Vocal Ranges

[Laura Clifford <lcliffor@cc7.bbn.com>]

This was forwarded to The Cure list from the Prince list, but Kate's on
it, too, so....

Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 13:21:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Bret Alan Gorsline <bg1f+@andrew.cmu.edu>
To: prince@icpsr.umich.edu
Subject: Vocal Ranges continued...


Thanks for alerting us to the Details magazine vocal range article, C.G.

I bought it and read it, and thought that the text accompanying the 
chart is actually rather important.  I typed it in for your reading pleasure,
and I reordered the chart by numeric order.


-------------------------------

Singing in the Range

(from August 1992 Details magazine...)

Name			Note Range	Name			Note Range

Paula Abdul:		25		Prince:			43
Bono:			30		Mariah Carey:		41
Kate Bush:		28		Diamanda Galas:		39
Mariah Carey:		41		Freddie Mercury:	38
Neneh Cherry:		17		W. Axl Rose:		35
Kurt Cobain:		27		Janet Jackson:		35
Harry Connick, Jr.:	25		Whitney Houston:	33
Bob Dylan:		21		George Michael:		32
Diamanda Galas:		39		Bono:			30
Peter Garrett		29		Bruce Springsteen:	30	
Roland Gift:		27		Neil Tennant:		30
Whitney Houston:	33		Lou Reed:		30
Janet Jackson:		35		Mick Jagger:		29
Mich'l Jackson (age 12):25		Peter Garrett		29
Mick Jagger:		29		Robert Smith:		29	
Madonna:		24		Keith Richards:		28
Freddie Mercury:	38		Kate Bush:		28
George Michael:		32		Kurt Cobain:		27
Morrissey:		23		Roland Gift:		27
Stevie Nicks:		21		Barry White:		27
Sinead O'Conner:	26		Sinead O'Conner:	26
Prince:			43		Paula Abdul:		25
Lou Reed:		30		Harry Connick, Jr.:	25
Keith Richards:		28		Mich'l Jackson (age 12):25
W. Axl Rose:		35		Madonna:		24
Robert Smith:		29		Michael Stipe:		23
Bruce Springsteen:	30		Morrissey:		23
Michael Stipe:		23		Bob Dylan:		21
Neil Tennant:		30		Stevie Nicks:		21
Barry White:		27		Neil Young:		20
Neil Young:		20		Neneh Cherry:		17


Chuck D Posed the question "Bass! How low can you go?" Paired with "Treble!
How high can you go?" the notes in between define a range, or the set of 
notes a vocalist can sing in tune. The average range is two and a half
octaves - with each octave comprising twelve notes - although some singers
claim to span as many as eight. (They lie.) The ranges above are not based
on the artist's possible span of notes, but what each exhibits on a single LP.
Most vocalists can strain for a few more notes or shift into falsetto: five
notes of Madonna's come from her squeaking "Hey!" in "Like a Virgin." Singers
choose to stay in a zone they find comfortable and listeners don't find
migrain-inducing. Stray too high above middle C and you can drive away 
household vermin. Pop singers besides Mariah Carey may be able to hit such
notes, but only she chooses to display the talent. Prince exhibits the broadest
range here, but he probably has electronic help, just as Janet Jackson probably
punches in a lot of her notes in the studio. Remember that a greater ability
to hit notes doesn't mean more passion or even guarantee a smoother voice.
After all, Keith Richards has a wider range than Harry Connick Jr.



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