Vocal Range Test
This vocal range test listens as you sing your lowest and highest comfortable notes, then shows your range on a piano and the voice types it overlaps most.
- Low note
- High note
- Result
Press Start, then sing or hum your lowest comfortable note and hold it.
Your microphone is analysed on this device and is never recorded or sent. Keys: Space start or stop, Enter next step.
Your vocal range
Closest voice types by range
Range is only one part of a voice type. Tessitura (where your voice is comfortable most of the time) and timbre matter too, so treat this as a starting point, not a teacher's assessment.
How to use the vocal range test
This vocal range test finds your voice range through your microphone: sing your lowest comfortable note, then slide up to your highest, and it shows both notes, the span in octaves, your range on a piano and the voice types that overlap it most. The vocal range test needs a microphone: the one in your phone or laptop is fine. Press Start and allow the microphone when the browser asks. Step 1: sing or hum your lowest comfortable note and hold it for a second or two. You can go down a few notes, holding each one. Press Next: highest note (or Enter). Step 2: slide up slowly on an "ah" or "oo" to your highest comfortable note and hold it. Press Show my result.
The dark panel shows the note you are singing right now, its frequency, and a bar that fills while you hold a note steady. Under it you see the lowest and highest notes counted so far. Space starts and stops the test.
The result gives your lowest note, your highest note, the distance between them in semitones and octaves, a keyboard with your range shaded, and the voice types whose ranges overlap yours most. Press Hear it to play either note on the piano. If you know a note was misread, nudge it a semitone with the arrow buttons, or use ↑ ↓ for the top note and Shift + ↑ ↓ for the bottom one. Your last result is kept on this device for your next visit.
Which notes count
A note only counts after you hold it steadily for about half a second, within half a semitone, with a clear pitch. A crack, a breath, a cough or a door slam does not move your result, because none of them is a steady pitch. That also means a note you only touch for an instant is not counted. If your highest note feels right but does not show, hold it a little longer, or sing it on a softer vowel.
Notes use scientific pitch notation: C4 is middle C, and the number goes up by one at every C. So A2 is the A two octaves below the A above middle C, and a range from A2 to A4 is exactly two octaves (24 semitones).
Voice types and their ranges
The ranges below are the typical ranges given in the Wikipedia article Voice type, which cites James McKinney, The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults (1994) for soprano to baritone, and Richard Boldrey, Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias (1994) for bass. The test compares your range with the typical range column.
| Voice type | Typical range | Extremes some singers reach | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soprano | C4 to C6 | down to about A3; some coloratura roles up to F6 | McKinney |
| Mezzo-soprano | A3 to A5 | F3 to C6 | McKinney |
| Contralto | F3 to F5 | D3 to Bb5 | McKinney |
| Tenor | C3 to C5 | down to about Bb2, up to F5 | McKinney |
| Baritone | A2 to A4 | F2 to C5 | McKinney |
| Bass | E2 to E4 | C2 to G4 | Boldrey |
Each typical range spans two octaves, and neighboring types overlap a lot. That is why a result often fits two types almost equally. The countertenor is left out: countertenors mostly sing in falsetto, and a range test cannot tell falsetto from full voice.
Your voice type is more than your range
The same article lists the things voice teachers weigh when they classify a voice: range, tessitura, timbre, and the transition points between registers (the passaggio). Choral singers are sorted into parts mostly by range, but solo singers are classified more by tessitura, which is where the voice feels comfortable most of the time. Two singers with the same lowest and highest notes can be different voice types because one sounds bright and light and the other dark and heavy.
The article also notes that the baritone is the most common male voice, and that many teachers start by assuming a voice is medium until it shows otherwise, because most people have medium voices. So if the test puts you between two types, the middle one is a sensible first guess. A microphone test is a starting point, not a teacher's assessment: a singing teacher listens to how your voice behaves, not only how far it goes.
How to test vocal range: tips for a truer result
- Warm up first with a few easy hums and slides. Cold voices lose notes at both ends.
- Stop at the note you can sing comfortably, not the one you can squeeze out. Straining at the top of the range is how voices get hurt.
- Sit in a quiet room, a hand's width to an arm's length from the microphone. Turn off music and fans.
- Test on two or three different days. Your range moves with sleep, time of day and how much you have talked.
- Check single notes with the pitch detector, find them on the online piano, and train your pitch with ear training.
More for singers: Pitch Detector · Ear Training · Perfect Pitch Test · Tone Deaf Test · Note Reading
Questions
How do I test my vocal range?
Press Start above, hold your lowest comfortable note, press Next, then slide up to your highest comfortable note and hold it. The test counts only notes you hold steadily for about half a second, then shows both notes, your range in octaves and the closest voice types.
What is my voice type?
The test lists the voice types whose typical range overlaps yours most. Range is only part of it: tessitura (where your voice is most comfortable) and timbre matter too, so a singing teacher is the best judge. Use the result as a first guess.
What is a normal vocal range?
There is no single normal range. The typical ranges of the six main voice types in the table above each span two octaves, and the extremes some singers reach go a few notes further. The test shows where your comfortable range sits against them.
Why did I get a different result this time?
Your voice changes with warm-up, tiredness and time of day, and the test counts only notes you held steadily. Take the widest result from a few relaxed tries on different days, not your most strained one.
Is my voice recorded?
No. Your microphone is analysed on this device and is never recorded or sent. The only thing saved is your last lowest and highest note, in your own browser.