Vocal Range Test: What Is My Voice Type?
Sing a few notes into the microphone: the test measures your vocal range, works out your voice type and shows you which choir part suits you best. It takes about five minutes, costs nothing and runs entirely in your browser.
Free
No sign-up, no subscription
Nothing is recorded
Pitch is calculated in your browser
About five minutes
Warm-up included
What is a voice type?
Your voice type describes the pitch range where your voice is at home. A choir has four main parts: soprano and alto for high voices, tenor and bass for low ones. Mezzo-soprano and baritone sit in between. What matters is not only how high or low you can go, but above all where your voice sounds effortless. Experts call this comfortable zone the tessitura. That is why the test measures a comfortable note and your speaking voice as well as your lowest and highest notes.
Typical ranges of the choir parts
| Voice | Choir range |
|---|---|
| Soprano | C4 – A5 |
| Mezzo-soprano | A3 – F5 |
| Alto | F3 – D5 |
| Tenor | B2 – G4 |
| Baritone | A2 – E4 |
| Bass | E2 – C4 |
Guide values for choirs. Trained solo voices often reach further, untrained voices sometimes less far. In a choir, mezzo-sopranos and baritones usually sing Soprano 2 or Alto 1, or Bass 1 or Tenor 2.
The six voice types at a glance
Soprano
C4 – A5
The highest female and children's voice. In a choir, the sopranos usually sing the melody and carry the sound upwards. Soprano voices sound bright and stay light even at the top.
Mezzo-soprano
A3 – F5
Sits between soprano and alto, with a slightly darker, fuller middle range. In a choir, mezzo-sopranos sing Soprano 2 or Alto 1 as needed.
Alto
F3 – D5
The low female voice with a warm, round sound. Altos often sing inner parts and harmonies, and good alto voices are welcome in almost every choir.
Tenor
B2 – G4
The high male voice. In a choir, tenors often sing close to their upper limit, which is why confident tenors are scarce in many amateur choirs.
Baritone
A2 – E4
The middle male voice and the most common voice type among men. In a choir, baritones sing Bass 1 or Tenor 2 depending on the arrangement.
Bass
E2 – C4
The lowest male voice and the foundation of the choir sound. The basses often sing the root notes of the harmonies and hold the whole choir together.
How the test works
- 1
Allow the microphone: the test measures the background noise for one second.
- 2
Quick warm-up: lip trills, humming, gentle sirens.
- 3
Speaking voice: you read a sentence aloud. This tells the test whether your voice is high or low.
- 4
Comfortable note: you hold a note that feels effortless.
- 5
Lowest and highest note: up to three attempts each; every note has to be held cleanly for one second.
- 6
Result: your range on the keyboard, compared with the choir parts, and a suggested voice type.
For an accurate result
- Sing in a quiet room with your phone or laptop about an arm's length in front of you.
- Sing softly to medium loud. Louder does not improve the measurement, it just tires your voice.
- Creaking at the very bottom (vocal fry) and pressed notes at the very top do not count. Only what you can repeat belongs to your range.
- In the morning your voice often sits lower and your range is smaller. The best time to test is after warming up.
- If it feels scratchy or strained, stop right away.
Finding your voice type without an online test
Don't want to use a microphone? With a piano, a keyboard or a piano app you can work out your vocal range yourself. It helps to have someone with you who can read music.
Repeat the measurement on another day. Only when the notes stay the same is the result reliable.
- 1
Warm up for two or three minutes, for example with humming and gentle sirens.
- 2
Play middle C (C4) and sing it back on “ah”.
- 3
Go down note by note, play each note and sing it back. Write down the lowest note you can still hold clearly for one second without creaking.
- 4
From middle C, go up note by note, softly and without pushing. Write down the highest note that still sounds free.
- 5
Compare your range with the table of choir parts. The voice type whose range you cover most comfortably is the best fit.
Frequently asked questions
- How accurate is a vocal range test in the browser?
- The test measures your lowest and highest notes reliably as long as it is quiet and you hold each note for one second. A microphone cannot judge timbre or register transitions. The result is therefore a pointer, not a diagnosis. Your choir director makes the final call.
- Is my voice recorded or stored?
- No. The pitch is calculated directly in your browser. Nothing is recorded, uploaded or stored. After the test the browser releases the microphone.
- What is the difference between vocal range and voice type?
- Vocal range runs from the lowest to the highest note you can sing. Voice type depends mainly on where your voice sounds comfortable and free. Two people with the same range can therefore have different voice types.
- What if the result does not fit?
- Repeat the test after warming up. If your voice sits between two voice types, the test names both. When in doubt, the middle option is the safe choice, because singing too high strains the voice more than singing too low.
- Does the test work for children and teenagers?
- Yes. For children, the test suggests the first (high) or second (low) part in a children's choir. During voice change the voice often shifts within a few months, so it is worth repeating the test later.
- What does falsetto mean?
- Falsetto is the high head voice that mainly male voices flip into at the top. If you mark the switch during the test, it shows falsetto notes separately and leaves them out of the voice type.
- What voice types are there for women and men?
- From high to low, female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and alto; male voices are tenor, baritone and bass. Before their voices change, children sing roughly in the soprano and alto range. Men who sing in the alto range using head voice are called countertenors.
- Do I need an app to test my voice type?
- No. The vocal range test runs online in your browser on phone, tablet and computer, with nothing to install. If you then want to practise your choir part, the voice trainer in the Chorilo app helps you.
Practise your choir part at home
Now you know where your voice sits. With the voice trainer in the Chorilo app you sing your part along with the score, hear it on its own or with the full choir, and see straight away whether you hit the note.