Your voice part

Finding your voice part

Most choirs divide singers into four main voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Your voice part isn't simply about how high or low you can sing. It also depends on where your voice feels most comfortable, the quality of your sound and which notes you can sing confidently for an extended period.

The four main parts

• Soprano is usually the highest part and often carries the melody.

• Alto sits below soprano. It often adds harmony, though it has melodies of its own.

• Below this comes tenor, which again provides harmonies and sometimes melodies

• Bass is generally the lowest part and often provides the basis for the harmony, with the occasional bit of melody too.

Firsts and seconds

Some works, and therefore choirs, require parts to be split e.g. into Soprano 1 and Soprano 2 (also known as first and second sopranos, or just firsts and seconds) and similar for the other parts. Typically the higher voices in a section will be firsts and the lower voices seconds. So if you're a bass who likes to sing the high notes in the range, you'll likely be a Bass 1, whereas if you love those really low notes you'll likely be a Bass 2.

Just as traditional 4 part music is abbreviated as SATB, so you will often see music that splits abbreviated as SSAATTBB (where all parts split) or SSATB (where only the sopranos split) and so on. Rarely, parts will split into 3 or more, though this is usually handled on an ad-hoc basis (e.g. by, say, the second sopranos splitting in two) rather than by designating singers as thirds.

Some pieces also call for double choruses, where the choir essentially splits into two separate SATB choirs. This does not necessarily mean that one choir has higher notes than the other and therefore must consist of all the 'firsts' although choirs often do it that way for simplicity.

Gender and voice parts

Your voice part depends on your voice, not your gender. On average, women tend to have higher voices and men lower voices, so singers in the higher sections are often women and the lower sections often men. But there is plenty of overlap: tenor sections often include both men and women, and there are male sopranos and altos, and female basses too. Whatever your gender, the best part for you is the one you can sing comfortably.

Can my voice part change?

Yes. Voices change over time, and you may also discover more about your voice as your singing develops. Moving between sections doesn't mean anything has gone wrong - sometimes another part simply suits your voice better.

How do I know which part I am?

If you're new to choir singing, don't worry if you're unsure. A choir leader may listen to your voice or ask you to sing a few scales to get an idea of your comfortable range. (You can also try to determine your range at home, see below).

A few things can help:

• Notice which notes feel comfortable rather than merely possible (e.g. don't assume that reaching a high note makes you a soprano!)

• Pay attention to where your voice starts to feel strained or tired.

• Ask your choir leader if you're uncertain.

Can I check my vocal range myself?

Yes, though bear in mind that this may not necessarily equate to which part you are actually assigned to in the choir. For example, your conductor might choose to assign you differently, to balance the sound or strengthen a section that needs more support.

Below are a couple of ways to check your range yourself.

Online tools

There are various tools that allow you to sing a range of notes (including your highest and lowest comfortable notes) to find out your range, and likely voice part. You can find these by searching the internet for: check your vocal range online.

Here are a few that seem pretty good, though I can't vouch for their accuracy: SingingCarrots, vocalrangetest.org and ToneGym

Follow the instructions they give. You will need to grant access to use your microphone temporarily.

Using a keyboard

If you're OK with using a piano keyboard (either a physical or online one) you can use it to find your range.

• Sing any note to an "ah" vowel, then work your way down the scale, until you reach the lowest note that you can sustain comfortably and clearly for a few seconds.

• Find that note on the keyboard (be careful not to confuse it with the octave above or below).

• Repeat, but working up the scale to find your highest note.

• Then find these notes on the keyboard diagrams below. The dot indicates Middle C (also known as C4). The green keys represent the typical range for that voice part (ignore the yellow keys.)

• Look for which voice part range most closely matches your range i.e. where your lowest note is close to the bottom of the green section, and your highest note is close to the top of the green section. That's likely to be your voice part.

• Don't worry if it's not an exact match. That's completely normal - singers' vocal ranges vary widely, and in fact even your own vocal range can change e.g. depending on the time of day or how well warmed up you are. You're just looking for a rough idea of where your voice might sit.

Example ranges

These are Wikipedia definitions. In practice, amateur choir singers have a narrower range, so don't worry if you can't reach notes at the top or bottom of the green sections!

Soprano voice range (C4–C6)

Alto voice range (F3–F5)

Tenor voice range (C3–C5)

Bass voice range (E2–E4)