At 17 should I sing tenor or baritone?
Hi there!
My name is David and I am 17 years old. I can sing relatively comfortably from F2 to A4, in other words from F one and a half octaves below middle C to A half an octave above. My voice is quite relaxed throughout this range. My timbre is pretty light but not really ‘tenor light’ so I would guess this makes me a lyric baritone? Am I correct in this assumption? Would this range be of any use in say musical theatre? If so then what roles would be best for me to sing?
ANSWER: Well David,
You already have a wide range. Congratulations.
At 17 it is no surprise that your timbre is “pretty light”. If you use your voice regularly and with good habits, it will develop in strength over the next few years. You are probably wise to think of yourself as some form of baritone until and unless the highest fifth of your range is (or becomes) some of the most comfortable part of your range in which to sing. When a young man your age seems to have a choice of “tenor or baritone” opt for the part of the range in which singing is most comfortable. The majority of the time this is lower, not higher.
Still, be aware that within the next five years you may well find your range extending in one direction or another. So, thinking of yourself as a “medium” voice (baritone) for the time being is prudent.
Yes, I think there are roles that a young lyric baritone such as yourself could do successfully. Let me suggest just one … and you take if from here. In “Into the Woods” both princes are baritones. The one requires a fair amount of stamina–there’s a lot of singing. However, there are also a couple of wonderful duets between the princes … and either one of those might be appropriate for you. If you think along similar lines, you’ll probably be able to find other roles that you’d be comfortable doing. At 17 you need to be careful not to choose roles that require a tessitura (a predominance of notes) that is too high … and strenuous.
You sound like you’re thinking sensibly. Best wishes.
PS. Some of the older shows have roles that might fit: E.g., the leading role in “Oklahoma”