Currently, there are many classifications of singing voices. In some cases, only the strength of the voice is determined. This refers to how loud the singer can perform the pieces. And others - how mobile his vocal cords are.
But in most cases, the performer’s range and gender are still taken into account. Female and male voices are divided into their specific divisions.
Female voices are: soprano, that is, the highest, mezzo-soprano - middle, contralto - low. Male voices: tenor is the highest, baritone is medium, bass is low. But there are also many male singers who have female vocal ranges. Each of them sounds especially amazing.
We present to your attention a list of the 10 highest female and male voices in the world: unique timbre and playing any notes.
Georgia Brown
Georgia Brown is a famous singer from Brazil, who was included in the Guinness Book of Records in two categories at once. She received one of them for the highest note that is possible to hit with a human voice, and the other for a wide range. The girl is able to cover 8 octaves at once, when an ordinary person is only capable of 1-2 octaves.
Initially, Georgia started with simple matinees at school and small festivals. At the age of 17, the girl began recording her own songs. Currently, she is 32 years old and has 7 albums and 17 singles with her best works.
Many note that the singer’s voice is a unique natural anomaly that is quite rare.
Galina Vishnevskaya
Galina Vishnevskaya is a Soviet opera singer with a soprano voice. People's Artist of the USSR, as well as a teacher and theater director.
Galina had one of the rarest combinations of voice, beauty and a wonderful, bright character. Her whole life is actions. Already from her youth, she actively worked on stage. Vishnevskaya gave people a lot of joy and incredible emotions. Her voice was recognized everywhere. Everything was perfectly combined in it.
Galina taught vocals for a very long time. She tried to put her whole soul into her students. Until the end of her life she was thanked for this.
Renee Fleming
Renee Fleming is a famous singer from Indiana. A girl was born into a musical family. After finishing school, she took on the roles of a soloist in various operas and performances. Her career began back in 1996, after she recorded a disc with a Mozart opera. She took part in festivals many times.
Her voice is a lyrical, gentle soprano. The audience was amazed by such incredible sound. It is worth noting that she performed many tracks from the film “The Lord of the Rings” personally.
Ivan Kozlovsky
Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky
had a unique tenor in the world . This man was even respected by Stalin himself. Many called him a “man of mystery.”
He lived quite a long life. During his life, he saw many ups and downs. At the age of 17, Ivan came to the Music and Drama Institute, where he was immediately sure that he would definitely be accepted. After auditioning, he took part in various productions many times.
At the Bolshoi Theater he became one of the most famous personalities. The man could easily hit the highest notes without any effort. Kozlovsky himself said that he was very careful about his voice, he took care of it as a separate being.
Interesting Facts
And finally, a few interesting facts:
- In addition to defining the male singing voice, the tenor is also a wind musical instrument belonging to the saxhorn group. Its creation was first undertaken by Adolphe Sax in the mid-19th century. Today, the tenor saxophone is perhaps the most popular instrument in jazz music.
- There are male singers who sing in the range of the female voice. In the Baroque era, such opera roles were performed by castrati - young men who were castrated to maintain a high voice. Today, counter-tenors successfully cope with this role.
Classification
There is a classification of this voice, which involves dividing the tenor according to its timbre and range. In this regard, it is customary to distinguish:
- lyrical;
- dramatic;
- baritone tenor;
- counter-tenor;
- altino-tenor.
Let's look at each type of named male voice separately.
How to Determine Your Vocal Range
One of the best ways to narrow down voice types to find yours is to take the time to determine your vocal range. Luckily, you can do this with a couple of minutes of your time and a little singing:
Since the vocal range is the distance between the lowest and highest notes, you just need to determine where those points are. To do this, go to the piano and start with middle C or C4. From there, play the notes gradually downward, singing them one at a time. If you can't go any further, you've reached the bottom of your range. Mark this note and return to middle C.
Then repeat the process, but this time move up the key from mid C until you can sing the high notes of the higher keys. This is the upper limit of your range. Now that you have your low and high notes, you should have your vocal range!
If you don't have a piano handy, you can use a video tool like this as a pitch reference:
Try to be as honest with yourself as possible. An inaccurate representation of your vocal range will not help you improve and may categorize you as a voice type that is not suited to your voice. For a more automated approach, you can also check your range and track your progress using iOS apps like Singer's Studio.
If you can't tell whether you're on time or on the notes, be sure to ask a trusted friend for help. Remember that great vocals take a lot of work... Don't be embarrassed if you're not Whitney Houston from the start!
Remember that your vocal range can change depending on many factors, so your vocal range may vary on any given day. However, your original base or ideal vocal sweet spot will remain largely the same. With practice and training, you will be able to expand your original vocal range over time.
Analysis of vocal registers
There are several vocal registers, between which singers fluctuate depending on the piece of music. Here are some of the most common vocal registers and what you can expect from each part of your voice.
Vocals Fry
Vocal fry is the lowest vocal register in which the vocal folds contract without strong airflow, causing the listener to hear the vocal folds crossing each other. This is not a traditional vocal register, but it is sometimes used in modern music, so it is worth mentioning. Vocal fry may also be known as pulse register or glottal fry.
Chest or modal
Chest or modal voice is your comfortable singing voice and the range that allows you to produce pitch without having to add air or falsetto to complement or support your voice. The timbre of the chest voice tends to be darker and warmer than that of higher vocal registers, and has slightly more vocal weight.
Mixed or average voice
This is an intermediate link between the chest and head voice. You may begin to hear some breathy tones intertwined with the chest voice. It is darker than your head voice, but slightly lighter than your modal voice.
Chapter
This is the upper part of the vocal range, characterized by higher tones and elongated vocal folds. This is your higher, brighter voice that can be carried down in pitch, although it often makes sense to choose a chest voice if you are in the deeper range.
Falsetto
When the vocal cords are long, thin and immobile, singing is above the vocalist's normal or modal range. While it's not necessarily a vocal register (depending on who you're talking to), it definitely has a specific tonal quality that's worth recognizing.
Whistle
These tones are extremely bright when the vocal cords are closed and only a tiny part vibrates, creating a high-pitched, high-pitched sound. Typically, sibilant tones are performed only by a select female voice type with an impressive high pitch.
Often, professional vocal coaches guide singers to create a smooth blend of all vocal registers. This will also help determine where you are in the vocal register so you can adjust your signing approach to get as much vocal support as possible.
Music glossary
As you develop as a singer, you will likely come across some of these terms. Here are some of the most important vocabulary terms you need to know as they apply to you as a singer.
Accelerando
This is a gradual acceleration of the tempo in a choir or ensemble.
Allegro
Allegro is a musical quality that is presented as fast and lively.
Alliteration
Repetition introduced at the beginning of adjacent words helps make a song or phrase more memorable.
Andante
Adante means moderately slow time.
Aria
An aria is an opera song intended for one voice.
Bar
The division of music that comes at the end of a measure in musical notation.
BPM
BPM stands for beats per minute and is one of the ways to measure tempo, especially in Western music.
Bel Canto
An operatic style known for demonstrating vocal technique. This phrase translates to “beautiful singing.”
Chord
A group of harmonious notes, usually consisting of at least 3 independent tones.
Choir
A group of several singers, usually consisting of several vocal parts.
Coloratura
Singer specializing in particularly sporty music, full of thrills and running.
Composer
Creator or author of music.
Concert
A composition intended for one or more solo instruments.
Conductor
The leader of the orchestra, otherwise called the maestro.
Crescendo
Get gradually louder.
Decrescendo
Become gradually quieter.
Duet
A composition intended for two performers.
Dynamics
Changes in volume throughout a piece of music.
Ensemble
Music written for a group of musicians.
Flat
Half a step lower than the natural version of the note.
Forte
This translates to "loud".
Fortissimo
This is a dynamic marking meaning "very loud".
Harmony
When two or more independent tones are sounded simultaneously, usually at an interval that is pleasing to the ear, such as a major third or perfect fourth.
Key
The family of notes in which a piece of music is found. Stands out in the key signature at the beginning of a piece of music.
Largo
Refers to the slow style.
Lyrics
Sung words of a musical composition.
Natural
The natural form of a note, as opposed to sharp or flat.
Octave
A note that is twice higher or lower in pitch than another. A higher or lower pitch when using the same note.
Opus
A composition that is numbered as a series in the composer's works.
Pianissimo
Translates to "very quiet" in relation to the dynamics of the song.
Pitch
High or low tone.
Presto
Presto means "very fast" in relation to the direction of the tempo.
Rallentando
To become slower.
Ritard
Ritard or ritardando means a gradual slowing down of the tempo in a piece of music.
Staccato
Each note is played separately, briefly and independently of each other.
Trill
Alternating pitch between two notes.
Tutti
Translated as "all" to ask all types of voices in the composition to sing together.
Vibrato
A vibration that occurs naturally in some singing voices.
Advice from a phoniatrist
Experts who study voice pathologies, as well as methods of correction, prevention and treatment of various voice disorders, claim that there are many people who produce sounds incorrectly. Moreover, the person himself, due to habit, cannot always realize that he speaks in a voice that is unnatural for his physiology.
How to fix it? Doctors give several recommendations:
- Some diseases affect the voice. These are not only the obvious sore throats and colds, but also chronic diseases of the nervous and cardiac systems, spine, lungs, mental disorders, and sexual ailments. Before training the vocal muscles, you need to make sure that the body is ready for such loads.
- Monitor your hormonal levels. The condition of the ligaments is affected by the amount of testosterone: if the level of this hormone is below normal, the voice becomes thinner.
- The larynx is located at the level of 4–6 cervical vertebrae. Considering that there are only 7 of them, it is not difficult to guess what impact they have on voice quality. Watch the position of your neck: during a conversation, it should be relaxed and straight.
- If you smoke, quit the habit for at least a couple of days. Due to the fact that cigarette smoke causes aseptic inflammation of the folds, the voice actually becomes lower, but the result is hoarseness, not a velvety timbre.
- To determine your real voice, you can use this test. Close your teeth and lips, take a deep breath and begin to exhale slowly and evenly with the sound “mmmm”, then lowering and then raising the pitch. At the same time, clasp your throat with your palm as high as possible towards the chin. You should feel at what pitch of the voice your palm will vibrate the most. This sound is your real voice.
- Sometimes high notes in the voice are observed in moments of great excitement and tension. To feel more confident when communicating, you can enroll in public speaking courses.
- Another option is to contact a vocal teacher who will help correct defects and develop an even voice.
I recommend reading the tips for improving your diction. In the article you will even find a ready-made lesson program for the week.
Ima Sumac
Ima Sumac is a singer whose voice rose to 4 octaves. A girl was born in a small village. It is worth noting that Sumak did not have any musical education at all; her voice was given to her by nature.
One day, after one of her performances, she charmed all the listeners with her voice. Success came to her quite quickly, she successfully toured in many cities. Ima herself said that she tried to imitate the sounds of nature, the singing of birds in the forest. She was able to easily move from low tones to higher ones.
Anna Netrebko
Anna Netrebko
known throughout the world , is an opera singer and People's Artist of the Russian Federation. The girl was awarded many times.
Anna was born in Krasnodar into a family of ordinary people. Father is a geologist, and mother is an engineer. From a very early age, the girl began to study music and singing. It is worth noting that she was initially a soloist of the Kuban Pioneer choir.
After winning the Glinka competition, she was invited to the theater, where she began to actively engage. At the beginning of her career, Anna had a lyric-coloratura soprano, but gradually, her voice evolved, and the girl achieved a lyric-dramatic soprano.
Anna Netrebko's career began after one audition, where she auditioned for the musical play “The Marriage of Figaro.” The screenwriter was so amazed by the girl’s voice that he immediately offered her the role. Since 1994, she has actively performed on stage.
Svetlana Feodulova
Svetlana Feodulova is one of the famous singers and actresses of our time. This girl is quite unique in her own way. She performs works in the fourth octave. This is quite rare in nature.
As a teenager, her voice broke a lot, and many teachers considered the girl unsuitable for singing and playing music. But Sveta did not give up, but continued her musical path. She believed that everything would work out. This is how she became the owner of a high voice.
It is worth noting that in 2010, Svetlana was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Fame came to her after she took part in one famous project “Voice 2”.
Svetlana Feodulova’s vocal abilities were appreciated not only here in Russia, but also abroad. Currently, she is actively building her career as an opera singer.
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti could play notes in the second octave. In fact, this is the ultimate note for the chest sound. He perfectly performed parts with original C notes in many works, and did it brilliantly.
Hundreds of thousands of people came to his solo concerts. Once the audience was so amazed and captivated by Luciano's voice that the curtain had to be raised about 165 times.
Anna German
Almost every person knows Anna German . The singer had Polish roots. She could easily perform works in different languages. She has been a laureate of international festivals many times.
The girl's vocal career began for the first time in 1960. Then she found herself on the stage of the student theater, where she was invited by the director of this project.
Many composers wrote their songs for Anna. Such famous personalities were Evgeny Ptichkin, Alexandra Pakhmutova, Vladimir Shainsky and many others.
Many said that Anna has an “angelic” voice. By nature she was a soprano, but with a transparent, unusual timbre. Her manner of performing works gave the impression that there were no restrictions on voice register.
