Vocal Range and audition songs

[singlerose]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 12:41am

Hi!
My vocal range is C (one octave below middle C) to high E. I was wondering what I would be classified as (soprano, mezzo, ECT...).
Also I am looking for good audition songs, so if anyone has any ideas, that would be great!
Thank you!
Amanda

[Aigoo]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 1:32am

One, it's "ETC", but I'm sure you knew that.

Two, welcome to the boards.

Three, no one can really classify you based off a wide range like that...in that case, you'd have to look at the quality and timbre of your voice, or perhaps your "stronger half". It's safer to just classify yourself as a Mezzo-Soprano, though.

Four, audition songs for...college? Community theatre auditions? Professional theatre auditions? How old are you? Are you a character? Ingenue? Rock belter? Legit? (in other words, are you more a RENT girl, or Les Mis?) Just a bit more...information...would be pleasant...

[singlerose]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 1:19pm

Thanks for the reply!
I am 15 years old, and want to audition for some community theatre.
I can belt comfortably up to a C (one octave above middle C). I am also trained, and can sing classically.
The character Glinda from the Musical Wicked suites my voice. I also can sing well with the characters Eponine and Cosette form Les Miz.
I have been told not to use songs from these musicals for auditions, so I am trying to find something similar to them.
Amanda

[Aigoo]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 2:45pm

Hmm..15. Well, I don't really know what you look like, but for contemporary, upbeat songs, you could try Life of the Party, from the Wild Party, or possibly Raise the Roof. Those two pieces cut very well.

For a more ballad type thing, try...erm...Unusual Way? Nine?

Try to listen to more musicals other than Les Mis and Wicked. You'll find good rep that you might enjoy.

[withoutlove78]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 5:03pm

sorry to jump in here, but Aigoo, you seem to know what you're talking about...I will be auditioning for schools such as CCM, BoCo, UArts, Tisch, etc...and i was wondering if you knew of any shows (like flops..) that have good and UNKNOWN music...cause obviously i can't sing anything modern..anyway i have a pretty high pop rock belt and i am 17...ok sorry about that..you just seem really intelligent and i thought it would be smart to ask you :)

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 5:42pm

There's always Carrie. And while it's not a flop, "Poor Sweet Baby" from Snoopy the Musical might work.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 8/10/05 at 11:51pm

if you're looking for a ballad to show off your more soprano-y side, singlerose, try "what good would the moon be" from street scene. i never heard anyone do it at my college auditions, and the show is from before 1960 (many places will ask for one more modern, one more classic). it's a nice piece, too.

withoutlove, do you have any other "type" besides high pop belt? i know that those schools will ask for contrasting songs, and doing two in a pop belt will not be as contrasting as if you had a bit of legit/mix in you.

[cathywellerstein]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 12:42am

bump

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:02am

singlerose,
well i just discovered a song that's perfect for my voice, i'm 15, mezzo, and from what i can gather from your description, would probably be good for you too. it's called "your daddy's son" from ragtime. it's really sad, and would require a lot of acting... i'm not usre if it's good for an audition, but definately for something. lol. and plus it's a good song.

[Racetrack]

Posted: 9/1/05 at 1:15am

I've used songs from Beauty and the Beast before which fit pretty well.

Still Hurting from Last Five Years is good and has good character

Somewhere That's Green is a great song

And tons more. I'd have to look more closely.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 12:35pm

jess925 -- though "your daddy's son" is a great song, you're 15. audition songs are supposed to closely resemble age/experience, and (though i could be wrong about the experience part - you could have a baby and i wouldn't know) i doubt this one does for you.

racetrack -- BATB is still running on bway, so i wouldn't recommend using anything from that. JRB is also highly frowned upon in most audition situations due to the increse in popularity and the (usually) impossible accompaniment.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 1:15pm

sporti--- sorry i never replied, i forgot about this thread! but yeah, i don't just sing in my belting voice, i can do either that or mix it or just sing in my head voice. i'm pretty versatile. but the only problem is i just don't know what songs to sing!! hahah i'm freakin out

[withoutlove78]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 1:17pm

ugh SORRY, whatyouown is my brother and he was logged into my computer..

[minchkin#5]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 3:55pm

i dont think Still Hurting from Last Five Years is a good song for a 15 year old to sing. a girl did it at mv and she sang it well but its hard for a teen to tap into the emotion of the song when they dont realy understand it. i dont no many teens who have had a realationship ;pnget then a year.

how about come to your senses for tick...tick...boom?

[singlerose]

Posted: 9/4/05 at 4:49pm

What do you think about the songs Confidence from The Sound of Music, and Somewhere from West Side Story?

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 9:08pm

I've always loved the music from The Last Five Years for auditions because it suits my voice well, but I've heard you really shouldn't audition with it because the music is much too challenging for an accompanist to sightread. Is that true? Has anyone had any experiences using The Last Five Years (or any JRB) for an audition?

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 9:58pm

another thing to remember:

vocal classification isn't only dependent on range. it is also dependent on timbre and the different nuances to your voice, so it's really hard to say what you are based on a written description a lot of the time. so definitely try out the songs people are suggesting and see if they're right for YOUR voice -- just becuase a song is "for sopranos" doesn't mean a mezzo can't use it to show off her legit side (provided she can hit the notes, of course).

also, FYI -- TL5Y stuff is getting to be really overdone as JRB's popularity seems to increase exponentially.

Updated On: 8/16/06 at 09:58 PM

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 8/16/06 at 11:41pm

thanks sporti2005, I've been hearing that. It's such a shame, I really love that show.
Are there specific songs that are more overdone than others (for example, I've heard that Climbing Uphill and Summer in Ohio are extremely popular ones from that show)?

[John3]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 12:30am

I love Last Five Years, but it is challenging for the pianist. Most of the songs need some rehearsal time. If the pianist can't sight read it, it could affect your performance. Also, I personally feel that 15 is too young for someone to sing Still Hurting. It deals with the breaking up of a marriage and at 15 it is a little hard to believe you went through that type of emotions.

withoutlove78 - you should look into the song Say The Word by Brian Lowdermilk. You can get it from his website as well as hear it. It is a good ballad. I am pretty sure that it is not overdone and it is contemporary.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 12:49am

they're really all overdone at this point. and, like john3 said -- they're hard to do without any rehearsal. there's complicated piano stuff and weird rhythms, so i would really advise against it. and since "still hurting" is the simplest, it is done the most often. and again, it's not age-appropriate.

[LiLMuNkEe22]

Posted: 8/18/06 at 4:01am

ugh... ditto. im looking for a high belt contemp. song to do for my final cut audition into CCM.

something that you go, "whoo" and take a huge sigh after finishing cuz its so BAM.

... i dont know if i made sense.

[LiLMuNkEe22]

Posted: 8/18/06 at 4:01am

ugh... ditto. im looking for a high belt contemp. song to do for my final cut audition into CCM.

something that you go, "whoo" and take a huge sigh after finishing cuz its so BAM.

... i dont know if i made sense.

[Days of Inspiration]

Posted: 8/19/06 at 11:43am

bump.