Vocal range test

How the test works

1. Click Start and allow the microphone. Headphones are not needed for this test – the piano stays silent.
2. Sing “ah” on a low, relaxed note and hold it for about one second. The bar under “hold” fills up when the note is steady. Then try a little lower, and again.
3. When you stop going lower – or pause for 2.5 seconds – the test moves to the top by itself.
4. Now sing “ah” high, light and easy, in the same way: hold, then step up. When you stop improving for a few seconds, the test ends.
5. You see your measured range, its size in semitones and octaves, and the closest voice type.

Only held notes count. A quick squeak or a growl at the bottom does not become your range, because the note has to stay within one semitone for a full second. That is on purpose: the goal is a working range – the notes you can actually sing with – not a record you reach once.

Voice types and their typical ranges

Voice types come from classical singing, where they describe not only range but also the weight and colour of the voice. For everyday practice the range is the most useful part. These are the comfortable working ranges the app uses as presets:

Note names use scientific pitch notation: C4 is middle C on the piano, A4 is the 440 Hz tuning note. Male voices sit roughly an octave below female voices, so for a tenor C4 sits in the upper part of the chest voice, while for an alto it is close to the bottom.

Most untrained singers measure somewhere between 1.5 and 2 octaves. Trained singers often cover 2.5 octaves or more, especially with falsetto or head voice at the top. Do not worry if your range overlaps two types – most voices do. The label matters much less than knowing where your voice feels easy and where it starts to strain.

How to read your result

Measured range is the lowest and highest note you held steadily. Working range is one semitone narrower on each side – a small safety margin, so exercises do not keep pushing you to the edge. If you save the result, every exercise in Clearsing is transposed to fit this working range: scales and arpeggios start near the bottom, climb step by step towards the top and come back down.

Closest voice type is the preset whose middle is nearest to the middle of your range. It is a starting point, not a diagnosis. A light baritone and a low tenor can measure almost the same.

A few things change the result from day to day:

• Warm-up. A cold voice in the morning loses a few notes at both ends. Measure after five minutes of humming or lip trills for a fair number.
• Register. If you flip into falsetto at the top, those notes count too. That is fine – falsetto is part of your usable range, and training the mix between chest voice and falsetto is how the top gets stronger.
• Microphone. A laptop microphone works. A headset or a USB microphone gives a cleaner signal, especially for quiet low notes. If nothing is detected, move closer and check that the level bar reaches green.

Tips for an accurate test

• Sing at a normal speaking volume. Shouting does not add notes; it only makes the high ones less stable.
• Stay on one vowel. “Ah” is easiest; “oo” helps if your high notes feel tight.
• Stop when it gets uncomfortable. Pain, a scratchy throat or a cracking voice mean you have passed your working range.
• Repeat the test after a few weeks of practice. A range that grows by two or three semitones is a normal result of regular training.

What next

A range is most useful when you train inside it. Clearsing has 81 exercises – warm-ups, scales, intervals, arpeggios, mixed voice, agility, runs, breath and ear training – each played by a piano and scored live by pitch. After this test they all start in the right key for your voice. You can also check single notes with the free online pitch detector, or browse the exercise guide.