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by Anonymous on February 4th, 2005

Anonymous

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I can sing most soprano notes, but I can't reach the really high ones. Does this make me an alto, or could I be a true soprano with training?

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  • by EdMuse on January 11th, 2006

    EdMuse

    Unless you are a professional singer, range names are nothing but labels. If you are talking about soprano alto notes, I assume you primarily a choral singer. If, then, you sing in the soprano section, you are a soprano. If you sing in the alto section, you are an alto. If you switch back and forth, then you are a soprano one day and an alto the next. If you need a label for that, it's generally called being a swing voice.

    If you came to study with me, and asked me what to label you, I would tell you "you're a singer." I would only tell you you were a soprano if you couldn't effectively get out of your headvoice, or if you were really deficient in your low range.

    Contrary to popular opinion, being a soprano is not something one aspires to be. Range and tone are largely the result of physiognamy. In other words, we each have, literally by nature, a range. Training can sometimes seem to expand a young female singer's upper range by a large amount, or a male singer's range or a mature female singer's range by a small amount on either end, but this is largely an illusion. All that is really going on is that the singer is learning how to use the range he or she really already has.

    So, the questions to ask yourself would be "Do I want to be a soprano? And why?" Perhaps there is something more glamorous about it than being an alto, I suppose. If you do decide you want to be a soprano, then be careful: make sure you find a teacher who will honestly assess your voice and not try to placate you by working you into your soprano range if it is not healthy for you. I've known such teachers who believe that all basses should be baritones, baritones are just lazy tenors, and every female singer should be a soprano. Over working your high range improperly can be quite injurious to your voice. Remember, you only have one voice, and it is part of you. Do what feels right for your voice, and you'll have the use of it for much, much longer.

    By the way, in my capacity as a choral director, the "swing voices" are the ones I am most appreciative of: the ones who can, and are willing to sing whatever part they are asked to.

    -EdM.

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