Talk:Voice type/Archive 3

Baritone/Bass ranges same?
The article states their ranges are both F2 to F4. I would think that is wrong, but maybe it's me. Could someone who knows better have a look? Baccyak4H (Yak!) 17:35, 6 March 2009 (UTC)

language links
sorry I don't remember how to do this, so please can some one do it: thus page refers to the french link http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voix_(musique_classique) cheers —Preceding unsigned comment added by DarrenChilton (talk • contribs) 23:16, 3 July 2010 (UTC)


 * That article is about vocal music within the classical genre. It's a different, albeit related, topic, and therefore the two articles should not be inter-linked.4meter4 (talk) 23:24, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Female Tenors/Female Baritone
So, it came to my attention in the article that it said contralto is the lowest a female voice can get. Well, in my opinion, that is incorrect. I am a female singing baritone in my chorus and no strain, effort, or push. It comes completely natural and alto is too high for me. I am a little young, 13, but it is healthy for me. My chorus director and I are working on bumping my range back up, but I do sing a lot lower than a contralto ( C on bass clef to the lower G on treble clef ). I am also sure that a lot of other people probably feel that way too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.126.39.238 (talk) 23:50, 17 October 2010 (UTC)
 * I think you are making some errors by confusing some of the terms used in choral music and those used in solo singing. For example, the term "alto", which is a part in choral music but not one used for soloists, and the term "contralto", which is term for a soloist, are different terms which do not mean the same thing. The alto part in choral music is actually most often sung by mezzo-sopranos. Contraltos can sometimes sing this part as well, but many contraltos in choruses actually sing with the men. The contralto vocal range in women actually overlaps with the tenor and baritone vocal ranges in men. However, a female soloist would never refer to herself as a baritone or tenor.4meter4 (talk) 01:39, 18 October 2010 (UTC)
 * If you define a contralto as a woman who can sing in the tenor/baritone range, then the term "contralto" is rendered meaningless -- little more than a catch-all category for any and all extremely low female voices with no clearly defined bottom range. (Why not lump any and all female basses in there as well?)
 * If a woman can comfortably sing in the tenor/baritone range without strain, would it not be more proper to call her a tenor or a baritone as opposed to a contralto? You seem to be drawing an artificial gender-based distinction. LizFL (talk) 04:31, 10 January 2012 (UTC)


 * I disagree completely. It is not artificial to draw gender-based distinctions in this case because the physical act of singing is not entirely identical between men and women. It would be entirely impractical to not make such distinctions from the perspective of both the singer and voice teacher. Physically, men have much larger and longer vocal chords than women do. This physical difference is very important when it comes to teaching vocal technique for many reasons. First, while some women (i.e. contraltos) may have nearly identical ranges with some male voices, they tend to experience passaggio in different places and they also have differences in tessitura and timbre. As a result, their are songs which would be very comfotable for a woman with a low voice to sing but which would be uncomfortable for a man with a similar vocal range to perform, and vice versa. Also, men have to do a technique known as "covering" in their upper register in order to get a good sound; a technique which women do not have to do. Likewise, their are vocal techniques which are unique to women. Further, historically, sex is one of the key factors in determining voice type. Indeed, all books on voice classification divide the voice types along sex lines as this article does. It's not descrimanatory, just a fact. It's always been that way, and no book on voice classification will tell you differently.4meter4 (talk) 04:55, 12 January 2012 (UTC)
 * There may be a gender delineation when it comes to opera, but what about pop? LizFL (talk) 20:24, 29 January 2012 (UTC)
 * While it is true that voice classification terms/definitions and traditions were developed within the classical music tradition (not just opera as some of these voice terms were in use by composers/musicians prior to the creation of the first opera, and the terms are readily applied in oratorios and other forms of sung music), writers on popular music have largely kept to these categorization traditions. This includes using gender defined voice categories. Books on singing technique for contemporary music also further this tradition. For example, Anne Peckham's Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer (2005) divides voice categories along gender lines. I've never seen a published source anywhere which offers a different method of categorization (i.e. not dividing voices into groups which include gender as one determining factor). Best.4meter4 (talk) 23:18, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

According to many voice teachers I have had, there is a very rare female voice that is the female equivalent of the contrabass. Although markedly lower, and destinctively different in timbre from a contralto, this voice often gets lumped with contraltos, the same way the contrabass gets lumped with the basses. I personally think the extreme contrabass and it's female equivalent should be viewed as seperate voice classifications from bass and contralto. Anyone with me? BTW, I have such a voice. I am female, my regular vocal range (notes that I can hit 90% or more of the time)runs from about A2 to A4, I have a light lyric timbre, and am capable of singing coloratura. I have had many voice teachers just work with my range, and try to find lighter repritoire for me to sing. Because my voice is so low and unusual, I usually bill myself as a soloist, singing my own songs I wrote specifically for me to sing. I try to stay away from choral music; it is not a strength. But when I do sing choral music, I usually sing tenor, and in the background. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.204.204.214 (talk) 18:50, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

What do you call this vocal quality?
What exactly is the correct terminology for describing the vocal style of singers like Steve Winwood, Frank Cavaliere, and Ken Block? I know they all have a throaty sort of quality to their voices, but is there some technical term for describing a voice like that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.76.236.44 (talk) 03:24, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Jon Anderson of YES
Citing from Anderson's home Page: "Vocal and lyrical style

It is a commonly held misconception that Jon Anderson sings falsetto, a vocal technique which artificially produces high, airy notes by using only the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords; however, Jon Anderson does not sing falsetto. His normal singing (and speaking) voice is naturally above the tenor range. In a 2008 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jon stated, "I'm an alto tenor and I can sing certain high notes, but I could never sing falsetto, so I go and hit them high." He is also noted for singing in his original Lancastrian accent." Anderson is a full man and has children. YES is a great band!

Classical voice teachers are very limited people. I had several years of classical voice lessons, being myself a baritone, (I am mainly a classically trained pianist, 4,5 years of study at Trossingen and Cologne music university, besides of that two years of Jazz and Pop) but I have ALWAYS loved Jon Anderson's voice. Reality is indeed wider than gendered divisions into four or so voice types per man or woman Although I have to admit I learned a lot from my last classical voice teacher. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Progschorsch (talk • contribs) 21:17, 16 August 2013 (UTC)