Vocal Range: Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Bass
Learn about vocal range for kids and SATB choral music. Read the lesson, listen to examples of voice ranges, and do fun activities to polish your skills.
What are Vocal Ranges in music?
Vocal range is the range of pitches a singer can comfortably sing, from the highest to the lowest. Just as people have different heights and body shapes, people also have different vocal ranges. In choral music, voices are commonly divided into four main vocal parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Soprano is a higher female voice, alto is a lower female voice, tenor is a higher male voice, and bass is a lower male voice.
SATB: Choral Music
Choral music is sheet music that shows multiple vocal parts and how they harmonize together. In standard four-part SATB notation, when all four parts are written on four separate staves:
Soprano — top staff, treble clef
Alto — second staff, treble clef
Tenor — third staff, usually bass clef
Bass — bottom staff, bass clef
Sometimes choral music is shown as connected treble and bass clef staves. In this style of sheet music, Soprano and Alto usually appear in the treble clef, and Tenor and Bass usually appear in the bass clef.
Listen to the Vocal Ranges Below
The ranges below show approximate comfortable singing ranges for each vocal part. They are not the absolute highest or lowest notes a singer may be able to sing.
Soprano
C₄ to C₆
Typically, the highest choral voice part.
Alto
F₃ to C₅
Typically, the lowest female vocal part.
Tenor
C₃ to C₅
Typically, the highest male vocal part.
Bass
E₂ to E₄
Typically, the lowest male vocal part.
Test Your Knowledge of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass
Other Vocal Ranges
Not every voice fits in the four main vocal categories. Male voices that sing lower than a tenor but higher than a bass are called baritones. The typical baritone vocal range spans approximately from G2 (the second G below middle C) to G4 (the G above middle C).
Males who sing extremely high are called countertenors. They often sing in their head voice/falsetto. Their vocal range generally spans from around E3 to E5.
The lowest female voice is called a contralto. This range generally goes from F₃ to F₅ (or E₃ to F₅).