Vocal Range

One topic in music I believe I'm the most educated is vocal range, or the application of it. The phrase has a couple definitions so I'll have to define what I'm talking about and in reference to what. Vocal range is simply the lowest note a singer can hit to the highest note the singer can hit. Pretty simple huh? An octave would be used to measure distance. The official definition would be 'The interval of eight diatonic degrees between two tones of the same name, the higher of which has twice as many vibrations per second as the lower.' Sounds confusing but it's just referencing the distance between two notes of the same name. A4-A5 would be an octave. Other notes being contained in that distance.

Thus if a singer has a 4 octave range beginning at A2 the last note in their range would be A6. 6-2=4.

Now, lets change course. How does vocal range apply to modern music? Well it really provides a pallet of what a singer can do. They can really only exist within their own vocal range on a song. Your average human has a vocal range between 1.4-2.0 octaves which doesn't give much room. Take a singer like Eddie Vedder. He is known for his deep rich baritone but he's a one trick pony. His range is rather small and he can go from a croon to a bit of a yelp but that's about it. He's a bit of a one trick pony. Even though Pearl Jam has had great success you don't really find much difference in his vocal performance.

Now we can take it to the other end, to someone with a fair amount of range. Let's pick a modern example: Adam Lambert. His range being about 3 octaves. He really does epitomize what you shouldn't do if you have range. Adam wails on every single song. He has his 'showstopper' high note near the outro on the track. This is an approach used on Broadway but something that should be avoided at all costs in recorded music. He's fallen into a predictability 'oh, there he goes wailing again' where if he used it as a tool rather then the whole kit, it would have impact. Instead it's just part of every song.

It's a great thing to have a poker hand. To know as a vocalist what your capable of but never fully show it to your audience. Jeff Buckley will fit this example well. Jeff's vocal range is in the 3.5-4 octave range. He really did have an incredible range. However he didn't always utilize it. On 'Grace' he lets the music take him where it should and as a result he only has 2 amazing high notes on the tracks. Even to this day when I listen to those two tracks the high notes give me shivers and gooosebumps. The amazing power of expression is present and you know he's trying to convey something, not just fit to his personal formula.

So the moral of the story is just because you have range doesn't mean you have to use it. As impressive as vocalists with wide ranges are, it's even more impressive when you express yourself through music. Allow the music to dictate where your voice should go. Never give the audience your cards, always keep them wondering what your really capable of.