SATB stands for soprano, alto, tenor and bass: the four parts most choir music is written for, from highest to lowest. Hymns, carols and many a cappella songs use them. Once you know what each part does, a page of choir music, or a recording of one, makes much more sense.
The four parts
The ranges below are rough guides for choir singing, written as note names. C4 is middle C, the C near the middle of a piano. The number goes up by one at each C, so C5 is the C above middle C, and C3 the one below.
- Soprano: the highest part, roughly C4 to A5. It usually sings the tune.
- Alto: below the soprano, roughly G3 to D5. It often sits close under the tune, filling in the chord.
- Tenor: the higher of the two lower parts, roughly C3 to A4. It often sits in the middle of the chord, and sometimes gets the tune.
- Bass: the lowest part, roughly E2 to E4. It usually sings the root of each chord, the note the chord is built on, and holds everything up.
These are typical ranges, not rules. A part in a simple arrangement often uses only the middle of its range, and most songs never ask for the top or bottom notes.
Who usually has the tune
In most hymns and carols, the soprano sings the melody and the other three harmonise beneath it. That's why sopranos often find their part the easiest to learn: it's the one everyone already knows. The alto, tenor and bass parts are harder at first, because the tune keeps pulling at you. They're also where a lot of the fun is.
Some arrangements hand the tune to the tenors for a verse, or to the altos. A good arranger moves it around so every part gets something to enjoy.
Who sings what
Traditionally, women and children sing soprano and alto, and men sing tenor and bass. In practice, what matters is where your voice sits, not who you are. Plenty of women sing tenor, plenty of men sing alto, and many choirs welcome anyone into any part that suits their range.
Anyone can sing any part that fits their voice. If a part sits comfortably for you, it's yours.
The in-betweens
Many voices don't fit neatly into four boxes, and that's normal.
- A baritone sits between tenor and bass. In a four-part choir, baritones usually sing bass, or tenor on songs that don't go too high.
- A mezzo-soprano sits between soprano and alto. In a four-part choir, mezzos often sing alto, or soprano on songs that don't climb too far.
Some arrangements split a part in two, written as "Soprano 1" and "Soprano 2", or add a separate baritone line. The idea is the same: higher voices on the higher line, lower voices on the lower.
Written down
On a choir score, the soprano and alto are usually written on the treble clef, and the bass on the bass clef. The tenor is often written on a treble clef with a small 8 below it, meaning it sounds an octave lower than written. You don't need to read music to sing a part, but it helps to know why the tenor line can look higher than it sounds.
Try it in Stackapella
Amazing Grace is a classic four-part hymn, and each part has a clear job. The soprano sings the melody, the alto moves beneath it, the tenor fills the chord, and the bass holds the roots on "oo".
- Choose Part by part, and if you're not sure which part is yours, use Check my range. It hears your lowest and highest comfortable notes, suggests a part, and suggests a key that suits you.
- Listen to your part on its own with its guide voice, then Sing along as the others come in.
- Record it, then try a second part over your own voice. Hearing yourself as alto and tenor together is the quickest way to understand how the four parts fit.