Male and female singing voices. How to determine the type of voice and what types exist? What is a low male voice called?

The voice of each person is unique in its sound and features. If we talk about the characteristics of singing voices, then here the distinctive features are: timbre, range, height of disclosure and individuality.

How to determine the type of voice? The classification of male and female voices according to vocal characteristics, which exists today, was invented in the Italian opera school. It is not difficult to find out what type of voice the performer has while listening. Experts pay attention to its timbre, tonality, features and tessitura, and then draw a conclusion.

Timbre

The timbre of the voice is called its individual coloring and brightness. The voice may sound rich or soft, the coloring may be dark or light. Teachers distinguish the following types of voice timbre: sharp and soft, chest, head, mixed.

A vocalist who has a soft and pleasant timbre to the ear will be more in demand than one who has a harsh and repulsive manner of singing. In fact, it depends on the timbre of the voice whether a person can practice vocals.

The timbre of each of us is unique, so we can easily identify the sounding voice of one of our favorite singers due to its individual characteristics.

About tonality

It is worth considering that in each work the voice may sound differently, so it is better to sing in your working range. We, in turn, call them the range of notes to which the vocalist is able to give a beautiful color and high-quality sound. Here we are not talking about the full range of notes that a person can hit with his voice. So, based on the working range, it is worth choosing the key for a particular work.

What is a range?

The range of each type of voice is determined during singing, as well as in the process of performing a song in a key that is convenient for a person. In most cases, singing voices have a specific range, thanks to which it is easy to determine its type. Particularly appreciated are performers who have a wide working range and can therefore replace one of their colleagues with a different voice.

About tessitura

A tessitura is a part of the range in which the singer is comfortable singing. That is, it can be comfortable or uncomfortable for a particular voice. It happens that a song can be comfortable for one performer, but not for another, although both have the same range. This means that they have different parts of the range for comfortable singing. Therefore, the wider it is, the more convenient it is to sing.

Moreover, the performer must learn the correct technique of singing. The wrong one distorts the voice. To make it sound beautiful and convincing, you need to pay attention to the following technical features:

You should breathe with the diaphragm, that is, the stomach should rise when you inhale, and fall when you exhale. This will give you more control over
Maintain correct posture while singing. It is better to keep the neck straight and relaxed. If you stand up straight, it will be easier to breathe.
The back of the throat should be open while singing, sing the vowels clearly.

Any person can put his singing technique. If we talk about vocal technique, then development will depend on the presence of concentration of memory and attention, lung capacity and characteristics of the vocal cords. In fact, no matter what a person’s physiological characteristics and vocal data are, it is possible to develop a singing voice.

For voice development

Do not set too high standards for yourself in anticipation of progress, be patient and continue to train your voice.
Sing simple songs first, and then take on more complex ones.
Cold and hot drinks harm the vocal cords. It is better to drink water at room temperature, and when you sing, moisten your throat with warm water from time to time.
Feel what you are performing, try to feel and convey the emotions of this song.
It is important to determine which musical style is more native to you, for this practice singing different styles of music.
It is good for the ear to play notes on the piano and sing along.
Avoid orange juice and milk drinks as they coat your throat and make it difficult to sing.
Speak in your normal intonation, as both whispering and shouting can harm your vocal cords.

Characteristics of female voice types

First, consider the types of female voices. Most female vocalists have a soprano voice. By the way, it is he who has the largest number of varieties. It has a sonorous and transparent character, as well as expressiveness, the sound is open and light.

There are dramatic, lyric and coloratura soprano.

The mezzo-soprano is known for its rich sound and deep timbre. The sound of such a voice is lower than that of a soprano. This voice can also be dramatic or lyrical.

Main types of male voices

If we talk about the baritone, then this is a heavier type of voice than the tenor. It has a bright and strong sound in the upper part of the range. Baritones are lyrical and dramatic.

Some misconceptions about the classification of voices by type

Some researchers are of the opinion that supposedly there are no types of voice at all, and only female and male are distinguished. They believe that the sound of the voice depends only on the specific features of the methods and performances, in other words, any woman can be a contralto, a mezzo-soprano, and a soprano.

However, the vocal data of many performers confirm the absurdity of these statements. Only in very rare cases can a person have special vocal abilities that allow him to sing with different types of voices. In most cases, the performer cannot overcome differences in tessitura, such as thirds. Moreover, a tessitura too high or too low by only one tone can harm the voice.

Let's mention other misconceptions regarding voice types. There is an opinion that pop singers do not need to determine the type of voice, and that they are classified only for academic singing. But such an opinion differs from reality, since the types of human voice are divided by nature into three female and three male.

In addition, some confuse the timbre and type of voice, although these are completely different terms. Voice type refers to pitch features, and timbre varieties do not play a special role in such a delicate matter as determining the type of voice. Individual timbre indicators are important for choosing your singing style, and for marking the artistic characteristics of the voice. So, voice types are its pitch indicators, determined using the scale of the scale.

About the features of the voice

The human voice cannot be replaced by any of the musical instruments known to us, nor by the voice of any other creatures, therefore the human soul reacts very subtly to live singing, receiving promptings for the heart and mind.

In the past, there was an opinion that phoniatry is capable, by examining the size and shape of the Adam's apple, to determine the type of voice of the performer. It was believed that the tenor would have a less noticeable Adam's apple, while the bass had a more prominent one. But after numerous examinations and scientific research, it became clear that the structure of the Adam's apple and larynx does not affect the type of voice in any way. If we talk about ligaments, their structure can play a role, but you need to evaluate the thickness, strength, size and elasticity.

So, there is a specific set of external signs and personal sensations that help determine the type of voice while singing. The human vocal cords are very sensitive and can be damaged quite easily, which can harm the voice or it can disappear altogether.

Since teachers sometimes make mistakes too, it is better not to strain your voice too much during the hearings, for example, by performing a song in a not very comfortable tessitura. If you think someone else's voice is brighter and more expressive than yours, do not forget that each of us has a unique voice, so sing only in your own manner.

Interestingly, when law enforcement agencies are looking for criminals, they are given out by the features of the voice. To search for offenders, special services use specially developed speech identification methods. Thanks to the individual sound, which is called overtones, it is not difficult for us to recognize the voice of one or another familiar person.

In fact, this is an indicator of the mental and emotional state of each person, an expression of our inner strengths. It is thanks to the voice that one can hear fear of the public, depression, delight, hysteria, feel gratitude or hatred.

All singing voices are divided into women's, men's and children's. The main female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto, and the most common male voices are tenor, baritone and bass.

All sounds that can be sung or played on a musical instrument are high, medium and low. Musicians, when talking about the pitch of sounds, use the term "register", meaning whole groups of high, medium or low sounds.

In a global sense, women's voices sing high or "upper" register sounds, children's voices sing middle register sounds, and male voices sing low or "lower" register sounds. But this is only partly true, in fact, everything is much more interesting. Within each of the groups of voices, and even within the range of each individual voice, there is also a division into high, medium and low registers.

So, for example, a high male voice is a tenor, a middle one is a baritone, and a low one is a bass. Or, another example, the singers have the highest voice - the soprano, the middle voice of the vocalists is the mezzo-soprano, and the low one is the contralto. To finally master the division of male and female, well, at the same time, children's voices into high and low, this plate will help you:

If we talk about the registers of any one voice, then each of them has both low sounds and high ones. For example, a tenor sings both low chest sounds and high falsetto sounds, which are not available to basses or baritones.

Female singing voices

So, the main types of female singing voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. They differ primarily in range, as well as in timbre coloration. The timbre properties include, for example, such as transparency, lightness or, conversely, saturation, voice power.

Soprano- the female highest singing voice, its usual range is two octaves (entirely the first and second octaves). In opera performances, the parts of the main characters are often performed by singers with such a voice. If we talk about artistic images, then best of all a high voice characterizes a young girl or some fantastic character (for example, a fairy).

Soprano, according to the nature of the sound, is divided into lyrical and dramatic- you yourself can easily imagine that the parts of a very tender girl and a very passionate girl cannot be performed by the same performer. If the voice can easily cope with fast passages and graces in its high register, then such a soprano is called coloratura.

Contralto- it has already been said that this is the lowest of the female voices, moreover, very beautiful, velvety, and also very rare (in some opera houses there is not a single contralto). A singer with such a voice in operas is often entrusted with the role of teenage boys.

Below is a tablet that gives examples of opera parts that are often performed by one or another female singing voice:

Let's hear how female singing voices sound. Here are three video examples for you:

Soprano. Aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera The Magic Flute by Mozart performed by Bela Rudenko

Mezzo-soprano. Habanera from the opera "Carmen" by Bizet performed by the famous singer - Elena Obraztsova

Contralto. Ratmir's aria from the opera "Ruslan and Ludmila" by Glinka performed by Elizaveta Antonova.

Male singing voices

There are only three main male voices - tenor, bass and baritone. Tenor of these, the highest, its pitch range is the notes of the small and first octaves. By analogy with the soprano timbre, performers with this timbre are divided into dramatic tenors and lyric tenors. In addition, sometimes they mention such a variety of singers as "characteristic" tenor. "Character" is given to it by some phonic effect - for example, silveriness or rattling. The characteristic tenor is simply indispensable where you want to create the image of a gray-haired old man or some sly rogue.

Baritone- this voice is distinguished by its softness, density and velvety sound. The range of sounds that a baritone can sing is within the limits of the la large octave to the la of the first octave. Performers with such a timbre are often entrusted with the courageous parts of heroic or patriotic characters in operas, however, the softness of the voice allows one to reveal love-lyrical images.

Bass- the voice is the lowest, can sing sounds from the F of a large octave to the F of the first. Basses are different: some are booming, “humming”, “bell-shaped”, others are hard and very “graphic”. Accordingly, the parts of characters for basses are diverse: these are heroic, and “fatherly”, and ascetic, and even comic images.

Probably, you are interested to know which of the male singing voices is the lowest? This is bass profundo, sometimes singers with such a voice are also called Octavists, since they "take" low notes from the counteroctave. By the way, we have not yet mentioned the highest male voice - this tenor altino or countertenor, who sings quite calmly in an almost female voice and easily reaches the high notes of the second octave.

As in the previous case, male singing voices with examples of their opera parts are displayed in the tablet:

Now listen to what male singing voices sound like. Here are three more videos for you.

Tenor. Song of the Indian guest from the opera "Sadko" by Rimsky-Korsakov performed by David Poslukhin.

Baritone. Gliere's romance "Sweetly sang the soul-nightingale", sung by Leonid Smetannikov

Bass. Prince Igor's aria from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" was originally written for baritone, but in this case it is sung by one of the best basses of the 20th century, Alexander Pirogov.

The working range of the voice of a professionally trained vocalist is usually two octaves on average, sometimes, however, singers and singers have much more opportunities. In order for you to be well-versed in tessituras when choosing notes for practice, I suggest you get acquainted with a drawing that clearly demonstrates the allowable ranges for each of the voices:

Before concluding, I want to please you with one more sign, with the help of which you can get acquainted with vocalists who have one or another timbre of voice. This is necessary so that you can independently find and listen to even more audio examples of the sound of male and female singing voices:

That's all! We talked about what kind of voices singers and singers have, figured out the basics of their classification, the size of the ranges, the expressive possibilities of timbres, and also listened to examples of the sound of the voices of famous vocalists. If you liked the material, share it on your page in contact or on your Twitter feed. To do this, under the article there are special buttons. Good luck!

It is obvious that each person endowed with talent pursues his own specific goals. Some dream of a career on the opera stage, others dream of the stage. But not everyone with singing voices is easily given vocal training, which opens the door wide to the best concert venues.

In childhood, the potential of girls and boys coincides, and when the mutational period of the vocal apparatus begins, youthful vocal abilities change. Some guys develop a low male voice with good vocal abilities in the future, while others do not. There is a scale by which teachers determine the types of musical directions where the singer could realize himself.

The history of the development of music knows many ancient instruments created by the hands of great masters, but none of them surpassed the human vocal apparatus in perfection.

There are musical directions, where the classification of voices is carried out according to the characteristic features of the performer:

sound extraction power;
mobility and virtuosity;
external data;
acting talent, other criteria.

But the range in the selection of performers is in the lead. It is not easy to learn the mastery of classical singing, even with good vocal abilities and perfect pitch. The basis is the technique, which is developed with the help of special exercises. Depending on the level of talent, some performers acquire skills faster, others more slowly. People devote many years to vocal lessons, and there are no easy paths to fame.

The most popular form of training is individual lessons with a teacher, when, for example, you can develop the highest singing voice using the appropriate natural data. It is difficult for young performers to differentiate their voices in different directions. Experienced mentors help them decide on the choice of a particular genre. Opera voices, sounding on the best stages, have passed the high school of world art.

Female voice types

Only for exceptional talents there are practically no barriers. Peruvian singer Yma Sumac mastered a range of 5 octaves with fantastic ease. Female singing voices at that time did not have such rare analogues.

As a child, she did not receive a musical education, but later her husband became a teacher and faithful companion. There were no barriers for her, she performed both high and low limits with amazing ease and ease. For many years, Ima shone and fascinated the whole world with her unique singing.

In the process of the formation of art, the classification of female voices received a certain structure. The highest female voice is called "soprano", which includes other varieties.

Coloratura soprano. The highest voice among women is valued in the opera genre. Possessing the professional flexibility of the singing apparatus, the artists effortlessly conquer 2.5 octaves. The singers are characterized by the airy lightness of the embodiment of images. They masterfully perform the most difficult passages.
Lyric soprano. Distinguished by deep lyricism, softness of sound. The performers successfully cope with melodic parts from operas: Iolanta, Traviata and other masterpieces of world art. Range - 2 octaves.
Dramatic soprano. Characterized by a bright timbre, surround sound. Emotional intensity allows you to perform works that express deep feelings. Singers have an average tessitura not exceeding 2 octaves.
Mezzo-soprano. The singing possibilities are not so brilliant. The voice type has a lower range than the soprano vocal data. Many of them perform "trouser roles", portraying youths or young men. One of the most famous images for the dramatic mezzo-soprano is the fiery Carmen in the opera of the same name.
Contralto. A low voice, a velvety chest tone allows you to perform the parts of great Russian and foreign composers. The famous role of the Earth goddess in Richard Wagner's fantastic epic "Ring of the Nibelung" was written for the lowest tessitura.

Professional possession of natural registers allows the formation of a light and powerful sound, where women's voices are fully revealed. Smooth performance at an accessible level of the range - at least 2 octaves - is achieved in the process of systematic training, development of skills for mixed sound (mixed).

Male voices

Natural strength is the main criterion for singing abilities. The performance of the classics requires the artist to have a powerful sound and clear diction against the backdrop of accompaniment. The highest male singing voice is the tenor.

Lyric tenor. Mobile high voice, soft timbre within two octaves, the quality can border on a denser, lyrical-dramatic sound. In opera performances, such characteristics are more often used for the performance of parts with love affairs. A high and carefree character is easier to convey to artists who have a pronounced tenor voice.
Baritone. The bright timbre captivates listeners with a voluminous velvety sound. The most common type of male, whose range is at the junction between high tenor and bass. Such operatic voices are often the leaders of funny scenes. He is also endowed with a dramatic property, capable of creating rich deep images.
Bass. The extremely low male voice is less common in nature than other types. Singers endowed with a regular bass are more likely to perform comical, moving parts. The owners of the bass-profundo are highly valued in world culture. They are characterized by rich chest registers, wisdom and nobility are inherent. A low voice and a unique timbre often become a part of church and choral art.

Trust your feelings

Many professional groups are overflowing with performers whose singing voices correspond to the level of mezzo-sopranos, who are able to embody their talents in other categories, and this depends on the quality of the technique, the level of education.

The feeling of tension in singing signals that the range is incorrectly chosen, and such a performance has a devastating effect on the ligaments. When a singer experiences a feeling of lightness, freedom, pleasure from his own performance, this means that the performer is on the right track, and distant horizons are subject to him.

From the first word "hello" you can make an impression. A pleasant female voice affects the perception of a person. Therefore, not only professional opera singers should own it. Those who are lucky enough to have a pleasant female voice will be successful in any field. This applies to working as a telephone operator or negotiating manager, and in personal life: victories over men's hearts.

Let's talk about what a beautiful female voice is like, what its classification is, how singers prepare to perform a song, and why they are looking for a pleasant female voice to voice advertising.

Phrases imply the ability to sing. The sound here has a certain height and the ability to last a long time. The singing of the song manifests itself in vowels, is realized by breathing with a sigh, without noise, a large volume of air and a slow exhalation.

household;
professional.

"Hello" to the profession, every aspiring singer says through the production of voice. In this case, the following voice characteristics are developed:

range latitude;
brightness;
force;
flexibility;
the beauty;
not fatigue;
other qualities.

The timbre and exposure of sounds play a special role. Opera voices are characterized by flight, so that they can be heard far away. Metallic "notes" and flying are characteristic of a high overtone. And the softness of the sound is achieved in the low-frequency range. The singing voice is strong. It fills the entire room.

In boys and girls, the following types are distinguished:

soprano;
treble (only for boys);
viola (it means a low female or children's voice).

tenor (high plan);
baritone (medium);
bass (low).

soprano (high plan) - opera parts of the Snow Maiden from the work of Rimsky-Korsakov;
mezzo-soprano (middle) - opera parts of Lady Macbeth from Verdi's Macbeth;
contralto (low) - Olga's opera parts from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.

Beautiful female voice - singing

Thoracic, with great sounding power, but meager in timbre.
Mixed or medium, where chest and head sounds are combined.
Head - open and light.

Transitional notes and registers have different lengths.

lyrical;
dramatic;
lyrical - dramatic.

Unlike a high soprano, a beautiful female mezzo-soprano voice is accompanied by greater beauty of timbre, strength and chest resonance. It is subdivided into high (lyrical) and low (dramatic - contralto). The voice of a woman in the first case is mobile and soft. The second is less mobile, with a large number of chest notes. It's called contralto. This beautiful female voice with a large range of chest register, and in a small octave - with thick notes.

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish two low voices from each other. To do this, listen to chest notes in a small octave. The full-sounding notes here will define the mezzo-soprano. True, if a beautiful female contralto voice is well delivered, then the notes are almost the same. Then they evaluate by tessitura and transitional notes to the head register how easy it is to raise and lower the voice.

chants

The singer says "Hi" to her voice before performing the songs, in preparation for the upcoming load. If this is not done, the woman's voice runs the risk of breaking. Consider some types of exercises suitable for chanting experienced singers and novice performers.

The tonality corresponding to the lower limit of the student's voice range is selected. The parts are repeated a semitone higher. And when the high limit is reached, the next part should be lowered by half a step, and so gradually reach the lower range.

Each subsequent exercise for chanting complicates. To succeed, pay attention to the following points:

correct breathing;
staging of the organs involved;
sound flow direction;
precise implementation of the recommendations.

Consider basic exercises.

Singing with a closed mouth (lips compressed, teeth unclenched). This is a real "hello" chant.
Lip play (similar to the sound of a child who repeats the sounds of a car: lips are not clamped, but closed). It starts with a lower limit, which should first be increased and then lowered.
Glissando has two variants of chanting. In the first case, the second exercise is repeated, but not by separate notes, but by sliding. In the second case, the mouth is opened, but a nasal sound is produced, creating an obstruction to the air.
Vieni, viini, viani (Italian "vieni" means "where"). It is performed in three variations, each of which is based on 5 sounds.
The last chanting exercise "Staccato" is performed with abrupt notes. It resembles laughter. Everywhere you need to raise and lower the scale in the same way.

Voice acting for advertising and what is the most beautiful female voice for men?

A pleasant female voice in advertising is associated with attention and care. The voice of a woman for voice acting is used by manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, and household appliances. Gifts, vacations, cafes, restaurants, and even cars - women are interested in all this.

A beautiful female voice is a direct path to a man's heart. But from such voice acting, trust also arises among listeners. Thus, the skillfully used voice of a woman encourages the fairer sex to make unplanned purchases. It affects them on an emotional level.

But men, after listening to the voice acting, react differently. A beautiful female voice, sounding on the air, makes them bewildered, how did they not guess about this purchase themselves. As you can see, the voice is professionally used not only for the performance of the song, but also, at least for the voice acting.

Saying “Hi” like “I love you” is only possible for someone who has a beautiful female voice, and she knows how to use it. But what do men think "beautiful" means? Contralto - this velvety sternal pleasant female voice evokes sympathy in men. It is hard to imagine how even a pretty woman, saying "hello" shrillly, will please a man. A beautiful female voice for men is sedate, “wet”, sometimes breathy. It evokes the instinct of a hunter in a strong half of humanity.

This is how this mysterious and enigmatic voice works. Surely the readers had a desire to train the vocal cords. Well, the internet can help! Practice chanting with audio or video on, and you will soon notice how you control your voice consciously.

The timbre of the voice is the brightness of the sound, its individuality, transmitted during singing. The sound is determined by the fundamental tone and additional sounds, called overtones. The more overtones, the brighter and more colorful the voice will be. The natural amount of overtones combined with is the secret to a mesmerizing voice.

Voice timbre, types

The most pleasant timbre is considered to be a voice that has the correct modulation, both in high and low tones. In fact, any voice with the right approach can be placed. And that means giving it a professional sound. To do this, you need to learn to control the frequency of the voice, as well as the emotional coloring. This is easy to do with the help of a vocal specialist. To determine your own timbre, you need to know what voice timbres are in general. There are several main types:

tenor. This is the highest male voice. It can be lyrical or dramatic.
baritone;
bass. The lowest timbre of the voice in comparison with the above. It is central or melodious.

soprano. This is a very high pitched voice. There is a lyric soprano, dramatic and coloratura.
mezzo-soprano;
contralto. This is a low voice.

What does timbre depend on?

The fundamental factor in the formation of timbre is the vocal cords. It is almost impossible to find several people who are able to sing the same way. It is unlikely that you will be able to change your voice drastically. But if you turn to the teacher, then it is quite possible to improve its coloring.

How to determine the timbre of the voice?

Independently, without having certain knowledge and skills, it is almost impossible to determine the timbre. At home, you can only presumably attribute your voice to one or another type of timbre. The most accurate data can be obtained using specialized equipment - a spectrometer. It studies the outgoing sound, and then classifies it in the right direction. You can read more about spectrometers at the end of the article.

How to change the timbre of the voice

The timbre of the voice largely depends on the characteristics of the human body. Of great importance are the volume, shape of the trachea and oral resonator, as well as the tightness of the closure of the vocal cords. Therefore, it is not possible to radically change the sound of the voice.

However, you can give the timbre the desired color by adding low or high overtones and achieving their perfect balance. To do this, there are various exercises, for example, pronouncing the soft fricative "g".

The shape of the lips and the position of the tongue have a great influence on the timbre. You can experiment, for example, change the position of the jaw and talk with a fixed lower lip.

At the age of three, the model of a person's voice changes, he becomes more restrained. We diligently control the volume and intonation, tense the ligaments, and as a result, we use only a small part of our capabilities. How to restore the natural voice,? Exercises and techniques will also help you with this. You can learn more about them by watching the video:

What affects the timbre of the voice?

The first thing to note is smoking. The longer the experience of this addiction, the lower will be the timbre of the voice.
Poor nutrition, chronic sleep deprivation. You need to understand that any mood, be it good or bad, affects the timbre of the voice.
Hypothermia, cold. Everything is obvious here. You need to protect yourself from the cold, try not to drink ice-cold drinks and refuse ice cream.
Growing up period. In adolescence, the timbre of the voice becomes coarser. Of course, this process cannot be changed.

Spectrometer and more

The device that is used to determine the timbre of the voice is called a spectrometer. His device includes a special-purpose microphone and a sound amplifier. During its operation, the sound is divided into components using electro-acoustic filters. The whole process is displayed on the instrument display. Then the device in certain formats explores the composition of speech sounding, since it is the speech format that has a direct impact on the recognition of voice sounding in singing. Most often, the recognition of the timbre of the voice by the device is carried out by the way the first three vowels are pronounced.

How to know your voice tone? It is best to sign up for several classes with a qualified specialist in the production of a singing voice. To determine the timbre, they use parameters such as tessitura endurance and some other features.

In order to determine the timbre of the voice, the vocal teacher selects works that have different tessitura. This allows you to determine which note pitch best suits a particular vocalist. Singing several pieces of music with different musical octaves, you can determine which of them is sung easily and comfortably, and which one has to be sung with vocal cord tension. Each person tends to take notes of a certain height. Only an experienced teacher will be able to correctly assess the range and timbre of each vocalist's voice by how he sings individual notes in a certain octave, and will name the main differences between a falsetto and a chest voice or a tenor from a baritone.