I’m 17…have this range…what am I?
Michael, a teenager in Poland asks: Hi! My name is Michael and I’m 17 years old. My voice’s range lies between F2 and C5. I actually don’t have any breaks in my voice but I hear the change in the timbre after reaching G#4 and higher. I can go even higher with falsetto reaching F5 or G5. My timbre is light but certainly not “tenor light”. Does it make me a lyric baritone or some kind of heldentenor that can sing lower?
Answer:
It’s wonderful that you don’t experience any breaks … even though you are aware of the change in timbre at around G-sharp.
Michael, I think that it’s fair to say that at 17 you ought not “decide” what you are vocally. It’s enough that you know your range and where you sing most comfortably. The fact is that in the next 5 to 6 years, your voice is going to develop considerably in range, strength and flexibility (at least if you are studying voice and practicing daily). What you seem to be at age 17 may indeed change in the next few years.
I’ve had “tenors-at-17″ demonstrate that they really were baritone by the time they are 21 … and vice-versa. You are in a time of vocal development and discovery. What is important at this time in your life is that you learn to sing with good habits - as freely and without unnecessary tension as possible - and accept the way your voice develops - whatever direction it takes. For this reason I for one will not tell a 17-year-old “you are a…” and give a definite voice classification. I may have a good idea the direction the voice is taking after I’ve heard the young singer … but it’s still unwise to make a declaration–because then that “classification” becomes a goal, rather than an observation of fact.
At 17, almost all voices are “lyric”. It remains to be seen what you will become. Realize this too, Michael, all I have to go on is what you’ve told me. It would be truly foolish of me to declare a specific voice classification having never heard you.
Remember what is important (see above) and you’ll develop just fine.
Best wishes.