46 replies to this topic

[Kevin]

I've looked through the archives and I've found some information on this, but I haven't found a solid list of Whitney's actual vocal range. Does anyone know Whitney's actual/true highest & lowest notes (head voice, falsetto etc.) I'd be grateful

Edited by Kevin, 06 April 2007 - 04:55 PM.

[DannyCharles]

theres so many issues about this, no1 really know apart from whitney. but everyone seems to think its 3 octaves... thats total B***S*** thats like the same as beyonce.. she has 5! her publicist said 5 at one point (im sure of it!) and its obvious she had/has about 5 coz 80s she had some off the chain range! her highest CD note is in i wanna dance with somebody i think. she hit much higher notes live tho. and shes gone damn low on IWALY live b4, when she does the ... "ALWAAAAAYS..... love...... yoouuuuuuuu" right at the end. its basically the same as mariahs but without the whistle (an extra 2 octaves) mariah doesnt have 7 octaves tho, i reckon thts a load of rubbish!

[WHITNEYFAN4LYFE]

I've always heard that she had a 5 octave range....But dunno!

[Eboni]

If you've looked through the archives on this subject, that means you're not averse to going back to check again. I'm not trying to get flip with you. But its just that we've discussed this since creation started. I understand that we have newbies here who were not around during previous lectures on this topic. Therefore I will help you by suggesting you search the archives for ANY post by bbs member "YaOoh" (formerly known as "Typhoide"/real name is Janne) He's been a wealth of knowledge on this issue. In fact, all you have to do is mention vocal calibration and he mysteriously appears like a phantom. lol. You never know. He might show up in this thread.

Edited by Eboni, 06 April 2007 - 06:08 PM.

[John-John]

It's really 3. That's awesome because the average is 2 octaves for trained opera singers. Mariah does not have 7 octaves. That lie started at the beginning of her career and has been with us since.

But I do agree that WH has hit some high notes live and played with her head voice and low chest voice. I believe her lowest notes are yet to come.

[whfan007]

Whitney's vocal range is 86 octaves. Mariah's range is 5. Celine's range is 3. It's all in the Bible.

[king84]

whfan007, on Apr 6 2007, 10:22 PM, said:

Whitney's vocal range is 86 octaves. Mariah's range is 5. Celine's range is 3. It's all in the Bible.

LOL

As far as her Octave range...I think people put a little bit too much stock in Octave range...and people confuse power with range sometimes... No one has the range of a piano...and Mariah may be able to "hit" those high notes but I doubt she can connect with them and sing a song like that...

[whitwhit1fan22]

Whitney has a 5 octive range thats the highest that you can have its few arist with it that can use it well and we no she one of um

[Eboni]

whfan007, on Apr 6 2007, 09:22 PM, said:

Whitney's vocal range is 86 octaves. Mariah's range is 5. Celine's range is 3. It's all in the Bible.

LMAO! Classic.


Whitney has a 3 octave singing range but can vocalize in 5. Same thing with MC, she more or less has a 5 (and half) octave singing range but can vocalize and enunciate clearly in 7 octaves.

[tymes67]

Eboni, on Apr 6 2007, 10:49 PM, said:

whfan007, on Apr 6 2007, 09:22 PM, said:

Whitney's vocal range is 86 octaves. Mariah's range is 5. Celine's range is 3. It's all in the Bible.

LMAO! Classic.


Whitney has a 3 octave singing range but can vocalize in 5. Same thing with MC, she more or less has a 5 (and half) octave singing range but can vocalize and enunciate clearly in 7 octaves.

that was well said and true! spoken like a true sanga!

[SINGA4LIFE05]

back in the 80's whitney Houston and Mariah of early 90's had the same Vocal range, 5 octaves. No one has a 7 octave range. They were both known as collartura sopranos. People only thought Mariah had a higher range because 1. The tone of mariahs voce changes to a very pitchy and tiny small voice whenever she is singing high. Whitney on the other hand hits the very same notes but her pitch and tone remain consistent and even becomes more stronger. Mariah's whistle register is over rated, it is helped in the studio to sound the way it does. Even in live performances she is assisted with a background track.

Edited by SINGA4LIFE05, 07 April 2007 - 03:29 PM.

[Eboni]

SINGA4LIFE05, on Apr 7 2007, 03:28 PM, said:

back in the 80's whitney Houston and Mariah of early 90's had the same Vocal range, 5 octaves. No one has a 7 octave range. They were both known as collartura sopranos. People only thought Mariah had a higher range because 1. The tone of mariahs voce changes to a very pitchy and tiny small voice whenever she is singing high. Whitney on the other hand hits the very same notes but her pitch and tone remain consistent and even becomes more stronger. Mariah's whistle register is over rated, it is helped in the studio to sound the way it does. Even in live performances she is assisted with a background track.

Both ladies had impressive voices early in their careers, no doubt. However, I don't think MC was a collatura soprano. I can see how you can peg early Whitney as one though. As long as we're using vocal-ese, MC's tessitura sits too low to be considered a lyric or collatura soprano. Early Whitney could definitely fake it with the best of them. And when I say the best of them, I mean opera singers, which is what all these terms are traditionally used to described. I think MC had her voice calibrated professionally by an opera afficionado (her mom being an opera singer) and she was deemed an alto. The mastery of her upper register is quite impressive in that few singers with her ability to hit the seventh octave can enunciate as clearly. In the early years I think it was all her, as of late however, I think its studio trickery. Whitney's marvelous voluminous upper register that you remarked on is a thing of wonder. Indeed, I've always said that first and foremost about Whitney's voice is that its VERY loud. She almost seems more comfortable in those higher realms of her range where her pitch becomes stronger.

Edited by Eboni, 09 April 2007 - 11:31 PM.

[whfan007]

I personally don't believe that Mariah's mother was an opera singer. It's all a myth and it has never been proven, it's one of those "stories" that gave her hype/story in the beginning of her career. There's not even ONE evidence or proof, nothing... Just "claims" all calculated into making hype by Tommy for Mariah's debut. But then again he modeled her after Whitney, so of course it was easy to use the "mother is a singer" approach to impress, the difference being that Cissy Houston is actually a singer and there's plenty of evidence. Maybe Mariah's mother sang around the house or while taking a shower and can sound decent, but the whole "opera singer" was way overblown and exagerated. If she was that good, I'm sure Mariah would have sang with her by now, just like Whitney sang with Cissy, or we would have heard a small clip somewhere (her mom appeared in some Mariah promos and interviews). But Nothing... Nada... Rien... Mashi! Anyway this has nothing to do with Mariah herself or her capabilities as a singer, but I just was replying to the "her mom is an opera singer" comment...

[CoNcLusIveTrUthZ]

whfan007, on Apr 9 2007, 11:54 PM, said:

I personally don't believe that Mariah's mother was an opera singer. It's all a myth and it has never been proven, it's one of those "stories" that gave her hype/story in the beginning of her career. There's not even ONE evidence or proof, nothing... Just "claims" all calculated into making hype by Tommy for Mariah's debut. But then again he modeled her after Whitney, so of course it was easy to use the "mother is a singer" approach to impress, the difference being that Cissy Houston is actually a singer and there's plenty of evidence. Maybe Mariah's mother sang around the house or while taking a shower and can sound decent, but the whole "opera singer" was way overblown and exagerated. If she was that good, I'm sure Mariah would have sang with her by now, just like Whitney sang with Cissy, or we would have heard a small clip somewhere (her mom appeared in some Mariah promos and interviews). But Nothing... Nada... Rien... Mashi! Anyway this has nothing to do with Mariah herself or her capabilities as a singer, but I just was replying to the "her mom is an opera singer" comment...

Damn. Whfan, a "Whitney's voice could destroy Jupiter" would have sufficed.

[NeverStandAlone]

As I’m a singer/student all this talk of range bothers me. Whitney had a vocal range of about four and a half octaves. Most seasoned Broadway/Opera/Gospel performers who’ve STUDIED with a voice teacher should have at least three octaves in my opinion. Most people who can’t sing a lick naturally have about two octaves. I don’t want to get all preachy but there is A LOT of misinformation here. And range, in my opinion, has very little to do with being an amazing singer. Yes, amazing. Not good. Not professional. Special. When I think of singers like Barry White, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Kathleen Battle, Dolly Parton, Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and so on the first thing that comes to my mind is not range. It’s about the timbre of the voice. Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Dolly Parton have some of the most instantly recognizable timbres in recorded music ever. That’s what sells. That’s why we’re still fans after all these years. Being a great singer is also about communicating, singing into the lyric, singing with and not against the music. It’s about the ability to improvise, to know how to do a run or a riff and come back to the melody. Whitney does that better than most of ‘em. Mariah and Celine have their strengths. There’s no need to knock them. I have about eight Mariah Carey CDs. Her voice can be thin at the top and breathy and harsh and the bottom but there’s something about that voice that keeps us listening and the same can be said for Whitney. My hope is that Whitney studies with a voice teacher like Joan Lader. She’s worked with Diane Reeves, Madonna, Patti LuPone, Roberta Flack and the list goes on. Vocal health is important and smoking is counterproductive to singing.