Hi, my name is Derrick...

DerrickB

I'm a 61-year-old man who loves to sing Johnny Cash and other country songs and a little rock and roll when it fits my range. Despite my passion for singing, I find myself unsure about my vocal range. Having no formal vocal training, my only musical background is playing the saxophone during my school years. While I can hit some low notes like some of my favorite singers, I don't feel entirely comfortable with them. I often wonder where the cutoffs are from one vocal range to another. Some singers hit really high notes, and I assume they're tenors. While others, like Richard Sterban and Melvin Franklin, can hit incredibly low notes and I assume they're basses. But I'm not sure where I fit in between. Am I a baritone, a bass-baritone, or a bass? I suspect that Richard is a contra-bass even as he can go significantly lower than I can. For example, when I sing along with him in a song like "Elvira," I can handle it just fine, but when he drops to the lowest note (I think it's a C2), I croak like a frog. I would love to hit that note someday, but I'm not sure if that's even possible for me. Despite my confusion, I continue to enjoy singing and hope to learn more about my vocal abilities.

Klaus_T

hi, i am not really informed about what you call which vocal range. for the course it is more or less irrelevant which fach you are. you can train yourself so that you will not fit into one of the classical fachs. extending the range is like stretching or like a sports exercise. you need the right technique. of course it takes time and some notes are maybe out of reach forever for some people, but the question is: have you done any work towards building your voice? the singers you mention have spent a considerable time working their voices, they were not "born" with those voices you know and love from their recordings. by learning better singing technique, you will also gain control over a bigger range (both very high & very low notes need good support, for example). you can check my profile page for some free lessons if you want to see how working your voice regularly and systematically feels for you...