Vocal range test
Your vocal range is the span between the lowest and the highest note you can sing with a firm voice. This test measures yours through the microphone and suggests the likely voice type: bass, baritone, tenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, soprano. Among the usual ranges, the bass is E2 to E4 and the soprano is C4 to C6.
- Comfortable
- Low
- High
- Result
Before you start
- A quiet place, with no music or TV on.
- Warmed-up voice: hum with your mouth closed or do lip trills (“brrr”) for a few minutes.
- Sing on a vowel (“ah” or “oo”) without straining. What counts is the note you hold steady for half a second, not a shout.
- It takes about 2 minutes and you don’t need headphones.
Use without the test
Pick the profile closest to your voice. The range is conservative: take the test when you can.
Sing a comfortable note
–
(no sound)
singing now steady note your range so far
Your vocal range
Comfortable range: . This is where the exercises happen.
Likely voice type
This is an estimate based on range alone. A real classification also depends on timbre, on where your voice sounds best and on your register breaks: a singing teacher is the one to settle it.
Without the test, the range is a conservative estimate for the profile. The test measures your actual voice.
What the test measures
Your vocal range goes from the lowest to the highest note you can sing with a steady voice. The test only counts a note you hold for half a second without sliding: cracks, attacks and passing notes are left out. From the range comes your comfortable range (a little inside the extremes), which is where the pitch exercises happen.
Voice types
| Voice | Range | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Bass The lowest male voice | E2 to E4 | 82.4 to 329.6 Hz |
| Baritone The most common male voice, between bass and tenor | A2 to A4 | 110.0 to 440.0 Hz |
| Tenor The high male voice | C3 to C5 | 130.8 to 523.3 Hz |
| Contralto The lowest female voice | F3 to F5 | 174.6 to 698.5 Hz |
| Mezzo-soprano The middle female voice | A3 to A5 | 220.0 to 880.0 Hz |
| Soprano The high female voice | C4 to C6 | 261.6 to 1,046.5 Hz |
These are the usual ranges in choirs and classical singing. Your range suggests a voice type, but what really classifies a voice is its timbre — and a singing teacher. Warm up first, drink water and don’t push the extremes.
After the test: pitch exercises · voice tuner · everything about singing
Frequently asked questions
What is the vocal range of an average person?
Without training, most people can hold between an octave and a half and two octaves. Trained singers often go beyond two and a half octaves.
What is the comfortable range?
It is the part of your range where your voice sounds steady without effort: two semitones above your lowest note and three below your highest. The pitch exercises happen there.
Why does the test only count held notes?
Because voice cracks, shouting and passing notes throw the measurement off. Holding a steady note for half a second shows it really is within your voice.
Can I extend my vocal range?
Yes, gradually: warm-ups, breathing work and vocal exercises that go up and down by semitones widen the range you can use comfortably. The extremes grow over time — never by forcing.