Vocal ranges
Singers are grouped into six voice types by range, each about two octaves: soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto, usually women’s voices, and tenor, baritone and bass, usually men’s. Here they are on one chart, middle C being C4.
Every voice type's range
| Voice type | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Soprano | C4 to C6 | The highest voice type, usually a woman’s or a child’s. |
| Mezzo-soprano | A3 to A5 | The middle female voice, between soprano and alto. |
| Alto | F3 to F5 | The lowest female voice. In opera the lowest is called a contralto; in a choir, alto is the part below the sopranos. |
| Tenor | C3 to C5 | The highest common male voice. |
| Baritone | A2 to A4 | The middle male voice, between tenor and bass, and the commonest. |
| Bass | E2 to E4 | The lowest voice type. |
What a voice type is
A voice type is where a voice sits and sounds best, not just how far it reaches. Two singers with the same range can be a tenor and a baritone: the tenor rings on the high notes the baritone strains for, and the baritone is fuller lower down.
The ranges here are the ones voice teachers give. Trained singers go past both ends; most people without training sing about an octave and a half.
Find your own range and the type it fits with the vocal range test.
Questions about vocal ranges
What are the six voice types?
From highest to lowest: soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto (or contralto), usually women’s voices, and tenor, baritone and bass, usually men’s.
What is the most common voice type?
Baritone for men and mezzo-soprano for women, the middle voices. True basses and contraltos are the rarest.
What is a countertenor?
A man who sings in an alto or mezzo range, mostly in falsetto. It is not one of the six, but early music and some choirs are full of them.
What does SATB mean?
Soprano, alto, tenor and bass, the four parts of a choir. Mezzos and baritones sing whichever of the parts next to them sits better.
Find your vocal range
Sing from your lowest note to your highest into your mic and see your range and the voice type it fits. Free, with nothing recorded.
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