My husband just bought me the “Once More, With Feeling” soundtrack as an unexpected present, and I’ve been listening to it for almost two weeks straight in my car on the way to work. I’ve been singing along to the songs, and, one day, it suddenly hit me:
I don’t know what my “official” vocal range would be.
It’s not that I don’t know what they are. As a female, I’m going to be either an alto, a soprano, or a mezzo-soprano. I just don’t have any clue as to how to tell which range I sing in. Also, while I can match pitch, I couldn’t tell you whether I’m matching a C, a D, or an A, or whatever.
Is there, like, a test I can take? Some magic song that I can do that’ll slap a label on me? Are the Buffy singers in a specific range, and can I just tell from how I sing along to those? Or should I just roll 3d6 and compare my results to a table?
::wishes she knew as much about music as she does about gaming::
Well, I can sing** along with Buffy’s songs without feeling too much pain and I’m an alto. I can’t sing along with Tara though. So my (incredibly uneducated) guess is if you can sing along with Tara okay you’re probably a second soprano or a soprano. If you prefer singing along with Buffy, you might be an alto. Other than that I’m afraid I’m not gonna be much help.
**Please note, I am in no way implying that I actually sing WELL…
Well - - I’m a Big Buffy fan - - and love that CD…
my musical knowledge wavers on the terminology etc… but I have been rehearsing for my first musical for a few months…
I always put myself in with the Tenors (I’m male btw) - - on the Once More With Feeling - I can sing along with most of Buffy, Anya and in a mad falsetto I can do some of Tara - -
the low end of Spike I struggle on… most of Giles is too low for me… and so does Xanders stuff - - although I don’t know why…
I would guess if you’re female and you match me - that makes you an Alto…
as I say I don’t really know… but it’s fun isn’t it
Well, based on cryptic_j’s post, I must not be a tenor, because I find Giles’s stuff most comfortable to sing. I can do Spike, and Buffy’s not too much trouble. Tara’s difficult, of course, but with some falsetto I can do it. I don’t sound good, of course (I think Tara’s the best singer on the show). Anya’s not too difficult; she and Buffy are probably both altos. I’m not including Xander because he really can’t sing (he’s worse than me), so it’d be hard to actually determine what his range really is. Plus, in parts of “I’ll Never Tell”, Xander actually takes the higher part in the duet. And Willow…the less said, the better.
Anyway, I agree with the others: find which character you’re most comfortable singing along with, and there’s your range. It’s unscientific, though, so that may be of limited utility to you. Sorry 'bout that.
