An Intro to Voice Types for Male & Female Singers

Have you ever wondered which of the voice types best matches your unique range and sound?

In this singing lesson, Betsy explains all about voice classification for choir and opera singers.

The different voice types for male and female singers include: soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, alto, tenor, countertenor, baritone, and bass.

In this video, you’ll learn the factors that affect your voice type as well as which voice classifications are more common among men and women.

Knowing your voice type is a vital part of vocal health and choosing music that won’t damage your voice.

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[ya.ghostie]

I would love to try to sing but my anxiety stops me. I was in choir in middle school, they always told me I had a nice voice but I was a child so.. 😂 I would like to see if I can sing

[iheartstars_]

When I was young, I've told that I have a sweet voice when I sang but now I have no longer sweet voice:)

[luke.pin]

chest voice: C3 - C5
head voice: D5 - C6

i think that i am countertenor.

[kabannos]

You've explained here so easily so many things I've wanted to know for so long!
Thank you! 🙏✨

[allie-jadeday]

My range is D3-G4 however, I'm most comfortable doing A3-F4. In my head voice I can reach up to a C5 What would my vocal range be?

[bradleymonroe]

I was naturally a bass-baritone by speaking range and when I sang before choir it was a bass-baritone that did not sing lower than a G2. I started singing in choir when I was in my senior year I actually was able to sing high up without my falsetto up to a G4 and then right up to a high B flat but I had to work on singing middle notes all the time specifically around C4 - F4. I was obviously a high baritone in singing range instead of a bass-baritone but I sang in choir as a tenor. My G4's sounded like I was able to do them as well as get used to sustaining G4s plus A4s and I had a nice high B flat which made me realize once doing my voice studies in college that I am actually a tenor (This resulted in my transition from baritone to tenor). Right now as I am currently a tenor (Most likely robust lyric tenor leaning towards a Jugendlicher Heldentenor (Wagnerian equivalent of a spinto tenor)) I am still working on more tenor repertoire then I did in high school and I am starting to make reliable high Bs and high Cs without singing them in my repertoire range.

[drifter-ttbk]

hi Bettsie my name is Scott and i'm just about to start a new choir i'd just like to say thank you for this video as there are lots of hints and tips on there. and its gave me an insight to teaching more vocal range with my students as i give singing lessons too this helps massively. thank you so much.

[junetteleneus]

I'm going to sign up for voice lesson from takelessons.

[davidwinkle]

A few notes:
- Most men who sing countertenor parts are either tenors who have extended their range or baritones with a powerful falsetto register.
- Women also have a falsetto register. This was only discovered recently because it isn't as noticeable as male falsetto usually is. Sometimes soprano parts have been sung by mezzos/altos with a powerful falsetto register.
- Children, both boys and girls, tend to have a range like a soprano but narrower. Unlike sopranos, they can't usually hit the "high C".

[sibulelentsonkota]

I'm not sure what I am, I can sing high and low, falsaltto, mezzo and alto or contralto. Hella confused

[venusbeautygirl]

This channel is so informative and educational. Schools should show this as part of class!

[yitivitzen]

You forgot about Basso-Profundo! Yes, it is a type of bass, however this is usually a singing group that can sing C2 and below with great power, or in this case volume. They sing the octave below bass.

[mariemorris]

Thanks so much for teaching that voices can and do was worried that I was changing to "higher" and I want to be again...

[tedd]

I can sing a A0 to a C5 but my comfortable range is F1 to G4 in a bass if you wanna know :D

[macdoozy]

I’m very confused as to what my voice type is now. Through the entirety of school choir I was a soprano (only because I could sing high notes), but my singing has always been really weak and quiet and I’ve always struggled to project in head voice, I’ve been criticised for this before and just thought I was a bad singer. But over the past year I have discovered my chest voice, and just the other day I realised that I can BELT!! I think what happened is that I’ve been singing in head voice my entire life cos was never able to sing low with it, but now I’ve discovered chest voice and it feels like I’ve unlocked a whole new part of my voice! Last time I checked my vocal range it was D2-B6, but my voice break is around F4 and I feel a LOT more comfortable and confident in my lower register. I sometimes find some alto songs quite hard to sing as I tend to struggle switching into head voice and lose all volume I had. I’m in my late teens now so my voice must have changed as I grew up. So, am I actually a contralto??

[Frick-bvxt]

Can someone in here tell me what voice type i am:
My Chest voice ranges from E2 - C4 but I can sing as high as around E5.

[melithdomingo]

i learn alot to your voice lesson i like it

[annaliseph]

can someone please help me with the voice type? i think i’m a mezzo-soprano but i’m not sure.

my whole range is e2-g5
my prima voce (comfortable singing) is a2-e5

[leonardosaraivadatuf]

Nice video! I'm braziliam and 20 years old. I'm baritone?!

Confortable range: D2-D4
Vocal Range (without fry and falsetto): B1-G4
Fry: C#1
Falsetto: D5

[abk]

Thanks for clear classification, but why you did not include tenor for opera? There are great voices and great roles for tenor in opera.