The Singin Guru – An Xperience Column

The Singin Guru – An Xperience Column – by Jeff and Crystal Moore.

Dear Singin’ Guru, 

I recently saw a band where the lead singer had an incredible range. My friends and I were wondering how low or high the human voice can go. I knew where to get the answer, so enlighten me, Singin’ Guru!

Yours truly, 

Curious

Dear Curious,

The natural vocal range of singers varies depending on the untrained voice they are born with. Chorus singers, for instance, typically stick to their natural range and don’t often venture into extensive vocal development like lead singers do. In our studio, these are the typical voice ranges we see for untrained singers:

Adult Males: Generally, they sing between E2 to F4. (Remember, the numbers refer to octaves.)

Adult Females: Typically, their range spans from F3 to B4.

For reference, middle C on a piano is C4, akin to the 1st fret on the 2nd string of a standard-tuned guitar. A trained singer, with consistent practice, can extend their range significantly—often gaining an octave or more.

Professional/trained examples – to illustrate the capabilities of professional singers let’s look at some songs:

The high note in “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey reaches B4, nearly an octave above middle C. Steven Tyler hits a G#5 in “Dream On” by Aerosmith, just four semitones below the top of a typical soprano range. The high note in “Take on Me” by A-ha peaks at E5.  Johnny Cash, known for his bass-baritone voice, reaches down to F2 in “Folsom Prison Blues.”

Check out these world records. Moving beyond typical ranges, the world records are incredible:

Georgia Brown: This Brazilian singer holds the record for the highest note ever sung, reaching G10. Her range spans an impressive eight octaves, from G2 to G10.

Tim Storms: He is known for the lowest note ever sung (G-7, yes that is negative 7) and the widest vocal range for a male singer (10 octaves from G-7 to G5).

Everyone has a natural vocal limit, just as they have a unique body type. Consider Arnold Schwarzenegger and Justin Bieber. Their differences in physique reflect their different potential in muscular development. The question is not could Justin get ‘buff’ the question is could he be world-class like Arnold with training? That is doubtful, but he could take what he’s got and crank it up a notch (or two or three or …) and look very different. Anyone’s range can be vastly expanded with proper training.

Yours Truly,

The Singin’ Guru

Dear Singin’ Guru,  

I really like to sing, but basically, I suck. Are people born with natural talent of which I have none?

Signed,

Sucks at Singing

Dear Sucks at Singing,

This question is asked all the time, and the answer is positive: if you want to sing, you should train to sing. Here’s an analogy: Take Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan wasn’t “born” to play basketball. In high school, he was an ordinary player at first. His coach put him on the JV team to give him more experience because he would have had limited playing time on the varsity team at his skill level. Imagine Michael Jordan sitting on the bench all the time!

Michael used this as motivation to improve his playing, and his work ethic became legendary—first on the court for practice and last to leave. The same can be said for singing. If you want to sing, anyone can improve. Do you have what it takes to be a pro? That’s something you won’t know until you put a lot of work into it, but if you don’t love singing enough to start training and find out, you probably don’t like it enough to be successful.

Like everything else, everyone has natural talents and natural deficits. In the case of singing, maybe you can match pitch better, have better resonance, or possess better breath control. However, all aspects of singing can be improved through training. There is lots of scientific evidence that shows that focused practice and proper technique can make your singing better – you won’t suck anymore! Other evidence shows that the brain’s plasticity allows it to adapt and improve skills with consistent practice, even in adults.

If you want to find out how good you can be, plan on spending a few minutes a day, every day, with the right training program. You get the right training program by finding the right vocal coach. Just like Michael Jordan couldn’t become one of the best by shooting hoops in his backyard, you can’t become the best by singing in the shower. Everyone deserves the chance to sing, and you shouldn’t use the excuse that you aren’t talented enough to try.

Start singing—the world needs more music!

Your partner in singing,

The Singin’ Guru

More from Jeff and Crystal Moore…