Page "Vocal range" Paragraph 5

Vocal range itself can not determine a singer's voice type.

While each voice type does have a general vocal range associated with it, human singing voices may possess vocal ranges that encompass more than one voice type or are in between the typical ranges of two voice types.

Therefore, voice teachers only use vocal range as one factor in classifying a singer's voice.

More important than range in voice classification is tessitura, or where the voice is most comfortable singing, and vocal timbre, or the characteristic sound of the singing voice.

For example, a female singer may have a vocal range that encompasses the high notes of a mezzo-soprano and the low notes of a soprano.

A voice teacher would therefore look to see whether or not the singer were more comfortable singing up higher or singing lower.

If the singer were more comfortable singing higher, then the teacher would probably classify her as a soprano and if the singer were more comfortable singing lower, then they would probably classify her as a mezzo-soprano.

The teacher would also listen to the sound of the voice.

Sopranos tend to have a lighter and less rich vocal sound than a mezzo-soprano.

A voice teacher, however, would never classify a singer in more than one voice type, regardless of the size of their vocal range.