m an Alto-Mezzo or also Contralto. C2 to C5. I think lots of Alto women can hit a C2, no?!
I am so glad you added contralto. Contraltos are so underrated heck some people don't believe we exist!
they don't exist lol
@@TifikoGaming3248playz I'm sorry, I can't tell if you're joking or not.
@@mchaela4045 not joking, alto and contralto are the same
@@TifikoGaming3248playz no, altos sing higher than contraltos. In fact, there have been cases where there are women in the baritone or tenor section of a choir because there isn't a contralto section. It happened to me. Contraltos tend to sing about the same range as tenors. So if you want to say that contraltos don't exist then at least put them in the right voice group.
Great video, thanks!
I’m a tenor/counter tenor. I transitioned from female to male 11 years ago and it was TERRIFYING losing the singing voice that I had cultivated all my life. The voice I got right after it changed on hormones was super unstable and my range was tiny, it was very depressing, but now I can comfortably sing from baritone to counter tenor. I’m only self-taught though, I wish so bad that I could afford a vocal coach to polish my voice because I think my physical history has given me a voice with some interesting and pleasant qualities with a wide range.
Good for you, shift shaper, here's my lesson on expanding range:
ramseyvoice.com/expand-vocal-range/
I'm a year and a half on testosterone right now. I'm still not used to my new voice yet. I used to be a mezzo (but I tried my damnedest to be a tenor or even counter tenor and it sounded pretty bad) and now I think I'm a baritone. But it's difficult to say, I don't think it's fully stabilized.
I transitioned into a baritone! Which is exactly what I wanted. That was one of my strangely specific hopes. My upper range even in falsetto just skipped notes. I could try to hold a note above and below, and the middle was just not there. That’s getting a bit smoother. But for a while my range was split in half at best. Thanks for the link!
@@ramseyvoicestudio oh this slipped by me, thank you!!
@@eggpusher2585 my voice was still very uneven at a year and a half, and my range pretty limited. i know it differs for everyone though, for example even this long on T i still don’t have a full beard, it is still ever so slowly filling in the gaps but the progress is glacial. whereas some guys have full on luscious beards after two years.
I’m a soprano, but I love listening to lower voices more. To me it’s more pleasant and impressive.
Love low voices
Thank you. Very helpful to provide the examples
This opened a lot for me. I listen to a lot of Chicago, and love to sing their music, but I've always noticed I don't sound a whole lot like them being a bass. Meaning I always thought I was an octave lower or something, but it's just my Timbre, and vocal weight. Thank you!
Epic bass voices should include Avi Kaplan (formerly of Pentatonix), Geoff Castelucci (Voiceplay) and Tim Foust (Home Free)
Avi and Tim are here in music I've reacted to
Or Alvin Chea of take 6 🤩
Very informative! It's also important to note that some voices don't fit neatly into these categories, especially once you start getting into the subcategories (all the various fachs). I sing both classical and rock and am closest to a full lyric soprano, if I had to be classified. That said, my voice is very bright for how big it is, or you could say it's big for how bright it is. I also have a low extension...just can't hang out down there.
Every instrument is different and they all have their own beautiful, unique qualities. Find what yours likes to do, and have a blast.
good advice
Thank you so much you have changed my life and given me new confidence and appreciation for my voice
Really good overview for beginners, thank you.