Good vocal range?

[Rats]

What do you guys consider good vocal range to be? Also, does anyone know the average vocal range men and women have?
I never actually sat down with a piano to figure out exactly what notes I can hit, but by singing a scale from my lowest note to my highest note, I could get about 3.5 octaves including falsetto, and about 2.5 octaves in chest/head voice. Is that considered good?

[TheBlackAcidChildren]

Two and a half octaves is pretty good. It also depends where the range is, and what kind of genre you're singing for. For rock singing a tenor range is better than a bass range because a lot of rock songs need that tenor range to cut through the guitar and bass. If you have a bass voice in a heavy track it kinda blends with the guitars and you can't hear it.

[black_fire_137]

The range of the average human being is about 2 - 2.5 octaves. Some folks are blessed with 8 octaves and such. Most people can sing in a high enough range to do a good many songs decently. Find songs to suit your voice. Or transpose songs so you can sing them. Anything is possible in music. We just may not know how to do it, or be able to understand it yet.

[Merkaba]

The range of the average human being is about 2 - 2.5 octaves. Some folks are blessed with 8 octaves and such. Most people can sing in a high enough range to do a good many songs decently. Find songs to suit your voice. Or transpose songs so you can sing them. Anything is possible in music. We just may not know how to do it, or be able to understand it yet.
:lol:
Noone has any range even remotely close to 8 octaves.

[gaslight]

8 octaves? That's insane.

My friend had a 3 octave voice and she made that out to be pretty impressive as far as range goes.

[skram]

The range of the average human being is about 2 - 2.5 octaves. Some folks are blessed with 8 octaves and such. Most people can sing in a high enough range to do a good many songs decently. Find songs to suit your voice. Or transpose songs so you can sing them. Anything is possible in music. We just may not know how to do it, or be able to understand it yet.


please dont talk out of your *** :(((((

[Seafroggys]

8 octaves is a term thrown around like a 10 dollar whore.

The best singers might have 4 octaves.

[Ando]

I was under the impression Elvis was one of the best singers ever and he had about 6 octaves, along with Freddy Mercury who had 4 or 5, but I dont know jack sh*t about octave ranges and such, so I could very well be incredibly wrong... It would be nice to know though if someone could maybe explain it in some basic detail instead of just telling people to stop talking out theyre arse

[Wang Hung Lo]

Elvis had good range? He had a very nice quality and tone to his voice but I don't think his range was good...

Freddy Mercury had about 4 octaves, I think.

[Ando]

Elvis had good range? He had a very nice quality and tone to his voice but I don't think his range was good...

Yeah I know, I was quite skeptical as well. But not been a big Elvis fan I couldnt dispute it. It just seemed wierd for Elvis to have an insane range and then someone like Freddy Mercury to have a more limited range. No matter how much you know about music it just doesnt seem to logically work ... :confused: But your definately right about the nice tone and quality of his voice. And when you think about it, that is about as important as octave range

[kriswrite]

Yep, 2 to 2.5 is respectible, and the best singers have 3 octaves or more. Four octaves is highly unusual, and not even all that useful. A claim of more than four, and they are most likely counting octaves incorrectly.

Kristina
http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com

[LivingDeadBoy]

So wait is 2 octaves ok? Lol, I have that when i smoke, and I'm wondering.

2.5 when i dont smoke.

[moaner]

So wait is 2 octaves ok? Lol, I have that when i smoke, and I'm wondering.

2.5 when i dont smoke.

you've done it now..


I am peased to announce the official

Help livingdeadboy give up smoking

campaign underway.

[Merkaba]

Hey Kristina...counting falsetto..what do you think prince has. He's one of my faves and i find him incredible. Just wondering...if you happen to know. I wonder does he still have it all considering that he's like 40 now. Probably because i think it was more of a natural thing ....anyways.....

[Merkaba]

Moaner youre retarded....!!
where do i contribute?

And why is drop c for girly men and the like...?? hehe. I like deftones

[gaslight]

I love Deftones. Chino is one of my favourite singers, he actually sings really nicely on their cover of Sade's No Ordinary Love.

In regards to myself, I'd be suprised if I had a vocal range of more than a few notes :lol:.

[The Hawk]

What do you guys consider good vocal range to be? Also, does anyone know the average vocal range men and women have?
I never actually sat down with a piano to figure out exactly what notes I can hit, but by singing a scale from my lowest note to my highest note, I could get about 3.5 octaves including falsetto, and about 2.5 octaves in chest/head voice. Is that considered good?

3.5 with falsetto can be pretty respectable. When do you hit falsetto?
I have a 3 octave range ( without falsetto) to first C above middle C and my falsetto hitting about 2nd C above middle. So I guess that would be a full four. Guys like Freddy Mercury and Brad Delp have/had about 4.5-5 range. Incredible vocalists. As for 8, LOL!! Impossible. I would have to hear it to believe it.

[Rat$]

3.5 with falsetto can be pretty respectable. When do you hit falsetto?
I have a 3 octave range ( without falsetto) to first C above middle C and my falsetto hitting about 2nd C above middle. So I guess that would be a full four. Guys like Freddy Mercury and Brad Delp have/had about 4.5-5 range. Incredible vocalists. As for 8, LOL!! Impossible. I would have to hear it to believe it.

Not sure. I haven't sat down with a piano or tuner to figure out exactly what notes I can hit. Is first C above middle C also called high C? Because I was searching around for some sites about vocal ranges and most of them talk about a "high C"

Also, I've never taken any voice lessons and have only been singing for about a year and a half, so I might have some more notes that I haven't discovered yet.

[Electric Riley]

Not sure. I haven't sat down with a piano or tuner to figure out exactly what notes I can hit. Is first C above middle C also called high C? Because I was searching around for some sites about vocal ranges and most of them talk about a "high C"

Also, I've never taken any voice lessons and have only been singing for about a year and a half, so I might have some more notes that I haven't discovered yet.
Like H?

Nah, I'm just messing with ya! Have a chocolate.

[LivingDeadBoy]

you've done it now..


I am peased to announce the official

Help livingdeadboy give up smoking

campaign underway.
send 5$ to me :p

[virll]

what is a falsetto?

[Merkaba]

what is a falsetto?
Falsetto is when you pull your cords out for a high note but you dont have the strength to hold the cords together. you can do this by choice as well. It takes alot of tension to hold the cords together after stretching them out for a higher note. One can also choose to sing falsetto with upper range notes even though they can hit them in normal head voice. The cords are open in falsetto and this is what gives it that more airy sound. If you hold a note and slide all the way up you can feel where you open up in order to keep the tone going. If you cant then keep practicing. For a guy its the range where youre trying to sing girl like high notes.

[kriswrite]

I'm afraid I don't know Prince's range, as I haven't listened to him in many, many years.

Kristina
http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com

[crazydrummerdude]

lowest, f# on low e (2nd fret) to G# (4th fret) on high e, thats when i break into falsetto. my falsetto goes up to G# (16th fret) on high e. i cant growl or shout though, i wail instead...

[LivingDeadBoy]

C2 to C5 with falsetto :)

[Merkaba]

I'm afraid I don't know Prince's range, as I haven't listened to him in many, many years.

Kristina
http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com
Years? Shame on you! Every day for me! hehe

[Jonahtan]

what type of vocal range would jeff buckley have had?

[Det_Nosnip]

Moaner youre retarded....!!
where do i contribute?

And why is drop c for girly men and the like...?? hehe. I like deftones

Doesn't it bother you, as a singer, that he has poor technique, doesn't take care of himself, and couldn't hit an accurate note to save his life?

[Merkaba]

Doesn't it bother you, as a singer, that he has poor technique, doesn't take care of himself, and couldn't hit an accurate note to save his life?
No not at all. He's grown. As long as he's not commiting crime or hurting others I could care less. IF he hurts himself thats less competition. :evil:

I learned alot from Chino so i cant down him.

[Rats]

I also find that late at night, like around 11 PM, it's much easier for me to sing, but I'm not able to sing as low as I could earlier in the day. Why is that?

[Det_Nosnip]

No not at all. He's grown. As long as he's not commiting crime or hurting others I could care less. IF he hurts himself thats less competition. :evil:

I learned alot from Chino so i cant down him.

I dunno, it just sounds so painful to listen to him sometimes, and his singing voice can sound incredibly thin. He recently had to drop out of a tour and take vocal lessons because he damaged his vocal chords, and almost lost his voice completely. :(

I dunno, the band as a whole is just too unprofessional for me. I used to be a huge Deftones fan in highschool, and I still respect Chino's lyricwriting abilities, but for every good show that they do, there's at least 4 or 5 complete bombs...Chino shows up completely drunk to most of their shows, they generally are pretty sloppy as musicians...etc. Sorry, pet peeve of mine, I just hate it when successful bands demonstrate how little they really give a **** about what they're doing.

[TheOneThatBleeds]

wait so if u hit the notes on a guitar d (the lowest one in drop d) to the regular open d, and the d on the 3rd fret of the b string, wud that b two or three octaves?

[Merkaba]

I also find that late at night, like around 11 PM, it's much easier for me to sing, but I'm not able to sing as low as I could earlier in the day. Why is that?
Probably because your cords naturally shorten and thicken(what cords do for low notes) overnight. Thats why its harder to sing higher in the morning. By the time you get up and about and rehydrated(sleep dehydrates you) and the blood circulating for ours and talking and etc your cords are looser and stretched out more.

[Merkaba]

I dunno, it just sounds so painful to listen to him sometimes, and his singing voice can sound incredibly thin. He recently had to drop out of a tour and take vocal lessons because he damaged his vocal chords, and almost lost his voice completely. :(

I dunno, the band as a whole is just too unprofessional for me. I used to be a huge Deftones fan in highschool, and I still respect Chino's lyricwriting abilities, but for every good show that they do, there's at least 4 or 5 complete bombs...Chino shows up completely drunk to most of their shows, they generally are pretty sloppy as musicians...etc. Sorry, pet peeve of mine, I just hate it when successful bands demonstrate how little they really give a **** about what they're doing.
Yea, but I think thats part of their whole persona. The whole drunk dont give a shlt thing. I've only seen them live once. It was a good **** show at Sanitarium, but only thirty minutes. He put a big as piece of wood out in the crowd and stood on top of it as the crowd surfed it/him around.

I've heard of him forgetting lines he was so drunk. That would piss me off if i was at the show. And no i dont agree with getting that drunk and it is disrespectful.

Yea he paralyzed one side and partially paralyzed the other. But he said he never warms up either. Thats crucial. The doc told him to cut back on cigs and alcohol and to warm up. The last album didnt really do much for me. I like Adrenaline and Pony. Its all opinion, they do what they do and if they tie their own rope they'll know it.

[Merkaba]

wait so if u hit the notes on a guitar d (the lowest one in drop d) to the regular open d, and the d on the 3rd fret of the b string, wud that b two or three octaves?
Two

[amp7325]

I think the best vocal range with the chest voice is around 2ish octaves. Mine is basically from a low F2 to a G4, but with falsetto, I can get pretty high, though I never use my falsetto.

[Det_Nosnip]

Yea, but I think thats part of their whole persona. The whole drunk dont give a shlt thing. I've only seen them live once. It was a good **** show at Sanitarium, but only thirty minutes. He put a big as piece of wood out in the crowd and stood on top of it as the crowd surfed it/him around.

I've heard of him forgetting lines he was so drunk. That would piss me off if i was at the show. And no i dont agree with getting that drunk and it is disrespectful.

Yea he paralyzed one side and partially paralyzed the other. But he said he never warms up either. Thats crucial. The doc told him to cut back on cigs and alcohol and to warm up. The last album didnt really do much for me. I like Adrenaline and Pony. Its all opinion, they do what they do and if they tie their own rope they'll know it.

Fair enough. :) I just thought it odd coming from someone who's so clearly well educated on vocal techniques and performance. I remember I was really into Around the Fur back in the day, but White Poney had some good tracks on it as well (Digital Bath comes to mind). It's a **** shame, because I've always felt that the band had alot of creativity and potential, but they waste it because they have no discipline and don't put forth the effort. I once read in an interview that Steph (guitars) hardly ever practices guitar at all; the most he'll ever do is strum a few chords while watching TV. This, to me is just pathetic, and it really shows when the band performs live. I remember the last time I saw them was at Sanitarium as well (must have been a different show..mine was in Houstin), and they were horrible.

[freakmeeko]

I've got F#2 to G4. That's Tenor, Right?

[Merkaba]

Fair enough. :) I just thought it odd coming from someone who's so clearly well educated on vocal techniques and performance. I remember I was really into Around the Fur back in the day, but White Poney had some good tracks on it as well (Digital Bath comes to mind). It's a **** shame, because I've always felt that the band had alot of creativity and potential, but they waste it because they have no discipline and don't put forth the effort. I once read in an interview that Steph (guitars) hardly ever practices guitar at all; the most he'll ever do is strum a few chords while watching TV. This, to me is just pathetic, and it really shows when the band performs live. I remember the last time I saw them was at Sanitarium as well (must have been a different show..mine was in Houstin), and they were horrible.
Whats odd about it? I cant control anything they or anyone else. I've learned to accept that and what it means. If they dont want to grow in some way then they wont and they will fade away. If they think they need to practice more or become more technical to keep their fan base they will. Theyre a rock band, I dont look to rock bands and have any concern about vocal technique or performance or anything technical. Its artistic expression. They do what they do the way they want and it either moves me and others or doesnt. Usually they do. So i check em out. I love Mudvayne more than them and thats not where you'd look for hopes and dreams of technicality either.

[Det_Nosnip]

^^ Well, you would if you're a bassplayer. ;) Fair enough. I really wasn't even talking about technical abilities, as much as accuracy and performance skills. A band doesn't have to be technical to be enjoyeable by any means, but I at least like to feel like they can play their own material.i

[Merkaba]

^^ Well, you would if you're a bassplayer. ;) Fair enough. I really wasn't even talking about technical abilities, as much as accuracy and performance skills. A band doesn't have to be technical to be enjoyeable by any means, but I at least like to feel like they can play their own material.i

well from what i've heard and seen they do about the same level as most other "rock" bands. I've never really seen or heard anything "bad" out of them. No more than any other band. Lucky me.

[Ned]

You people are full of ****. The piano doesn't even have eight octaves. You don't measure your range in terms of the highest squeak and the lowest grunt you can squeeze out of it. Two usable octaves is a very good range, and the vast majority of pop singers (including rock singers) don't ****ing have that. Quit lying to yourselves.

[Rats]

You people are full of ****. The piano doesn't even have eight octaves. You don't measure your range in terms of the highest squeak and the lowest grunt you can squeeze out of it. Two usable octaves is a very good range, and the vast majority of pop singers (including rock singers) don't ****ing have that. Quit lying to yourselves.

I think you should listen to more than just Britney.

[Merkaba]

You people are full of ****. The piano doesn't even have eight octaves. You don't measure your range in terms of the highest squeak and the lowest grunt you can squeeze out of it. Two usable octaves is a very good range, and the vast majority of pop singers (including rock singers) don't ****ing have that. Quit lying to yourselves.


This guy must have just found out his name was actually Ned BEFORE he was adopted.

[Rats]

Is the C above middle C also known as High C?

[TheOneThatBleeds]

i guess i have about 2 and a half between full and middle then.

[Kiopo]

well i have a 3 octave range including falsetto...

[LivingDeadBoy]

Pianos -- 49 keys
that is 7 octaves...

Sure not 8. What bout 2-3 keyboard organs? Dumbass.

[Jaylee209]

Jeff Buckley has a 4 octave range

[The Digital Pimp]

:lol:
Noone has any range even remotely close to 8 octaves.
The closest is that Russian dude with 4 octaves, can sing bass up to boy soprano.

[Rats]

Pianos -- 49 keys
that is 7 octaves...

Sure not 8. What bout 2-3 keyboard organs? Dumbass.

Pianos have 88 keys. You forgot about the black keys ;)

[Merkaba]

The closest is that Russian dude with 4 octaves, can sing bass up to boy soprano.
Then he might have five.

[Rats]

Is the C above middle C also called High C?

[Merkaba]

:lol: :lol:

""What to call the keys (or, “Which C is this one over here?”)



A problem often arises from the fact that on the piano keyboard there are several different C’s, D’s, A’s, etc. What do you call the C two octaves below middle C? --Or the one two octaves above? How about the A at the bottom of the keyboard? Over the many years since the invention of keyboard instruments, there have been several systems devised to specify which note is being referred to. Alas, each method has its drawbacks. And since there are at least 3 or more of these systems in general use today, it can get quite confusing, since the systems use the same names to refer to different keys.



In one system that has been around since anyone can remember, the notes are numbered according to the octave in which they lie, and each new octave starts with C (not A as you might expect). (Figure 1, below. Please excuse that I wasn’t able to fit the full keyboard on the page. Hopefully you will be able to fill in the remaining (upper) part of the keyboard yourself.) Thus, the first C at the far left of the keyboard is C-1, the next C an octave up is C-2, then C-3, C-4, C-5 etc on up to C-8 at the top of the keyboard. Because each octave begins on C, the notes to the left of (or below) C-1 are labeled A-0 (A-zero), A#-0, and B-0 (here we run again into that same problem common in music, not starting with “A” in the first place). Although confusing, this system has been used for many years, and many musicians and piano tuners still use it today. In this system, middle C on the keyboard is C-4. This “C/octave numbering” system was probably instituted at a time long ago when keyboards had fewer keys and started at C-1, before the last three notes were added at the bottom of the keyboard.



There are numerous reasons why there have been so many key numbering or labeling systems throughout history. Part of the problem stems from the fact that the piano keyboard has not always had 88 keys. As a matter of fact, since the time of its invention the piano keyboard has started and ended on a number of different keys. Early pianos had “short” keyboards, with only four to six octaves, just like most organs and electronic keyboards still do today. (Except at the time they were not considered short.) Keys at each end of the keyboard that we take for granted on the modern piano did not even exist yet on many early pianos. As the compass of the keyboard has expanded at both ends, new systems had to be evolved; and because people are reluctant to give up what they have spent time learning, many of the older systems still persist in one form or another. Currently there does not seem to be any universally accepted system that accommodates both long and short keyboards.



In attempting to find a system that can accommodate future expansion of the keyboard, it’s important to recognize the principle that the piano keyboard really “started in the middle and grew outward”. Piano makers added keys at each end of the piano keyboard as composers and musicians demanded more range. Based on this, some key labeling systems try to do the same, and work their way outward from the middle; from the familiar, to the less familiar. (This is probably another reason why we still have ledger lines for the highest and lowest notes, and why people still have trouble learning or reading them.)



Singers and instrumentalists often have their own unique systems for what to call the notes. A singer might refer to the 6th C (C-6 according to the above system) as “high C”. But then, if high C is two octaves above Middle C, what do you call the C one octave above? Which is low C? You can “C” why this is also confusing, especially to non-singers.



Some musicians try to get by, by relating everything to middle C. (As in: “Play the G an octave below middle C, please.”) However, having to refer everything to middle C is cumbersome at best: some notes at the far ends of the keyboard are a long ways from Middle C and, just like with driving in a strange city, you can get lost trying to follow directions. Some instrumentalists and singers are not familiar with keyboards, so to them, Middle C might not have much significance. Using middle C as a reference point might, however, be one way to communicate if you frequently work with keyboard musicians who use keyboards or synths that have only 61 or 76 notes, but who do know where Middle C is.



A second system, used currently by piano tuners, numbers the keys on the piano from 1 to 88. (See Figure 2) Hence A-1 is at the bottom of the keyboard, and C-88 at the top. This works well for 88-key pianos, but as we said, many keyboards on organs, synthesizers, and electronic pianos are shorter than 88 keys, so unless one remembers that Middle C is C-40, and unless one can count both downwards and upwards from C easily, this system becomes confusing as well. This second system was really only adopted when pianos began being standardized at 88 keys. In the diagram you will see that each note on the keyboard has a number from 1 to 88, counting up from the left (or bottom end) of the keyboard, and including the black keys.



There is a third system that was or is evidently used in the British Isles, described in David Crombie’s landmark book “Piano” (1995, Miller/Freeman, San Francisco) as the “standard reference system.” This system actually does start in the middle, with Middle C as c1, and, just as in the first system described above, each new octave begins on c. The octaves above middle C become c2, c3, c4 and, at the top of the 88 note keyboard, c5. The notes below c1 do not have numbers associated with them, but are differentiated by either being lower case (a, b, or c), upper case (A, B, C) or double (AA, BB, CC) or triple (AAA, BBB) upper case. See Figure 3. This is somewhat similar to a system used in the Encyclopedia Britannica (1981) in their section on Keyboard Instruments, the difference being that the Britannica labels the C’s, starting with Middle C and going upwards, as c’, c’’, c’’’, c’’’’, and c’’’’’ at the very top. From Middle C downward, according to Brittanica, is c’, c, C1, C2, which bears some resemblance to the system in Crombie’s book as well (c1, c, C, CC). However, Brittanica then proceeds to muddy up the waters again by saying that the note at the bottom of the keyboard is A2, as opposed to AAA in Crombie. In addition, Brittanica feels the need to use the terms high C and low C to further explain what they mean. In their system, high C is two octaves above Middle C and low C an octave below. But that still leaves us in suspense: what to call that elusive C an octave above Middle C? Note that, even in these two systems, C1(c1) and C2 (c2) mean different things.



To add more fuel to the controversy, another source I consulted, on Introductory Music, calls the c an octave above Middle C “high C”. Thus we have at least two different c’s, one two octaves and the other one octave above Middle C both being referred to as “high”.



With the advent of MIDI, the Musical Instrument Digital Interface designed to hook electronic keyboards together, there is still another system (Figure 4). The MIDI system specifies Middle C as note # 60, and then works downward and upward from there. In the MIDI specification, as a result of binary language, there are 128 notes possible, so it was evidentally decided to extend the range far above and below that of the standard 88 key keyboard. This will, no doubt, bring yet one more element of confusion to the problems of what to call the keys on the piano.



~Kendall Ross Bean""
sorry rats, couldnt help it!

[moaner]

that is so big, yet so helpful.

I think MIDI method will win in the end.

[Walrus Gumboot]

I have a really small range and a low one at that for a girl, and I sing with my throat :D
/awful singer

[Merkaba]

You should post a sample Walrus.

Rats....:
hehe, to sum up, .....in general when using the piano, yes the c above middle is high c. I think when most people say high c its safe to asume this.