A young man, a teen has a deep voice – is this strange?
James, 14, says: My range is roughly D two octaves below middle C to the E above middle C (if I try I can hit an F). Is this strange for my age? I’ve had no lessons, and all I know about singing I’ve taught myself. My voice also sounds operatic without training – is that strange?
Answer: I am so glad you asked these questions James.
One thing I can say about the change that takes place in boys is that there is no uniformity as far as rate of change. Some of us seem to take years to drop from alto to tenor (by age 18), and others of us seem to change from treble (soprano) to bass almost over night (at 13 or 14), with variations taking place in between these.
At the moment you sound like you’d fit the “bass” category. Is that strange? Not at all. If you desire to sing in a school choir, your choral director will have a place waiting for you … because low voices at your age are relatively rare … and greatly desirable.
The fact that you have a somewhat “big” voice — you say it sounds operatic — is also not a bad thing … in fact, this is a gift! If you love to sing – go for it. Use it, often. If you’re gifted, develop your gifts … you’ll find yourself with opportunities that many of your chums won’t have, and undoubtedly you will find that you were “created” for just this purpose.
I’d like to encourage you to accept your range (as a bass) and the sound of your voice, and use it there — without attempting to be or become a high baritone or tenor. You’ll shine right where you are, and over the next 6+ years, your voice will grow in versatility and power and range. Blessings on you!
Tags: adolescent change, deep voice, voice change, Voice Classification
January 8th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
I would like to thank you for my encouragement for becoming a bass, and although my school (alas) doesn’t have a choir, I have spoken to the music teachers and I am part of a theatre group that is doing Les Misérables (I’m playing Javert – a bassbaritone role, which isn’t too high). My repertoire mainly consists of Gilbert & Sullivan, Mozart, Puccini, Brahms’ Lieder, 20th Century Composers (Glass/Bernstien/Gershwin) and then Jazz. I really want to expand my repertoire, is there anything you can suggest?
January 8th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
James, it sounds as though good choices are already being made if you are pursuing the bass, bass-baritone roles of Gilbert and Sullivan and in Music Theatre. As long as the songs by the composers you list are all easily within your range and comfort zone (tessitura), German lieder as well as Italian art songs and 20th Century art songs will be very good for you. At 14 you will need to be careful not to be too ambitious in pursuing music for mature voices (very much opera). Sounds to me like you’re on the right track. The only genres I would suggest that you include in addition to those you’ve listed are solos from religious music, if you are a religious person. You can also, with care, choose songs from popular songs as well, but these are usually like a “sugar” diet musically speaking, and sticking to “meat and vegetables” (i.e., the music you listed above) will keep you growing musically. Best wishes. Dr. A.