Undefinable Vocal Type?

Franzi

Hello everyone,
it's me again with another question. I hope you are all doing fine and keep singing wonderfully. I was just wondering about a certain thing that keeps me from finding a singer that has a similar range (including passaggi etc.), who I can exercise along with: I'd always thought that I was a typical Contralto, as I was always singing Alto 2 in school choir and my normal singing comfort zone is around F3 - D4, but after I started practising my vocals more intensively, I can't define my voice anymore and the information I get from the internet isn't really helping either.

My singing range (vocal fry and exclamations excluded) is now (B2)-(F5)-(Eb7) on a normal day, the biggest sung extension I can make (though strained on the "vertex notes" and with some nice voice cracks in-between) is from (Bb2)-(C#6)-(E7). My usual supported range and also the notes I can sing with most ease are (D3)-(E5)-(D7). I have developed a falsetto and whistle register over time and have expanded my belting range quite a lot, but: Can I still call myself an Contralto with these two "new" registers I have now and does it still make sense to sing mainly songs for a Contralto vocal type? Or shall I work on my high notes, especially my upper belts and try to achieve enough stamina to support them decently? Is that even possible for my vocal type or shall I better not try to fix them to not accidentally harm my vocal cords?

So this is what makes me think that I'm an Contralto:
- My chest voice is my strongest register and the one I am most comfortable with
- My passaggio into "Mixed Voice" usually starts at F4/G4
- Though I am able to belt in the fifth Octave, it takes me a lot of effort and it sounds like an extremely heady mix up there

But this is what also makes me question it:
- I have quite a big mixed range
- I have access to the whistle register, which is actually a typical characteristic for Sopranos
- My voice is pretty strong down there, but it is not as "dark" as the typical Contralto-voices you know from famous singers like Cher or Toni Braxton for example...

So... the internet says so many different things about this topic and I am starting to become really confused about it: How can I define my voice type and what singers have similar "vertex notes" so that I can take their songs for practise and analyze their technique (if it's a good one of course )?

I am sorry that my text has gotten that long and I hope I don't bother you with my question. I wish you all a wonderful week and thank you in advance for your answers!

Best regards
Franziska

SeanTM

I'm not a professional so take this reply with a grain of salt, but I would think that you are probably right about being a contralto. You have an impressive range, which some people just get from training and practicing over a long period of time. I wouldn't worry too much about classifying yourself as one vocal type, because this limits you to one box, it is good to expand your range in a healthy manner. If you can sing the higher notes without straining, I don't see why that would be an issue, so if you can do this in a healthy manner I would say go for it if it's what you want.

Wigs

At KTVA Ken teaches that while there is a vocal classification system, we learn to grow our voice and range out of those constraints. If you approach the growing of your voice safely, there should be nothing to stop you doing so if that's what you wish

Franzi

SeanTM said:

I'm not a professional so take this reply with a grain of salt, but I would think that you are probably right about being a contralto. You have an impressive range, which some people just get from training and practicing over a long period of time. I wouldn't worry too much about classifying yourself as one vocal type, because this limits you to one box, it is good to expand your range in a healthy manner. If you can sing the higher notes without straining, I don't see why that would be an issue, so if you can do this in a healthy manner I would say go for it if it's what you want.

Thank you so much, that's very nice. I unfortunately do strain on the upper notes (mostly from F#5 to Bb5(/C#6 on lucky days) when belting, so I was wondering if I could actually work on those highs because of at least being able to belt them somehow (that's what I thought could make me a Mezzo-Soprano), or if I should better avoid them to not unintentionally harm my vocal cords (like it would probably do to a Contralto voice in the long term). But as you agree with me on my vocal type and my apparent low tessitura, I guess I should better try to avoid these notes.

Thank you so much and have a nice day!

Franzi

Wigs said:

At KTVA Ken teaches that while there is a vocal classification system, we learn to grow our voice and range out of those constraints. If you approach the growing of your voice safely, there should be nothing to stop you doing so if that's what you wish

Thank you for your answer. I will definitely try to build it up slowly and follow Ken's courses more precisely. Sometimes I want too much too soon, hehe.

Thanks a lot and have a nice day!