Quick answer: vocal range notes are the lowest and highest notes a voice type usually sings, written as a letter plus an octave number (middle C = C4). Typical notes: bass E2–E4, baritone A2–A4, tenor C3–C5, alto F3–F5, mezzo-soprano A3–A5, soprano C4–C6. A5 (880 Hz) is a high note for almost every voice; only sopranos sing it comfortably.
Want to know which note you are singing right now? Hum or sing into the free note finder and it shows the note name, octave and frequency live. Then look the note up in the tables below.
How Vocal Notes Are Named
Singers and voice teachers use scientific pitch notation. The letter (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, plus sharps and flats) names the note; the number names the octave. Octaves are counted from C, so the note after B3 is C4. Middle C is C4 (261.63 Hz) and the tuning note A4 is 440 Hz. Every octave up doubles the frequency: A3 is 220 Hz, A4 is 440 Hz, A5 is 880 Hz. If the difference between a frequency, a note and an octave is new to you, read frequency vs note vs octave.
Each octave contains 12 notes: C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭ and B. A vocal range written as G2–E5 therefore means “from the G in octave 2 up to the E in octave 5”, which is 33 semitones, or 2 octaves and a major sixth.
Vocal Range Notes by Voice Type
| Voice type | Lowest typical note | Highest typical note | In Hz | Notes in range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | E2 | E4 | 82–330 Hz | 25 notes |
| Baritone | A2 | A4 | 110–440 Hz | 25 notes |
| Tenor | C3 | C5 | 131–523 Hz | 25 notes |
| Countertenor | G3 | E5 | 196–659 Hz | 22 notes |
| Contralto (alto) | F3 | F5 | 175–698 Hz | 25 notes |
| Mezzo-soprano | A3 | A5 | 220–880 Hz | 25 notes |
| Soprano | C4 | C6 | 262–1,047 Hz | 25 notes |
| Coloratura soprano | C4 | F6 | 262–1,397 Hz | 30 notes |
- Bass notes (E2–E4): deep, heavy tone; low notes around E2–G2 are the bass’s showpiece.
- Baritone notes (A2–A4): the most common male voice, strongest between about C3 and E4.
- Tenor notes (C3–C5): bright top; G4–A4 are strong tenor notes and C5 is the tenor high C.
- Countertenor notes (G3–E5): a male voice in the alto range, mostly in developed head voice.
- Alto / contralto notes (F3–F5): rich low notes; true contraltos may reach D3 or lower.
- Mezzo-soprano notes (A3–A5): the most common female voice, strong from about C4 to F5.
- Soprano notes (C4–C6): the highest common voice; C6 is the soprano high C.
- Coloratura soprano notes (C4–F6): fast runs and ornaments up to around F6.
These are the comfortable, usable notes of each type, not rare extremes. To see all of them side by side as bars, open the vocal range chart; for the tone colour and sub-types of each voice read types of vocal ranges. If your lowest comfortable note is around F3 and you are unsure whether you are an alto or a mezzo, compare them in alto vs mezzo-soprano.
Is This a High Note? Check Any Note
“High” depends on the voice. The same A4 is the top of a baritone’s range but the middle of a soprano’s. Use this table to check a note for a male and a female voice:
| Note | Hz | For a male voice | For a female voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | 110.00 | Low: bottom of the baritone range, easy for basses | Very low: below the usual contralto range; rare |
| C3 | 130.81 | Low-middle: comfortable for most men | Very low: only some contraltos reach it |
| F3 | 174.61 | Middle | Low: bottom of the contralto (alto) range |
| A3 | 220.00 | Middle: comfortable for baritones and tenors | Low: bottom of the mezzo-soprano range |
| C4 | 261.63 | Upper-middle (middle C) | Lower-middle: bottom of the soprano range |
| E4 | 329.63 | High for basses (their top), upper range for baritones | Middle |
| A4 | 440.00 | High: top of the baritone range | Middle |
| C5 | 523.25 | Very high: the tenor “high C” | Upper-middle: comfortable for sopranos and mezzos |
| E5 | 659.26 | Beyond chest voice; falsetto, top of the countertenor range | High for altos, comfortable for sopranos |
| F5 | 698.46 | Falsetto only for most men | Top of the contralto range; high for mezzos |
| A5 | 880.00 | Falsetto only; very rare in full voice | High: top of the mezzo range, upper range for sopranos |
| C6 | 1,046.50 | Extremely rare | Very high: the soprano “high C” |
| E6 | 1,318.51 | — | Coloratura soprano territory |
| A6 | 1,760.00 | — | Whistle register for almost every voice |
Is A5 a high note?
Yes. A5 is 880 Hz, the A an octave above the tuning A (A4 = 440 Hz). It is the top of the typical mezzo-soprano range and sits in the upper range of sopranos, so for most women it is a high note that needs head voice. For men it is far above the normal range and only reachable in falsetto. A5 is not a whistle note; the whistle register usually starts around C6 or higher.
Is E5 a high note?
For a man, yes: E5 (659 Hz) is above the tenor high C and needs falsetto or a trained countertenor voice. For a woman it is a moderately high note: near the top for altos, comfortable for most sopranos and mezzos.
Is C3 a low note?
C3 (131 Hz) is a low note for a woman, below the usual contralto range, but a comfortable low-middle note for most men and the bottom of the typical tenor range. F♯3 (185 Hz) is similar: low for female voices, middle for male voices.
Is a range of A2 to E5 rare?
A2 to E5 is 31 semitones, about 2 octaves and a fifth. For a man that is a good, wide range. For a woman, an A2 is unusual, well below the typical contralto bottom of F3, so check that the note is a clear, steady tone and not vocal fry. If it is, you have an exceptionally low female voice; confirm it with a note detector rather than by ear.
Singing Notes From Lowest to Highest, Octave by Octave
Here is every octave the voice can use, with its frequency span and who sings there:
| Octave | Notes | Frequency span | Who sings here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C1–B1 | 32.70–61.74 Hz | Only oktavists and a few basso profundo singers at their very bottom |
| 2 | C2–B2 | 65.41–123.47 Hz | Basses and baritones; tenors start around C3 |
| 3 | C3–B3 | 130.81–246.94 Hz | Home of every male voice; contraltos start around F3, mezzos around A3 |
| 4 | C4–B4 | 261.63–493.88 Hz | Shared by all voices: top of the male ranges, middle of the female ranges |
| 5 | C5–B5 | 523.25–987.77 Hz | Female voices; tenor high C at C5, countertenors up to about E5 |
| 6 | C6–B6 | 1,046.50–1,975.53 Hz | Soprano high notes; coloratura sopranos up to about F6, whistle above |
| 7 | C7–B7 | 2,093.00–3,951.07 Hz | Whistle register only: a handful of singers on record |
The bottom octave belongs to the rarest deep voices described in the lowest vocal range, and octave 7 to the record notes in the highest vocal range. Measuring notes above C6 needs a little care, because whistle tones are thin and some detectors jump octaves; see whistle register detection tips. The frequency of every single note from C0 to B8 is in the musical note frequency chart.
How to Find Your Own Vocal Range Notes
- Warm up for 3–5 minutes with humming, lip trills and sirens.
- Start in a comfortable middle note and glide down slowly. Your lowest note is the last one with a steady tone, not a breathy rumble.
- Glide up gently, without pushing. Your highest note is the last one before the tone breaks or squeezes.
- Write both notes down, for example G2–E5, and count the octaves between them.
- Match your notes to the voice-type table above, then check where your voice feels easiest over a whole song.
The quickest way to get exact note names is the vocal range test, which records your lowest and highest notes and suggests your closest voice type. Remember that range alone is not the whole story: comfort zone, tone and where your voice changes register matter just as much.
Average Male and Female Vocal Notes
- Men: most untrained men sing roughly A2–A4 and fall between baritone and tenor; the lowest comfortable note is often around E2–G2.
- Women: most untrained women sing roughly A3–A5 and fall between mezzo-soprano and soprano; the lowest comfortable note is often around F3–A3.
- Overlap: the notes around middle C (C4 to about A4) are shared: a man’s upper range meets a woman’s lower-middle range.
Vocal Range Notes by Style
- Classical: strict voice-type labels, with repertoire written for each type’s notes and comfort zone.
- Pop and contemporary: more flexible; singers use belt, falsetto and sometimes whistle notes, and songs are transposed to suit the voice.
- Musical theatre: mix-heavy singing that needs a wide, even range, often belted up to about C5 for women.
- Choir: singers are placed by tone and comfort, not maximum notes; see the SATB vocal ranges for each part.
Notes can be added with steady practice, usually two to four semitones at the top over several months. The safest routine is in how to extend your vocal range.
- Vocal Range Guide
Every vocal range page, test and exercise in one place.
Vocal Range Notes FAQ
What are the typical notes for an average singer?
Most people fall somewhere between about A2 and A5 in total: men in the lower part of that span, women in the upper part. A single untrained voice usually covers about one and a half to two octaves of it.
What is the highest note most people can sing?
Untrained women rarely go beyond about C6, and untrained men rarely beyond about C5 in full voice (higher in falsetto).
What is the lowest note most people can sing?
Roughly E2–G2 for men and F3–A3 for women. Lower sounds are usually vocal fry rather than singing notes.
What note is middle C?
Middle C is C4, 261.63 Hz, the note in the middle of the piano keyboard and the point where all voice types overlap.
Why do the note ranges of voice types overlap?
Because voice type is decided by tone, weight and comfort zone as well as notes. A tenor and a contralto can sing many of the same notes but sound completely different.