6

I am somewhat of a newbie singer and wondering what my voice type is. Most singers are probably aware of the passaggio locations chart for men. But how exactly do you determinate these passaggio points, since they depend a lot on the volume and vowel? (Here is the common chart)

For me I start to strain quite a bit at E4 and F4 is pretty much unsingable in pure chest. That makes me a lyric baritone according to the chart I think. But the problem is, I can't sing below A2 (without sounding terrible) and even that is a bit iffy. Is it possible to be higher voiced voice type with a low passaggio?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Eek - I spent about 2 hours this afternoon reading through that link & other pages on the site. I've only been singing 35 years & have never heard of most of the terminology used on there, other than the obvious, tenor, soprano etc. The entire 'which bit of chest/throat/head' to use was totally alien to me. I'm not sure that knowing all that now would do me any good at all... I can fairly comfortably get from D3 to A5. I have no falsetto whatsoever. I have no clue what bracket that would put me in :(
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Nov 10, 2014 at 19:00
  • 1
    Did you read everything in the link you posted? It does mention about strain and volume as well. But if you want people to understand your voice it would be better if you posted a clip of your singing, I wouldnt really rely on finding the exact notes of your passaggios.
    – user40079
    Commented Nov 10, 2014 at 22:40
  • 1
    @user40079 To be honest the article is really confusing. It seems like it's detailing two different passaggios, but I sure can't feel more than one. Any ideas? If you are a teacher, how common is it for a voice type to deviate from that chart?
    – Tony
    Commented Nov 11, 2014 at 20:21
  • I'd only heard of, and noticed, chest and head voices before. But consciously thinking about it I can feel my voice move from chest -> throat -> head. However between chest/throat it seems more gradual than a sudden switch - but then I rarely sing very low so I've never thought about it before
    – Mr. Boy
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 11:08

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

I am not a voice teacher, however I do know it is not very often for a voice type to deviate by much. From what you describe, it sounds like you are likely a baritono lirico(lyric baritone) or tenore robusto(dramatic tenor).

One way you may determine your passaggi(every singer has two) is to sing one note at a time, first playing the note on a piano, then singing it. You move up the scale chromatically until you find particular notes within your range. These notes are the primo and secondo passaggio.

This is how they are characterized.

Primo Passaggio

When... untrained male singers approach the [end] of the comfortable speech range, they reach a point in the ascending scale where they often involuntarily raise the chin... the corresponding pitch is the first passaggio.

Secondo Passaggio

As the untrained singer continues to ascend... the untrained voice will either break off or resort to a sudden falsetto.

I think you may be a tenore robusto because of your lower range. However none of us have actually heard you sing a scale. Therefor, we cant give a definitive answer as too what your voice type is.

Resources

  • Personal experience
  • 7 years of general music lessons
  • The book "The Structure of Singing" by Richard Miller
Improve this answer
7
  • I am very confused because I absolutely lack the lows, but my 2nd passaggio (E4/F4) and highest note (A5, but take that to maybe G5 during song) are fairly low. I really have to find that first passaggio, but I don't think it will change anything. I guess, my voice is tenor's without the highs, or baritone's without the lows. Sucks lol (then again I am still able to sing pretty much all songs, unless they go to the 2nd octave). Thanks for the answers anyway, if you find more about this sort of voice let me know!
    – Tony
    Commented Dec 27, 2014 at 2:43
  • If A2 is your lowest note, you would have a decent range. A2 to A5 is an average vocal range if I'm not mistaken.
    – Mr.BloopBloop
    Commented Dec 27, 2014 at 2:51
  • Interesting... Still thinking my passaggio is very low compared to the lowest notes I can produce though. I think this means I have thin vocal chords? Maybe...
    – Tony
    Commented Dec 27, 2014 at 3:57
  • Check out this link for thin vocal chords.link
    – Mr.BloopBloop
    Commented Jan 4, 2015 at 8:05
  • @hmmm A5 is hardly an average limit for a male, surely? Tenor high C is only C5!
    – Mr. Boy
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 10:39
0

In all honesty, it is very difficult to truly determine your voice type until you have had some training. Once the voice is free, open, and supported from below, you truly cannot reach your full potential and have an understanding of your vocal fach and what repertoire is appropriate and healthy for you to sing. There are many factor which are considered when one is determining what voice type you are, passaggio,timbre, vocal range, and tessitura, and even age can be a factor. For males the voice does not fully mature until the later parts of your twenties and even into the late thirties. I hope that you consider (if you are not already) studying with a voice teacher, and please be patient with yourself and your vocal growth. I can say these thing because I had a very difficult time figuring out my voice type. Even different teacher debated some said baritone; other tenor. I felt within the core of my being that truly I was a tenor and I turned out to be correct. I could vocalize down to a low base C and had a great deal of power in my chest voice and it seemed as if I was a baritone. My issue was carrying up to much chest voice to the top of my range; without the allowing my chest voice to mix with my head voice. Basically I was shouting out the top notes and could not go higher than a G sometime I could shout up to an A. Once I begin to place my voice in the correct position for good singing by raising my soft palate and placing the voice forward into the nasal cavity, I suddenly realized my head voice. After some study my head voice became very strong and I learned to mix the head voice with the chest voice and found that that I could vocalize up to a high D sharp sometime even E. When I learned how to support from down below I realized I had a strong tenor high C and even a high D.

I am leaving out some details because I feel I have already made this response to long, my point it is hard to determine what your voice type is, until you open the voice and support your voice with proper breathing and good technique. You truly may be a baritone, but I would keep an open mind and not make a firm decision on your voice type for a while.

Have a great day.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.