# Musical types: what does a "deep contralto" speaking voice sound like?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-types-what-does-a-deep-contralto-speaking-voice-sound-like/493921>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 22, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-types-what-does-a-deep-contralto-speaking-voice-sound-like/493921 "2009-04-22T00:18:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Tyrannosaurus\_Volcano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a4c791/32.png) [@Tyrannosaurus\_Volcano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrannosaurus_Volcano)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musical-types-what-does-a-deep-contralto-speaking-voice-sound-like/493921/21 "2011-07-27T11:35:00Z")

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> [@foolsguinea](#):
>
> “mezzo-contralto”? What happened to “alto”?

That’s just a high school term for a low-pitched female voice that I detest.

As for “Joe Pesci is not a countertenor. Michael Jackson is one, as well as Tiny Tim,” you have a point. Maybe Joe Pesci is kind of like Justin Bieber, only his voice is fully developed. He’s, like, right between a tenor and a countertenor. As for Tiny Tim, his natural voice was not a countertenor; he just sang entirely in his falsetto.

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