Voice types › Alto
Alto vocal range
The alto (contralto) is the lowest common female voice, with a typical range from F3 to F5. True contraltos are rare; many altos in choirs are mezzo-sopranos singing the lower part.
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Typical rangeLower passaggioUpper passaggioC4 = middle C
A rich, strong chest voice that carries up to about G4, with a darker color than mezzo or soprano.
Test your range: are you an alto?Where the alto voice shifts
The passaggio is the stretch of notes where the voice changes how it works, from the heavier, speech-like setting of the low notes to the lighter setting of the high ones. For an alto, the lower passaggio is around F4–G4 and the upper passaggio around C♯5–D5. The notes between them are where most cracks, strain and out-of-tune notes happen, so that is where practice pays off the most.
These are averages from voice-teaching references. Your own passaggio can sit one to three semitones higher or lower.
Alto or mezzo-soprano?
A mezzo-soprano's lower lift is around E4–F4 and her upper lift around E5–F5. An alto's chest voice stays comfortable up to about G4, and her upper lift comes earlier, around C♯5–D5. If notes from E3 to G3 sound full and easy, you are probably an alto; if they fade and E5 is still comfortable, you are probably a mezzo.
Voice type is a description, not a limit. What matters for singing songs is the notes you can sing in tune and without strain, which is what the test measures.
Four exercises for an alto voice
About ten minutes in total. Notes are actual pitch.
- 1. Lip trill warm-upTrill your lips on a five-note scale up and back down (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1). Start on B♭3 and move up one semitone each time, to E♭4. Keep it easy; the trill should not stop.
- 2. Bridge scale through the passaggioSing a five-note scale on "oo" or "ng", starting on E♭4. Move up a semitone each repetition until the top note is E5. As you pass C♯5–D5, let the sound get lighter instead of louder. If your voice cracks, go back two steps.
- 3. Messa di voceHold G4 for 6 seconds: start soft, swell, return to soft without the pitch moving. Repeat on C♯5. This trains steady pitch exactly where your voice shifts.
- 4. "Ng" sirenOn "ng" (as in "sing"), slide from B♭3 up to F5 and back, slowly, with no break in the sound. Three slides are enough.
The Rangely app builds this kind of session from your own measured range and passaggio, and shows each note against the target as you sing, accurate to the cent.
Common questions
What is the vocal range of an alto?
A typical alto sings from about F3 to F5, which is 175 to 698 Hz. Untrained singers often have a smaller usable range, and trained singers often sing a few notes beyond it.
Where is the alto passaggio?
The lower passaggio is around F4–G4 and the upper passaggio around C♯5–D5. Every voice is different by one to three semitones.
Am I an alto or a mezzo-soprano?
A mezzo-soprano's lower lift is around E4–F4 and her upper lift around E5–F5. An alto's chest voice stays comfortable up to about G4, and her upper lift comes earlier, around C♯5–D5. If notes from E3 to G3 sound full and easy, you are probably an alto; if they fade and E5 is still comfortable, you are probably a mezzo.
Can an alto extend their range?
Altos usually extend the top by blending chest and head voice across the lower lift instead of carrying chest voice higher. Stop if you feel pain or hoarseness.
Find your own range.
Sing your lowest and highest notes. Free, about a minute, your voice stays in your browser.