There is a great injustice in the music industry. Yes, there is the need to have connections in order to progress one’s professional career. The unfair contracts that some artists are forced into is also a problem as well. But what bothers me the most personally is that altos like me are pitifully unrepresented in the industry. You may wonder if I am exaggerating this issue. You may also wonder what an alto is. I'll explain the music terminology and why I am in distress.
In a choir ensemble, everyone is divided into certain groups according to their vocal range. In a standard choir, the groups are (from highest to lowest) soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. There are subdivisions between the groups, but simply using the four normally suffice. The vocal range that belongs to each group is shown at the end of this video.
Sopranos and tenors can be generalized as having the higher male and female voices while altos and bass are at the lower end. This separation creates an unfortunate setup in which altos and tenors have mostly supporting roles in choral arrangements. Solos and lead parts in musicals are often sung by sopranos and bass, creating a stigma against deeper voices.
As an alto, one issue that almost discouraged me from singing was the majority of the songs being too high for me to sing. There were so many songs that I loved to sing, but once I reached the chorus, I couldn’t hit the notes with my normal singing voice. I thought that because I lacked that ability and that I was automatically doomed to be an incompetent singer. My best friend is plagued by this issue as well, deploring that “once you get to the middle of the song, it gets so high that I have to use my head voice (singing in falsetto) or sing it an octave lower and sound like a guy. Either way, it’s not fun.” A YouTuber who goes by the account name, serena, articulates this frustration very well in this video.
For altos like us, songs that are favorable for our vocal range are scarce and not readily available. However, we’re not the only ones suffering.
Several guys have it rough as well, and it was not until recently that I realized that. Several months ago, I was complaining to my friend about the best man butchering "All of Me" by John Legend at a wedding. I sent him the link, and he responded with an "Ooh, that is high." It was mind-blowing. That song was in the middle of my register, so I didn't consider it high for me, but I had completely forgotten how high it was for a guy. That song, especially the "I'll give you a-a-a-all of me," is easily several notes above what most guys could sing. I ran through other songs sung by guys, and I realized that for men, their voices were pretty high as well. They were all tenors.
So on behalf of the altos and the bass, I'm asking that we have more representation in the industry. Not everyone has high singing voices, and frankly, it's boring to hear the same kind of voice continually. Altos and bass are somewhat barred from making it far in the industry simply because their voices don’t conform to the cookie cutter mold. Granted there are more artists such as Elle King and Daya who have debut with songs “Ex’s and Oh’s” and “Hide Away.” My partner is also able to sing “Take Me to Church” by Hozier and the beginning of “Hold Back the River” by James Bay, so there isn’t a lack of songs that deeper-voiced guys could sing.
However, this should be the start of a progressive change, not a short-lived trend. If the industry has a variety of vocalists, then altos and tenors like me wouldn’t feel excluded. There wouldn’t be an association between lower voices and lack of talent. Everyone would accept each voice as a unique aspect of ourselves. We would be proud of our voices and focus on developing them, not wishing that we had different vocal ranges. We all can’t sing like Mariah Carey or John Legend, but that’s OK. We don’t have to.
