You are Not Your Voice Type...

...yet, you are.

I received a message from a singer who was distraught about a video concerning voice types. The video claimed baritones were 'cursed.' The message conveyed that within contemporary music, baritone vocal qualities cannot rival the impressiveness, acceptance, nor success of tenors. The singer who reached out to me is in the baritone family. He temporarily felt defeated because he sings contemporary music, and the singers he most admires and emulates, are tenors...or so it seems.

Are low voiced singers incapable of singing contemporary music?

HELL NAH.

4 reasons many low voiced singers are frustrated & discouraged:

1 - They think their tone is too dark

2 - They have difficulty accessing high notes

3 - They see high voiced singers incessantly praised for their upper range qualities

4 - Their high notes don't sound as 'chesty' as higher voiced singers

My beloved low voiced singers, let's discuss those 4 points.

1 - Your tone may be described as dark, which is fair (and subjective), but I like the description of RICH. Ironically, richness is a quality that many lighter voiced singers covet. More importantly, while thicker vocal folds more easily produce a heavier tonal quality, you can train to coordinate a lighter and brighter quality at will. An essential factor is learning how to access the inner edges of your vocal folds. This may sound foreign to you, but in a vocal session, I can instruct you how to do it.

2 - Yes, often, lower voiced singers have notable difficulty accessing their upper range. With training, you can unlock your high notes. Skillful low voiced singers are notorious for having strong and powerful upper ranges. So much so, people assume they are tenors and sopranos. As with point number one, an essential factor is learning to find release as you ascend. You must learn to drop the vocal weight. The weight refers to shifting the heaviness in your voice to a lighter (yet focused and dynamic) mechanism. This is necessary to avoid excessively cracking or yelling.

3 - Industry standards change. There was a time when low voiced singing was revered. Belting and excessively singing in the rafters was not as celebrated in the mainstream. I think we should use our voices however we want. Sing low, sing high, belt, mix, be breathy, be clear, be raspy, be floaty — be whatever. But, since subjective standards change, embrace and develop the unique built-in qualities of your voice. Perhaps your style will spark a new standard. What people like about a voice is subjective. If your instrument sounds free and your intention to communicate captivates the audience, it won't solely matter if the range is low, high, full, or thin - you will have us craving more.

4 - This is perhaps the most triggering component for low voiced singers and the upper range. It’s a standard that is widely (and annoyingly) accepted by many: 'the chestier, the better." I've worked with many low voiced singers who desperately wanted their upper range to mirror that of a lighter voiced singer. The desire wasn’t just about the range of the note, but more so the tonal quality. The reality is, in the upper range, at greater intensity and volume, low voiced singers will not have cloned quality of medium and light voices. Voice types are beautifully unique, with amazing corresponding characteristics. Low voiced singers: don’t equate high chesty notes with an innately better tone. Embrace your uniqueness, and TRAIN to sound freer, edgier, and more dynamic. Reality check: low voiced singers are not designed to be a clone of lighter voiced singers. Baritones are not tenors and tenors are not baritones. THANK GOODNESS! We need variety! All voice types deserve to be heard! As much as I love Bruno Mars, I love Maxwell!

Low voiced singers, if you try to abandon your special qualities to unsuccessfully transform into a light voiced singer, you will be prone to going flat, screaming, and/or potentially inviting vocal damage. You will need to coordinate your voice differently to have power in your upper range. As a singer on the cusp of a medium and light voice type, I have to train to coordinate my voice to handle louder volumes without getting fatigued quickly (something less common with lower voiced, thicker vocal fold singers). There was a time when I wanted my vocal folds to be dummy thicc (aye!) like lower voiced singers, for the increased protection during intense singing. We all have our plights. We must find a way to succeed.

Try to avoid comparing yourself to singers you admire, to the point you doubt how worthy you are. YOU ARE WORTHY now and you WILL BE WORTHY when your voice is freer and fully dynamic. Besides, just because a singer hits impressive high notes, does not mean they are a medium or light voice type. They could be a low voiced singer. TRAINING IS IMPORTANT.

To ALL singers: regardless of your voice type, train to use your voice healthily and emotionally, without coordination restrictions that compromise your instrument. Strive for that! #BDE !