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gallinggallaSo, after having spent decades bemoaning the fact that I have a vocal range hardly more than an octave, it turns out that I have a vocal range of more than two octaves.
What happened? I started singing lower.
A few months ago, I bought the Massive Attack album Heligoland. (I'll note briefly that I think this album is more mature and musically diverse than Mezzanine. So glad that 3D and Daddy G have moved beyond Mezzanine's focus on dick-waving.)
The song in question is Splitting The Atom. From Daddy G's bass to Horace Andy's near-alto, there's nearly a two-octave span. I enjoy the song - including its vocal range - so much, that I started to sing Daddy G's parts at his pitch. Then I'd sing Paradise Circus at Hope Sandoval's pitch (there's just one note that she reaches on that song that I can't quite get to).
So that's my vocal range: at least the middle of bass to the lower register of alto.
In an academic sense, I've always known that random physical characteristics do not determine a person's gender. But I've long felt self-conscious about my voice, fearing that it's what defines me as so-called "male". Singing to music has helped me wrap my head around that just a bit. I still feel self-conscious about my presentation in general, but I'm getting a bit more comfortable with my voice, and no longer feel the need to artificially pitch my speaking voice up.
I speak in a baritone. I sing in a baritone / tenor / low alto. People will have to just deal, and if they use that fact to make a judgement about my gender, that's their problem, not mine.
What happened? I started singing lower.
A few months ago, I bought the Massive Attack album Heligoland. (I'll note briefly that I think this album is more mature and musically diverse than Mezzanine. So glad that 3D and Daddy G have moved beyond Mezzanine's focus on dick-waving.)
The song in question is Splitting The Atom. From Daddy G's bass to Horace Andy's near-alto, there's nearly a two-octave span. I enjoy the song - including its vocal range - so much, that I started to sing Daddy G's parts at his pitch. Then I'd sing Paradise Circus at Hope Sandoval's pitch (there's just one note that she reaches on that song that I can't quite get to).
So that's my vocal range: at least the middle of bass to the lower register of alto.
In an academic sense, I've always known that random physical characteristics do not determine a person's gender. But I've long felt self-conscious about my voice, fearing that it's what defines me as so-called "male". Singing to music has helped me wrap my head around that just a bit. I still feel self-conscious about my presentation in general, but I'm getting a bit more comfortable with my voice, and no longer feel the need to artificially pitch my speaking voice up.
I speak in a baritone. I sing in a baritone / tenor / low alto. People will have to just deal, and if they use that fact to make a judgement about my gender, that's their problem, not mine.