Alto vocal range: F3 to F5
The alto range runs roughly F3 to F5 — about 2.0 octaves — and here is how to tell whether it is actually yours.
The range
A alto sits at roughly F3 to F5: 24 semitones, or about 2.0 octaves. These are comfortable working ranges rather than the extremes a trained singer can reach on a good day, which is the distinction that matters when you are trying to place your own voice.
The lower of the common female voice types, with a warm, dense middle register and considerably more power low down than a soprano of the same experience.
How voice type is actually decided
Voice type is not the same question as highest note. It is decided mainly by tessitura — the part of the range where the voice is comfortable and sounds best over a whole song — and secondarily by timbre and by where the register transitions fall. A range measurement narrows the answer; it does not settle it.
sentivoice classifies a measured range by comparing its midpoint against each type's midpoint and taking the nearest. That is a rough self-classification and it is meant as one: it is good enough to tell you what key to try a song in, and it is not a conservatory placement.
What people get wrong about it
Altos are often told they are sopranos because they can reach soprano notes. Reaching is not sitting: the question is which range you can sing in for a whole song without it costing you anything.
What to sing
Soul, blues, jazz standards and a great deal of contemporary pop sit well here. Choral alto lines are written for exactly this range and are a good way to find out whether it is yours.
Take the vocal range test
A guided in-browser test that finds your lowest and highest usable notes and classifies your voice type from the result.
Take the vocal range testCommon questions
What is the alto vocal range in notes?
Roughly F3 to F5, which is 24 semitones or about 2.0 octaves. Individual singers vary in both directions, and the working range that a singer can use for a whole performance is usually narrower than the total range they can produce.
Can my voice type change?
The comfortable range can shift with training, age and health, and it usually widens at the top with technique. Wholesale reclassification is uncommon in adults. Adolescent voices are a different matter and are still settling.
How do I measure my own range?
Sing down from a comfortable note until the tone stops being usable, then up the same way, and record the lowest and highest notes you could actually hold — not the ones you could just about produce. sentivoice runs this as a guided in-browser test using your microphone.