It’s very easy for singers to stay in the same voice part in choir, even though it may not be the best place for them.
Lovemusic Community Choir by Patrick_Down is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Rather than assume you can’t sing that high (or low), why not put it to the test? You might be surprised.
Most non-auditioned and community choirs don’t do a vocal range test when a singer first joins a choir. It’s left to them to decide which section suits their voice best.
Men are often in the minority and have only two choices (neither of which might be comfortable): high (tenor) or low (bass).
Women who are put off by words like high (soprano) or low (tenor), often gravitate to the altos by default.
Once a singer has chosen a particular voice part, they often stay there for years, even if the range might be uncomfortable for them, or they’ve never explored the extremes of their range. Habit sets in, friends are made, and once a harmony part has been learnt, most singers won’t want to bother learning a new one for all the songs in the repertoire.
There are two main ways that a singer can find out what their voice is truly capable of.
1. vocal range test
This is up to your choir leader. If you feel that it will be useful, ask them if they’ll do one for the whole choir (rather than listening to individual singers). It’s a simple thing to do, can be fun, and might make the choir sound better as different voices are heard singing against each other.
Remember that absolute range does not necessarily indicate which part you should sing. Tessitura (your comfortable range) is more important than the extremes of high and low notes you can sing.
2. experiment by yourself
If your choir allows it, you can try different parts for different songs. If it doesn’t work out, you can always return to your familiar section. If it’s not possible within your choir, then try attending a singing workshop where you can explore different parts for each song. You might surprise yourself by how low/ high you can sing. You might realise that you’ve been in the wrong voice part, or even that you’re much more versatile than you thought and can increase your options.
other posts of interest
How can I extend my vocal range as a singer?
Neither fish nor fowl – why most singers don’t fit neatly into SATB boxes
How to know which harmony part to sing – a guide for new singers
Do you always sing the same voice part? Maybe it’s time for a change!
Chris Rowbury
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