#vocalprofiles

Hi, Viruses!

This is the Vocal Virus' first post. I will be posting vocal profiles of different famous singers and will try to get as much of your request done on time.

I will also be open to answering questions about your favorites, and if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

A reply will be sent up as soon as possible.

Again, thank you for viewing this page, and if you see not many vocal profiles yet on this blog, it is because I am still developing it. It will take a bit of time, so please be patient!

Xx

-thevocalvirus

Voice Type: Light-Lyric Tenor

Range: E2-E5-Bb5

Brendon Urie is loved by many, often noted for his expressive voice and wide vocal range. Brendon’s voice is pretty high, and most agree he is a tenor, its just what type...

Spinto Tenor

Some tend to confuse Brendon for a spinto due to his technique. Brendon’s uses a chest-dominant mix and throatiness which makes his voice seem bigger and edgier than it actually is. We must look at how a singer sounds naturally, without the effects of technique. Brendon’s voice is far too bright to be a spinto. A spinto will have a much darker voice than a lyric, which Brendon does not. 

Leggiero 

Most often Brendon is called a leggiero tenor. This classification does not suit Brendon’s voice at all. A leggiero will have a very agile voice. Brendon’s voice is not overly agile at all, meaning he could not be a leggiero. 

Light-Lyric 

A light-lyric tenor’s voice will be youthful, bright and warm. Brendon’s voice is distinctively bright and youthful (For example). This intense brightness and boyish timbre means he cannot be anything but a light-lyric. 

Voice Type: Light-Lyric Tenor

Range: E2-E5-G#5

Chris Brown rose to fame in the 2000′s, with his light voice and R&B jams. He is known for being a performer and skilled dancer. More recently, Chris Brown has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. 

Tenor

Chris’ voice sits high up. He has comfort in the 5th octave (Yeah 3x, This Christmas, Crawl). The strain actually makes it harder for him to sing there, yet he doesn’t have much of an issue. He also sings in the E4-G4 range with too much ease to be a baritone. 

Spinto

Not really sure where this comes from, but I have seen it quite a few times before. A spinto will have a dark, heavy and warm voice. Chris’ voice is far too bright and light to be a spinto. Compare Chris to a real spinto (take a listen), and the lyric quality of his voice will be obvious.

Light-Lyric

Chris has a thin and light voice. His voice is also remarkably youthful meaning he must be a light-lyric tenor. Furthermore, he has good agility, another trait of a lyric voice. 

Voice Type: Full-Lyric Tenor

Range: F2-F5-F6

It’s the legendary Freddie Mercury! The Queen frontman is widely considered one of the best male vocalists of all time. He seems to have one of those voices that is impossible to classify. He has been called almost anything, from some sort of baritone to countless types of tenors. There also seems to be some who claim his voice did not fit a fach and was a creation of his own. While it may be confusing, once you break it down it’s not overly complex. 

Baritone/Baritenor 

Often noted for his expansive vocal range, Freddie was bound to be called a baritone/baritenor by some. Yes he could go very low, but that’s not enough to be a baritone. People tend to underestimate how low male voices can go (even tenors). All male voices should be making it well into the 2nd octave. It really doesn’t matter how low one can go, it’s where their voices sits. Freddie’s voice was just too high to be a baritone/baritenor. He was often belting in the upper 4th and lower to mid 5th octave with ease (Love Is The Hero, We Are The Champions, Who Wants To Live For Forever, Innuendo). He only really went low when it was called for in harmonies. It’s not really where his voice naturally shone, and it’s not where he had natural comfort. Others claim he was a baritone with well developed upper belts. (I’m going to get into trouble for saying this) His belts were rather underdeveloped technically, as they are tight and trapped in the throat. He also used a chest-dominant mix. His mix was not well developed and despite that he still accessed the tenor area with ease. Even if a baritone had really well developed upper mixed voice they would not spend the time Freddie did in his upper mix. As his voice was underdeveloped up high, yet he still had such ease there, his natural comfort was that of a tenor, and hence he must have been one. Furthermore, people use his speaking voice as ‘proof’ he was a baritone. One’s speaking voice and singing voice do not need to match up. Take Australian Season 1 The Voice winner Karise Eden. Her speaking voice is nothing like her singing voice. Sometimes it may give a clue into one’s voice type, but like in Freddie’s case, this doesn’t always happen. 

Dramatic/Spinto/Heldentenor 

As Freddie’s voice was rather powerful and mature he is often given the label of dramatic/spinto/heldentenor. His timbre was far too warm to be a dramatic or heldentenor. His voice also wasn’t dark enough to be a spinto. His chest-dominant mix and manly voice seems to confuse some, but his voice was too warm and light to be anything but a lyric. 

Leggiero 

Another common, yet strange misconception about Freddie’s voice. A leggiero tenor will have the lightest, brightest and most agile tenor voice. Freddie’s voice was nowhere near bright or agile enough to be a leggiero. 

Full-Lyric 

Freddie had a lyric voice. Lyric tenors (and sopranos) are broken down into light and full lyric. Light-lyrics will have bright and youthful voices. While a full-lyric will have a more masculine and mature voice. The voice will also be less bright than a light-lyric. This fits Freddie’s voice as it was mature and bigger than a light-lyric. Full-lyrics are often mistaken for baritones, but there tessitura will be different. 

Voice Type: Light-Lyric Soprano

Vocal Range: C#3-F5-C6

Its the mysterious Sia. While she has been around for over a 15 years, she burst onto the worldwide stage in 2014 with the smash Chandelier. Since she has cemented herself as a massive, yet unconventional pop star. Sia is immensely talented as an incredible singer and exceptional songwriter. 

Mezzo-Soprano

Sia is often called a mezzo. People tend to give the mezzo label to anyone with a ‘larger’ voice and/or who can go below D3. Sia’s technique does everything to hinder her comfort in her mixed voice. Despite it she still sings there frequently (Chandelier, Alive, Titanium, Golden). This is the giveaway she is a soprano, her natural comfort allows her to sing in the soprano territory, despite her technique. 

Light-Lyric

As mentioned above, Sia’s technique is unconventional to say the least. Sia uses a chest-dominant mix, pushes her voice and has a lot of throatiness. This gives the impression that Sia’s voice is bigger and edgier than it actually is. A more even mix and correct placement would expose the true lyric quality of her voice. Sia’s voice is also distinctly youthful, meaning she must be a light-lyric. 

Voice Type: Full-Lyric Soprano

Range: C3-C6-Bb6

Celine Dion is best known for her signature nasal voice and sentimental love songs. Celine's strong vocals have earnt her a place as one third of the vocal trinity (comprising of Mariah, Whitney and Celine). As one of the most iconic voices of the 90′s Celine’s voice type is often up for debate. 

Mezzo-Soprano

People most often label Celine a mezzo for two reasons: she has stated that she is one and she possess large, piercing belts. We cannot automatically trust singers to classify their voices as they may not be educated on the fach system. Celine clearly isn’t. Her tessitura definitely sits in soprano territory (Its All Coming Back To Me Now, My Heart Will Go On, Immortality, All By Myself, Because You Loved Me). Her lows also tend to be weak and foggy. A mezzo would not have the comfort in the upper 5th octave that Celine does, but rather more comfort down low. 

Spinto

I see many full-lyrics mistaken for spintos- it’s very common. Celine’s belts are sharp and piercing, this throws people off. Full-lyrics also have less bright voices than light-lyrics, but not to the same extent to that of a spinto. The lack of darkness and weight means she can’t be a spinto. Compare her to a real spinto, Whitney Houston, and you will hear the difference. 

Full-Lyric

Celine has a warm, mature and full voice. The main distinction between a light and full lyric is the maturity of the voice. Celine sounds like a woman, rather than a young girl, meaning she is a full-lyric. Celine is a great example of a full-lyric as she doesn’t push or scream her belts. Her voice is rather gentle and smooth. 

Voice Type: Lyric Baritone

Range: F2-C5-G#5

In a crowd of generic and autotuned music, John Legend stands out with his soulful voice and talent. John also tends to use his singing as a voice of positivity and for change (eg. All Of Me, Glory, You & I). John is often mistaken for some sort of a tenor (usually spinto). 

Tenor

John is often mistaken for a tenor. John is a baritone who makes use of his belts frequently. He is most comfortable below G4 and sings with ease here (All Of Me, Love Me Now, It Feels Good When You Sing A Song). As he steps into tenor territory, he begins to sound uncomfortable and the notes are forced (A4, Bb4). There is a noticeable difference in his voice and it is clear he is more comfortable in a baritone’s range. 

Dramatic

John does have a dark voice, but that’s not enough to be considered a dramatic. His timbre is warm, which means he cannot be a dramatic. A dramatic will have a cold voice, which John does not. The baritone fach does not contain spinto meaning he can’t be one, leaving only lyric.  

Voice Type: Lyric Bass

Range: F#1-F#4-D5

Its Avi Kaplan, the man with the seemingly never ending lower register. Although Avi often sticks to background harmonies, his incredible voice has allowed him to stand out. Avi possesses an amazingly wide vocal range, with heavy lows and light top notes. Recently Avi has released solo music under the name Avriel & the Sequoias. While he has sadly announced he would be leaving the Pentatonix, he will continue to create music. 

Bass

It is clear that Avi has a very low voice. His lows are were he is most comfortable. He ascends well into the first octave, and second octave with ease (G#1, A1, C2, Eb2). His belts lie very low, C4+ are big belts for Avi. Due to his voice type and great technique, his mix shines in the upper 3rd and lower 4th octave (Standing By, Ring Of Fire, Drummer Boy), just like a bass should. Avi is an amazing bass and the development of his voice allows him to shine exactly where he should!

Lyric

Avi possesses a very warm voice. As he ascends, the lightness of the voice becomes apparent (Take A Listen). Lyric voices are defined by these qualities, meaning Avi must be one.