Know Your Vocal Range

Finding your vocal range and correct key is an important part of  becoming a singer. One of the biggest complaints from our instrument players is that popular singers rarely know in which key their music is to be performed!

Ideally it helps if you have some knowledge of music theory or play a musical instrument.  The key of a song is often (but not always) reflected in the first note or chord of the song.  In sheet music this is denoted by the symbols written at the beginning of the song. The Clef sign may or may not be accompanied by one or several sharps or flats - this informs the musician which key the music should start in and may change in parts or throughout the song from one key to another.

Learning to Sight Read/Sing not only gives the singer more performance opportunities but also helps to gain confidence in their abilities and ensures that the vocalist can discuss any problems/ideas with fellow musicians in a common language.

To find your vocal range you will need the aid of a musical instrument (and preferably a singing teacher!). Start by playing and singing a middle C (a keyboard is best for this - middle C is usually the 3rd or 4th octave C on the keyboard, depending on the range and size of the keyboard or piano you are using. On a full size piano Middle C is the 5th C from the bottom which is sometimes written as C4 whilst smaller keyboards usually omit the lower octaves completely). Play and sing each note down the scale - each note that is comfortable to sing is considered as part of your range - once you have reached a note that sounds and feels too low for your voice stop and write down the name of the last note you were comfortable with and its position on the keyboard. Repeat the exercise moving up the keyboard.

Take a look at the notes you have written down and count the octaves from the bottom note to your top note on the keyboard (without including the sharps and flats [black notes], an octave is 7 notes so A to G is one octave). The amount of octaves, plus any extra notes equals your vocal range. A classification of a singers range usually refers to the strongest notes which vary from lower, middle or upper part of the voice in each individual. This is only a general guide as the voice changes with age and training, an experienced arranger, accompanist singer or teacher should be consulted for a true evaluation.

A singers range may be extended in time with lessons but the term 'extending the range' is not really appropriate. Your actual range is fixed at birth. You cannot sing or stretch your voice beyond its natural capabilities without causing damage to the vocal chords (also known as vocal folds). When a singer or teacher talks of extending their range, they are referring to improving the top or bottom notes to the point where they are as comfortable to sing as the notes in between.

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