Welcome. The Connected Voice Vocal Studio offers voice lessons and coaching to singers, from garage bands to pop stars, opera to musical theatre, to tap into their full potential as vocalists. Learn proven healthy vocal practices that will correct present vocal problems and develop a healthy voice for the future. These techniques will greatly improve your vocal tone, volume, stamina and control.
Singers often ask me what “voice type” they are – whether they are soprano/alto, tenor/bass or something in between. In classical/opera circles this classification is broken down even further (I.e. lyric tenor, dramatic soprano, coloratura, etc.), depending on the unique qualities of a singer’s voice.
Sadly, voices are often mis-classified and singers find themselves placed in a box they struggle to force themselves into, and never seem to fit. They learn to accept themselves as singers with insurmountable limitations and try to make the best of it. Tell me if any of these sound familiar:
- I’m a baritone. I can’t belt out those tenor high Cs – though people often tell me my speaking voice sounds like a tenor.
- I sing alto in choir because I have trouble hitting anything above an A above middle C.
- My choir director put me in the alto section in high school because I could harmonize and I’ve assumed I was an alto ever since.
Often a voice is so full of strain and range-limiting tension that it’s difficult for a singer to understand what kind of instrument they are working with. You may find that, as a male singer, you can only hit those F sharps and G’s above middle C by pushing your chest voice to it’s limits. In the same way, as a female singer, you may think you are an alto simply because hitting anything beyond an A or Bb above middle C yields a light, breathy tone with no connection to the strong sound you could make on the previous pitches. Once these issues are addressed with a knowledgable teacher you may find a whole new world of vocal possibilities opening up.
The biggest voice-classification mistakes I’ve seen have been in college vocal programs where voice-typing is often based on a singer’s existing range rather than the harmonic qualities of the actual instrument. Not long ago I met up with a recent graduate from my Alma Mater. He explained that he had spent 4 years of his life struggling through as a “baritone”, only to discover (when he studied with an SLS instructor) that he actually had a lovely, free, tenor voice. I heard him sing later that evening and was amazed by the ease and beauty in his Josh Groban-esque high notes and his obvious tenor qualities. It was frustrating to hear how he had spent so much time and money pursuing his passion only to require someone to undo the damage (which echoed my own experience). He’s now teaching the SLS technique in Canada.
Now, let’s be fair and not always place the blame on vocal instructors. People can also easily mis-classify themselves: A voice can develop and change over the years through the effects of age, voice-change, pregnancy/hormones even into or past the twenties. My own voice deepened considerably throughout my three pregnancies and I’ve really loved the rich qualities it’s gained as a result. Often a singer accepts a vocal designation, places themselves in that box, and filters all incoming information based on whether or not it agrees with their particular label. They unknowingly place limitations on themselves based on a categorization, (of course, this statement can apply to life in general – not just singing…but that’s another kind of blog).
And some voices are just more difficult to classify. A while back I had a student who asked me what his voice type was and I told him I believed he was a baritone…a week later I observed him having a lesson with my own vocal instructor who told him he was, in fact, a tenor. This was a good learning experience for me not to be too quick to categorize a voice and to make sure I was more educated in this area before even attempting to make the call. I’m still cautious about labeling voices before they’re fully developed.
Realistically, unless you’re required to label yourself because you live in the classical world, my suggestion would be to avoid placing yourself in a box altogether. A mezzo-soprano could have a coloratura range and a tenor could opt to sing a jazzy song in a lower key because he’s making an artistic choice. Avoid the labels if at all possible and simply find out what your voice can do when it’s free to soar!
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