If you want a short answer, a comfortable standard female vocal range is from about A4 to G5. That’s maybe with a little training from a voice teacher, and different people might feel more comfortable towards the top of that range and others towards the bottom. But pretty much every female voice is physically capable of these notes with some help, and with focused study, it’s very possible to sing well above and below that range!
The most important thing to remember is that every voice is different, and that doesn’t all have to do with range.
Choral Singing
If you were in a school choir, you were most likely labelled as an alto or a soprano, and if there are enough students in your choir or if your music was difficult enough, you might have been split into alto 1, alto 2, soprano 1, and soprano 2. It might shake your whole world when I say this, but this is not your voice type. (I had an identity crisis when I learned this about myself.)
Choral part placings generally have much less to do with the capabilities of your voice than they do with the needs of the choir. For instance, in my middle school choir, all of the kids who played in the band got placed on alto because they could read music, and I stayed there throughout high school.
In college, when I learned I was actually a soprano, I sang all four female voice parts over different semesters. Truthfully, choir parts have almost nothing to do with your actual voice. Solo singing is where you can find your true voice type because the focus is on the individual voice, what it’s capable of, and what it’s comfortable doing.
Voice Typing Variables
Whether you sing classical music, musical theatre, or commercial music, it is universally true that there are elements besides range that contribute to the uniqueness of one’s singing voice. We will discuss range, but also tessitura and timbre.
You probably already know that range is the span of notes that you can sing. You can find your range by singing scale exercises up and down your range until you can no longer make a comfortable sound. Tessitura is a similar concept, but more specific. Your tessitura is the range you are most comfortable singing in.
Maybe you can sing all those high notes above the staff — just not more than once or twice in a song, and maybe you can sing below middle C but not comfortably enough or loudly enough for it to be sustainable. It’s a little tricker to find your precise tessitura, but you can use the same scalar exercises but as you go, ask yourself this: Can you sing the note loudly enough for it to be heard and comfortably enough that you could do it several times in one song?
Timbre is a little more difficult to describe as it has to do with the quality or color of your voice. Even though it’s difficult to describe in words, it’s probably a concept you think about every time you hear someone sing! You might call Adele’s voice raspy, you might call Renee Fleming’s voice lush, you might call Sutton Foster’s voice bright. These qualifiers are unique to every person! None of them are good or bad, but it’s what makes a singer unique! Even though the female vocal range is fairly standard and most songs exist within the same range of notes, they can still sound very different!
Voice Types in Classical Singing
Classical singing has what’s called the German fach system. They break down voice types into very specific categories, and operatic roles are broken down into the very same categories depending on the types of voices they’re written for. You probably won’t be able to find your fach unless you study with a classical voice teacher for a while because they can help you unlock so many new skills.
Classical voice types take into consideration everything we’ve discussed so far plus agility (how easily you can sing very quick passages) and weight (how heavily or loudly your voice can sing comfortably, especially in the high register). These are aspects of your voice that won’t show themselves until your singing voice becomes more mature and your technique is solid.
Voice Types in Musical Theater
Because there’s such great variety in the styles of music included in musical theatre, the vocal categories aren’t so specific, and a lot of times, the same singers will sing lots of different roles from a variety of genres and time periods. Some common vocal types in musical theatre are the legit soprano who sings some Golden Age roles and more classical contemporary roles (Laurey in Oklahoma, Christine in Phantom of the Opera, or Clara in Light in the Piazza).
More contemporary shows ask for belters, and there’s lots of variety even within this category. (Think Elphaba in Wicked, Donna in Mamma Mia!, or Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie — all different but powerful voices!) An in-between category would be the mix-belter in lighter roles like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Cady in Mean Girls, or Wednesday in The Addams Family. In musical theatre, you’re only limited by what you can sing comfortably, and oftentimes there’s lots of crossover between categories.
How to Find Your Voice Type?
First, consider your vocal range and tessitura. Be honest with yourself about what notes you can sing comfortably. What range can you sing in all day? What notes can you hit perfectly only twice in a song?
Assess your vocal color! Who do people say you sound like? A great way to figure out your voice type and what you should be singing is to look at the career or professionals who sing the same repertoire as you. Pick your favorite song that feels great to sing and find out who’s famous for singing it!
Lastly, if you’re wondering “What is the standard female vocal range,” know that nothing can help more than talking to a voice teacher. Many times, they’ll see potential or notice tendencies in your voice that you might not hear yourself. They’ll be able to help you expand both your range and tessitura and suggest music to fit your vocal range. Every voice is unique, and they’ll have the ears to help you figure out how to best hone your gifts!
Haley Fryer