Alto singing soprano?

[MsAmira]

Hello everyone!

 

This is my very first post  

 

I am a classic alto. My usual range is the E or F below middle C to the E or F above high C (haven't yet figured out the numbers). As an alto, is it even possible to train my voice to sing as high as a soprano? I suppose it will take more work seeing that I am naturally more comfortable with lower notes, but if anyone has any tips, let me know!

 

Thanks! 

[m.i.r.]

It depends on what you are wanting to sing. Contemporary singing vocal fach is not a huge deal, just helps you understand how your voice works and where/how to deal with your vocal breaks. I mean look at rock music for example, baritones even bass singers hang out in the tenor range and above quite often. Use of a microphone opens the door to a whole new world that levels the playing field.

However, if you are wanting to be in the classical world, I would def stay in your vocal classification. It is where your strongest ring is, as well as comfort level. Believe me straining to be something you are not for twenty mins is one thing. However, a full hour in a half with no amplification is miserable. Makes you not want to come back, I have been there and surely wont go back. Also you can look in the past of singers who tried to be something they werent, usually equals vocal damage or sometimes loss of a career in worst case scenarios.

Also make sure you were labeled correctly, as your vocal technique increases your range a teacher hears might change. As you will be less likely to pull, push, ect. A good teacher will hear this and usually label you correctly and train you as that, even with beginner technique. Also a good teacher, if you are extremely un balanced in technique will wait to label you at all until you are more stable. I have been mis labeled by a careless teacher in the past, my comments above should tell you how that went for me.

[Jens]

Yes you can expand range, my best tip is Work out your very light hooty sounds. Sopranos have an easyer time vocalising in the falsetto/headregister, Work that part more til you can get it to soprano c, after that you can get whistlevoice if thats of intrest.

Cheers

[m.i.r.]

Jens, good point bringing up range building. I suppose i should have asked that question of by high c did she mean the soprano c6 or an octave lower of c5. I assumed c6... If she meant c5, then she obviously is not accessing her head voice. Also she may not be an alto. Good call, you know what assuming means ha ha ha.

[KillerKu]

My simplistic and possibly scientifically weak viewpoint is that lower voice types, assuming each voice is equally technically trained, would typically need to lighten the voice a little earlier as they go up on average.

 

My voice sounds lyric baritone/second tenorish to my ears (without fry I hit solid F#2 daily, and can go lower certain mornings) and compared to someone like Stevie Wonder who is clearly a high tenor (started frying on studio recordings at around C3), assuming we did the same technique, I'd have to lighten my tonal quality earlier to maintain a quality of sound as his natural voice placement is like 6-7 tones higher than mine.

 

In my view though, you can sing pretty much as high as you want if you include whistles or whatever, but there are physiological differences for everyone and I think everyone will likely sing high notes differently.

 

And not to play favorites too much and exclude anyone, but my favorite female voices on a statistical average is contralto or at least 'altoish.' There's a sexy, passionate, powerful, sultry, kind of 'something' down there, or 'up there' for me. 

 

Nina Simone: Love Me Or Leave Me

 

 

Mary Wells: Your Old Stand By

 

 

Amy Winehouse: Stronger than Me

 

 

Sarah Vaughan: Tenderly

 

 

Just saying, you'll be able to sing higher. But, why not learn to love what you got? And just so other ladies aren't feeling left out: you can have one of my favorite mezzo ish sounding singers to my ears:

 

Ronnie Spector: Do I love you

 

 

What was this about sopranos again? Seriously, if I was alto, I'd be milking it for all it's got.

[MsAmira]

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone There are some things I love about being an alto, such as the beautiful harmonies that come along with it! But I also want to broaden my range by singing those higher notes. 

[MsAmira]

My simplistic and possibly scientifically weak viewpoint is that lower voice types, assuming each voice is equally technically trained, would typically need to lighten the voice a little earlier as they go up on average.

 

My voice sounds lyric baritone/second tenorish to my ears (without fry I hit solid F#2 daily, and can go lower certain mornings) and compared to someone like Stevie Wonder who is clearly a high tenor (started frying on studio recordings at around C3), assuming we did the same technique, I'd have to lighten my tonal quality earlier to maintain a quality of sound as his natural voice placement is like 6-7 tones higher than mine.

 

In my view though, you can sing pretty much as high as you want if you include whistles or whatever, but there are physiological differences for everyone and I think everyone will likely sing high notes differently.

 

And not to play favorites too much and exclude anyone, but my favorite female voice on a statistical average is contralto or at least 'altoish.' There's a sexy, passionate, powerful, sultry, kind of 'something' down there, or 'up there' for me. 

 

Nina Simone:

 

 

Mary Wells:

 

 

Amy Winehouse:

 

 

Just saying, you'll be able to sing higher. But, why not learn to love what you got? And just so other ladies aren't feeling left out: you can have one of my favorite mezzo ish sounding singers to my ears: Ronnie Spector!

 

These are beautiful!

[KillerKu]

They are. I bet you are or will be too. You got your inspiration, lady, get singing!

[m.i.r.]

So I am guessing you are already trained, and meant the c6. So i am guessing your questions was just asking an opinion. In that case I am in half an agreement with killerfu. Yes totally milk the fact you are an alto. Use that tonality, because a soprano cant do what you do. However, I also have to say, if you have a high register like you said, then milk that too. Because a soprano wont sound like that either. If chris cornell was a tenor, he would have never developed that raspy sound that defined his career.

So guess long story short, when it comes to contemporary. Sing what and how you want. Just dont spend so much time focusing on your weaknesses that you forget your strengths.

[m.i.r.]

Oh yeah, and get singing lol. Post up something:)

[MsAmira]

Oh yeah, and get singing lol. Post up something:)

 

I'll work on a cover (blushes) ... 

[m.i.r.]

I am going to have to see visual proof of said blush, because i just plain dont believe you did blush ha..

We arent hard on covers here, I mean if you flub one up its just a night in the pit of fire, pain and torture.(or just make you watch 4 seasons straight of whos the boss, most people choose the pit) We will provide positive reinforcement afterwards ha ha.

[MsAmira]

So do I just upload my cover on this thread? Or go to another forum?

 

I am going to have to see visual proof of said blush, because i just plain dont believe you did blush ha..

We arent hard on covers here, I mean if you flub one up its just a night in the pit of fire, pain and torture.(or just make you watch 4 seasons straight of whos the boss, most people choose the pit) We will provide positive reinforcement afterwards ha ha.

[m.i.r.]

Well dont leave our forum lol, i know what you meant. You can post it on this thread if you would like. However, if you post on review my singing area, you will get more ears to hear it:)

[MsAmira]

Well dont leave our forum lol, i know what you meant. You can post it on this thread if you would like. However, if you post on review my singing area, you will get more ears to hear it:)

I'll see... I'll probably post something either here or in another forum and go hide loool!

[KillerKu]

I'll see... I'll probably post something either here or in another forum and go hide loool!

 

Create a second account and trick us so we don't know it's you.    That way everyone wins. I get to hear a rad alto ish thing (not supposed to say it alto now, apparently fachs are irrelevant) and you safely hide, pretending it never happened. Everyone leaves (or doesn't leave) satisfied at the end of the day.

[MsAmira]

Ok I have a recording, but it seems to big... to attach, I also don't know how to attach it to this thread  

[m.i.r.]

Oh oh.....she returns in her own name lol. You can set up a box account, you tube, or soundcloud and just post the link. I use a box account myself, but all these options work well. I think you can actually post directly on this new forum, but not 100 percent on that, as I have not done that myself.

[ronws]

Oh oh.....she returns in her own name lol. You can set up a box account, you tube, or soundcloud and just post the link. I use a box account myself, but all these options work well. I think you can actually post directly on this new forum, but not 100 percent on that, as I have not done that myself.

 

Yes, it can be done. copy and paste the page address of whatever filesharing site like box.com, soundcoud, youtube.

 

With youtube videos, delete the letter 's' from https and the video will embed here.

[MsAmira]

Okay okay okay... here it is. I chose something kind of hard (for me!), lol! Here is a cover from a song from Les Miserables "On my own". It gets kind of intense towards the end so yeah... I think it's a good way to showcase what I can and can't do. 

 

https://app.box.com/s/74u1nrvl177if68uzkxm 

 

:/  

 

Thanks y'all for the feedback, I've never done this before... so kind of nervous, but I can take criticism  

[m.i.r.]

The file said it has been removed. Double check your link, also make sure the file is set to share. When it is, then just copy and paste the link in the box it shows you.

[MsAmira]

Weird.... how about this one? https://app.box.com/s/74u1nrvl177if68uzkxm 

[MsAmira]

https://app.box.com/s/74u1nrvl177if68uzkxm THERE!

[KillerKu]

What a surprise, I like it. It sounds to me like you're already successfully lightening your tone a bit to comfortably get around various areas of  your voice without bottllenecking. 

 

Knowing singing forums, I always imagine a random person emerging from the background say 'belt louder, screetchier, more balls!' Female Adam Lambert. GO!

 

So I figured I'd cover that base... Yeah, I guess you could go there if you want, right?

 

But more importantly I'll go into the meat of what I hear now and what it means to me. You have a style of singing that conveys tenderness and honesty very well, already. Your pitch doesn't suffer, you articulate and enunciate cleanly enough, I hear 'body' in your tone that every word has a clarity and purity. Your phrasing has a natural flow that sounds as if it is just pouring out of your soul. It's beautiful.

 

The real question is where do you want to go from here? This is already an emotionally affecting sound in a good way. to me it's not merely 'pleasant' but has this authentic undercurrent of emotion in your sound that sounds better to me than the average 'pleasant' voice I hear. What you already have could be further polished simply by further training, but there are hundreds of places you can go from there. If you want a random example, I think adding a slightly twangier config 'some' of the time, might be able to give you slightly more 'cutting' on some notes, if  you wanted it, without even having to make huge changes to your style.

 

If you were interested in that configuration: the middle back of your tongue would be slightly arched up and back, comfortably at or near your back molar teeth, spread fairly wide, while the tip of your tongue would remain at a resting point near your bottom row of teeth when not singing consonants that require change. I say this is somewhat random, as it may or may not be right for your artistic identity. If you were to increase twang, it might interfere with the emotions you're trying to convey, might help or as in my case, it's highly dependent on the song, part of song, and emotion.

 

It wouldn't turn you into a screaming, howling, wailing banshee. If you want to be our female Dio, it would take a lot more changes than that. I already feel like I can hear an authentic part of who you are. The best question, is which parts, if any are you struggling with and could get help with?

 

I really enjoyed hearing you, thanks for being brave and posting. There is a little emotional sounding quiver in your voice, that for me really excites my ears. It sounds earnest, passionate, 'into' the song, and when you feel a line, those emotions alter your voice just slightly. Some people might be skilled enough to fake this. So either you're an expert faker, or you're just that good.

[ronws]

https://app.box.com/s/74u1nrvl177if68uzkxm THERE!

I thought you sang just fine. If you are not already in local theater, you should be. Hasten thee to the local community theater or even a church theater group that does musicals.

 

Because your voice reminds me a bit of Yvonne DeCarlo and I could imagine you singing "I Don't Know how to Love Him" from Jesus Christ, Superstar.

 

Go for it.