The Different Voice Types in Singing

Although we can argue about what the best instrument is, I think there’s no doubt that our own voices come out on top. Not only are our voices very versatile and capable of imitating all kinds of sounds, they’re also very unique to the individual and don’t cost a dime. With our lungs, voice boxes, mouths and lips, we can sing, hum and whistle until our heart’s content.

While some people are born with the natural ability to sing in perfect pitch, most people have to train their voices to sound good. One can do this privately or with the help of a singing teacher.

For anybody wanting to learn how to sing or take their singing to the next level, it is important for them to figure out what their vocal range is so as not to damage their vocal cords by singing something unnatural for them.

In total there are 7 different vocal ranges (or voice types) that humans generally fall under. These ranges could be interpreted as similar to the different keys that an instrument could be tuned to. For instance, a tenor sax and alto sax. Both can play the same notes, but they will be in different keys (for the most part).

The 7 voice types are:

• Soprano
• Mezzo Soprano
•  Contralto
•  Countertenor
• Tenor
• Baritone
• Bass

Below I’ll give a little more information on each voice type and give examples of famous singers who fall under that category.

Soprano – This is the highest of all the vocal ranges and it’s commonly associated with children’s voices or the highest of women’s voices. Using notation and visualizing piano keys, sopranos sing between middle C and high A.

When sopranos sing, you will most certainly hear them because their high-pitched voice pierces the air, making themselves heard by all.

Famous soprano singers include: Björk, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Grimes, Carly Rae Jepsen, Solange Knowles, Cyndi Lauper, Avril Lavigne, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross & Hayley Williams.

Mezzo Soprano – Meaning “half soprano,” mezzo sopranos can sing the lower ranges that traditional sopranos can sing, but not the higher ones. Again, using notation, mezzo sopranos sing between the A below middle C to the A two octave higher.

Famous mezzo soprano singers include: Adele, Tori Amos, Anastacia, Pat Benatar, Beyoncé, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Selena Gomez, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, Janet Jackson, Janis Joplin, Amy Lee, Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Dolores O’Riordan, Édith Piaf, Rihanna, Barbra Streisand, Taylor Swift & Carrie Underwood.

Contralto – Contraltos are the lowest of the female voices. When contraltos sing they sound very strong and rooted to their voice. They can sing from the F below middle C to the second F above middle C.

Famous contralto singers include: Fiona Apple, Karen Carpenter, Cher, Patsy Cline, Judy Garland, Beth Gibbons, PJ Harvey, Billie Holiday, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Courtney Love, Shirley Manson, Nico, Katy Perry, Shakira, Carly Simon, Tina Turner, Nina Simone, Grace Slick, Patti Smith, Shania Twain & Amy Winehouse.

Countertenor – This is the extreme highest of the male vocal ranges and it’s typically viewed as the opposite or “male version” of the contralto. Countertenors range from G3 to D5 (piano keys), which is pretty high-pitched for a male to sing. For this reason there aren’t many examples of singers who naturally sing in this range.

A few examples include: Klaus Nomi & Steve Perry of Journey.

Tenor – This is the highest a man can sing without it being weird. In other words, this is the highest range a man can sing directly from his diaphragm. The range goes from B2 to C5, so there are many singers in this category.

Famous tenor singers include: Akon, Marc Anthony, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Chester Bennington, James Blunt, Michael Bolton, Jon Bon Jovi, Jeff Buckley, David Byrne, Phil Collins, Sam Cooke, Billy Corgan, John Denver, Eminem, Vicente Fernández, Peter Gabriel, Marvin Gaye, Cee Lo Green, Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Roy Orbison, Ed Sheeran, Layne Staley, Justin Timberlake… and the list goes on and on.

Baritone – The word baritone comes from the Greek word barýtonos, which means “heavy sounding.” The range lies between the second F below middle C to the F above middle C. Many of the singers whom we might refer to as “crooners” fall in this category.

Famous baritone singers include: David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Nat King Cole, Chris Cornell, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Morrissey, Mick Jagger, Marilyn Manson, John Mayer, Jim Morrison, Frank Ocean, Elvis Presley, Trent Reznor, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Serj Tankian, Alex Turner, Eddie Vedder & Scott Weiland.

Bass – This is the lowest of all the voice types. Bass singers are like the bass guitars of the vocal world. Their voices are very low and act as a sort of platform for the other voices to sing along with. The bass voice extends from the second E below middle C to the E after middle C.

Famous baritone singers include: Leonard Cohen, Till Lindemann, Peter Steele & Barry White.

Head/Falsetto voice

Apart from the 7 different voice types mentioned above, there is also the head voice (also known as the falsetto voice). The head voice is a method of producing higher pitches using one’s head. The difference being that the head voice comes from above the chest, as is not from the lungs. The head voice is what we typically do when we try to mimic a singer above our natural vocal range.

Final Thoughts

Unlike having to go out and buy an instrument, for the most part everyone is equipped with a pair of lungs and vocal cords. Whether we can sing or not is a matter of practice, but the tools are there.

To find out what your vocal range is you could try to find artists who you find are easy to sing along to and find out what vocal range they sing in.