Voice 101 page 3
learning to sing better
YOUR INSTRUMENT
Your posture, the strength of your abdominal muscles and breath-supportive organs, and the physical structure of your vocal cords are the primary features of your instrument. Posture and breath-support strength can all be improved through various methods, but the physical structure of your vocal cords is something you can't change. You can (and should!) use methods to 'stretch' your vocal cords to improve your range over the long term, but you will begin with and always have certain limits. This is not a bad thing; many vocalists are famous from singing various melodies grouped around the same few notes they sing well.
As a vocalist, you will be grouped into one of four main types; tenor, bass, soprano, or alto. How can you tell which type you'd be grouped in? Without being tested by a knowledgeable vocal instructor it can be difficult to say. I have listed some generalisations of each type to help you try and figure it out:
Male voices fall into one of two main groups, tenor or bass.
Tenor
A tenor has a high range for a male. Tenors are often heard fronting rock and pop music, and are the more common vocal type for a male. Although some tenors can reach bass range notes, they usually never achieve the deep, rich tones of a true bass.
Bass
A bass has a lower range than a tenor. Their voices typically sound deep and rumbling and they are a bit of a rarity (although not unheard of) in popular music.
Female voices fall into one of two main groups, soprano or alto.
Soprano
A soprano has a high range for a female. Sopranos are often heard fronting pop music, and are the more common vocal type for a female. Although some sopranos can reach alto range notes, they usually never achieve the deep 'throaty' tones of a true alto.
Alto
An alto has a slightly lower range than a soprano. A real, true alto is pretty rare and you'll hear them most often in opera music.
continued on page 4
