Vocal Range Chart

Below is a vocal range chart that enables you to listen and compare the approximate pitch ranges of six main voice type. Clicking or tapping on the bars will play the range for each selected voice type, alternatively you can use your computer keyboard for hands-free navigation. When you select each voice type, the lowest and highest notes plays so you can instantly hear the tonal difference between them.

In this example, a chart shows horizontal bar that indicate the pitch ranges of soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass voices. Each bar is placed based off its pitch alongside a pitch axis running across the top of chart. The highest pitches is on the right-hand side and the lowest are towards the left-hand side.

How to Use the Vocal Range Chart

The size of the bar indicate the range of that particular voice type. From here you can immediately observe which ranges is distinctively apart and also those that overlap. A central point on the scale is marked middle C. All you have to do is click/tap on one of the voice bars to listen to its range.

Two notes are played in succession: one being the lowest common note for that voice and the other being the highest. In addition, you’ll notice that actual note names also display in the readout area below the help panel. That way you can connect the abstract concept of pitch space to something concrete, like music notation.

Alternatively, you also have the option to interact with the chart using only your keyboard without having to use a mouse or touch screen at all. To navigate between controls, simply press Tab and the focus will jump from one control to next. You’ll notice the focus ring light up highlighted element. If the focus lands on a voice bar, pressing Space (or Enter) will displays the details of that voice bar and play through its range. This is great if you’d like to keep your hands on the home row or review data at a quick glance.

The volume of all the tones can be adjusted with the volume slider. This is located at the top of the chart bars within the control area. Dragging this towards the right will make sounds louder. Dragging it left will make them quieter. If your hearing is sensitive or you’re listening in company, this may be useful. By default, the volume is reasonably high; enough for the notes to be clearly audible but not startlingly.

Just below the title is a little help button that reveals a panel when you click it. A quick overview pops up, explaining the controls, their functions, and how to read the chart. The left-hand side lists the voice types from highest to lowest, with the pitch shown by bars going from low to high. Clicking the button again hides info panel until next time. By default, it’s hidden allowing you to keep the chart as clutter-free as possible.

Next to the help toggle is the fullscreen button which will expands the chart to full-screen for a bigger view. You’ll have more space to observe all the details of each voice range and how they relate to one another. It will auto-adjust so everything stays centered and can be read clearly without overlap. Click on the exit button or press Escape to revert back to normal size.

Remember that the above is an average guide only for classical singing voices. In other genres of music today, performers may well stretch these ranges more significant. For example, a Bass singer may not be as low as indicated, but a Tenor can sings up into what would of otherwise been considered the next range. The graph is a starting point from which you can see where one voice type tends towards and then contrast with another.

To understand this more, listen to different ranges next to one another such as the Alto and Mezzo-soprano. You will find that the Tenor range naturaly steps upwards from the Baritone. This gives a point of reference if you are writing music or arranging voices within a choir. If you know where the extreme limits of a range lie then you will not assign notes that is beyond their reach.

Start by listening to the bright, high end of the spectrum by clicking on the Soprano bar, then follow the voice down as the pitch drops. If you’d prefer to quickly run through them use the keyboard. The default volume is moddernly high so the notes are clear without being startling; adjust the volume if needed. Explore the chart at your pace and don’t rush it until you get a feel for the pitch relationships.