Chest Voice
Chest voice – E3-C4:
It is very easy to bury this part of the voice with lots of texture.
Not loud or ornate in this area. C4 is my lower passaggio shift.
Middle Voice
C4-G5:
Most resonant and focused middle voice work can be done in the F4 – C5 range. D5/D flat 5 is my passaggio shift and I prefer not to “sit” on that area for an extended period of time.
C4-G5 affords for lots of different timbre and tone qualities. My best story-telling range is F4-D5 – this can include a lot of text without fatiguing the voice. This area of the voice loves a good legato vocal line. Some melismatic movement is good but an abundance of melismatic movement will be more difficult.
Head Voice
“High notes” from E5 – A5 can still have a round, warm mezzo quality. These notes can also have a sweet, floating quality.
B5 and above will be loud and severe. This is unlike a high soprano sound that lightly floats in this area.
Please use anything above A5 sparingly. A good rule of thumb is “you get one of the notes in this area per piece.” Anything beyond that… be prepared to pay for the privilege with good bourbon.
Please ask me questions
I’m happy to hear from composers. I would love to answer your questions about what works for my voice.