Voice type · 3 of 6
The tenor voice
The tenor is the highest of the usual men's voices, with a usual range from C3 to A4. It sounds bright and ringing near the top, and it sings the Tenor part in a choir.
- Usual range
- C3 to A4
- Choir part
- Tenor
- Neighbours
- Baritone
Hear the range
C3 to A4The tenor range
A tenor's usual range runs from C3, the C an octave below middle C, to A4, the A just above middle C: the 440 Hz note an orchestra tunes to. That is a little under two octaves. A tenor is often most at home in the upper part of it, around middle C and above, where lower men's voices start to work hard.
These are usual notes, not limits. Trained tenors often sing B♭4 and C5, the note singers call a tenor's high C, and some go higher in head voice or falsetto. Below C3 most tenors still have a few notes, but they lose colour and volume.
Am I a tenor or a baritone?
The two ranges share everything from C3 to G4, so your top note alone won't tell you. Three things help more.
Where it's easy: sing a song that stays around E4 to G4. A tenor can stay there comfortably; a baritone usually tires. Where it changes gear: slide slowly up a scale on "ah". Many baritones feel the voice shift around D4 or E4, many tenors around F4 or G4. Colour: a tenor sounds brighter and lighter, a baritone warmer and fuller in the middle. If you sit between, you may be a high baritone or a low tenor: try both parts and choose the one you could sing all evening.
Singing tenor in a choir
The tenor part sits above the bass and below the alto, in the middle of the chord, and now and then takes the tune. On its own staff it's usually written in a treble clef with a small 8 below it, which means it sounds an octave lower than written; in hymn books it shares the bass clef with the basses.
Choir tenor parts mostly sit from about D3 to G4 and seldom go above A4, but they spend a lot of time near the top, around E4 to G4, right where the voice changes gear. Many tenors sing those notes in a lighter mix rather than full chest voice: it carries well and blends better. If a high note only comes by pushing, sing it lighter, and stop if it strains.
The six voice types
Where tenor sits
Song parts in this range
Tenor parts to start with
Each stays inside the usual tenor range, so it's a good place to start. Open one to hear it and learn it.
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Questions
About tenors
What is the highest note a tenor can sing?
The usual tenor range tops out at A4, the A just above middle C. Trained tenors often reach C5, called a tenor's high C, and some go higher in head voice or falsetto. Choir tenor parts seldom go above A4.
Can a woman sing tenor?
Yes, and many choirs have women in the tenor section. They are usually altos with a strong, easy low range. They sing the same notes as the men, and the lowest ones, around C3 to E3, are usually the hardest part.
Is tenor higher than baritone?
Yes: the tenor is the higher of the two, with a usual range of C3 to A4 against the baritone's G2 to G4. The ranges share most of their notes, so the difference is more about where each voice is comfortable and where it changes gear.
What is a countertenor?
A countertenor is a man who sings in the alto range or higher, mostly in head voice or falsetto. It is a classical voice type of its own, not a kind of tenor, and in a choir a countertenor usually sings alto.
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