The Alto's Struggle

Relatable posts for altos.

[thealtostruggle]

I.... I think I'm the largest ranged person in my choir. My full vocal range (Fry to Whistle) is B1-Bb6. And my tessitura is C3 to G#5... I'll go ahead and assume I'm alto? ^_^' If so, I'm the youngest and only true alto in the choir. Everyone else is either a mezzo soprano or soprano. My true struggle is the fact that ALL of the other alto's, and I mean ALL of them, mess up their part SOMEWHERE in a song we learn. And I have perfect pitch, so that makes things worse and more painful for me.

That’s quite a range you’ve got there, my dude. Very cool. Other people messing up the notes can be frustrating, especially if you’ve got it down pat, but try not to get too upset with them, they’re probably doing they’re best. No one is perfect, and not everyone nails everything every run through. I don’t have perfect pitch, but I can imagine that it’s both a blessing and a curse, because it’d be cool to just “Ah, that’s the note” but also, as you mentioned, there’s “oh, jeez, that’s really not the note”. 

[thealtostruggle]

Wassup, Altos?

I’m sorry I haven’t been online and active for a minute. I’m in school full time and I have a full time job, combined with the stress of America’s election nonsense (which, for better or for worse, is now over), so sometimes I forget to come on here and give you all the love you deserve. I wanted to say that I’m extremely proud of all of you who have auditioned for or gotten into your state’s All-State choir. You’re awesome, and you’re gonna be great. I’m currently working on another compilation of great alto-ranged songs, so that’ll be up eventually. I hope you all are having a great day, and haven’t been too beaten up by this objectively dreadful year. 

[thealtostruggle]

I always sing Alto in choir but I was always wondering what my actual voice was, since I have no problem singing Tenor. My voice range is D3 (allthough it's sometimes uncomfortable to get that low) to (B4)C5-E5 (depending on the day) without falsetto. What would you say I am? But either way, I definitely belong to your amazing Alto-Club!

Be sure not to hurt yourself by singing lower than you can! That’s dangerous. That being said, I’m not a voice teacher, but I think you’d be an alto, maybe a contralto? Yeah. I’m glad you’re in our super cool, mega exclusive club. 

[thealtostruggle]

Oh geez, I sent in an ask like a minute ago and I knew I was forgetting something so here: I have a friend who's a soprano and she has a naturally deep voice, and me, an alto, I have a naturally high voice and I just thought it was funny.

[thealtostruggle]

I think I'm an alto- I can hit C3-E5 (and on good days I can hit down to A2 or B2). It actually makes me sad that I'm not a soprano because all altos in like musicals or music always have to be evil or are sometimes drowned out by the sopranos in my choir. Your blog really helps me with being positive about it and realizing that I'm a little special as well, thank you.

It’s always awesome to have a large vocal range. It does get frustrating that so many mezzo roles seem to be the bad guy, but playing evil can be kinda fun. Take all of your discontented alto-ness and funnel it into your villains, lol. I love getting messages about my blog being a positive place. All voice parts are awesome, and all singers are amazing, but altos definitely deserve some extra love. 

[thealtostruggle]

In our choir, the sopranos get like double solo practice time, then the altos are allowed to sing the thing through ONCE before they start accompanying either soprano or tenor. I'm really sorry, but we have the hardest part and we only get to sing it ONCE? And when we complain it's like "Okay, you'll get more time next week." By next week, all is forgotten. We are the only friggin voice that has to practice outside of choir because we don't get enough time in choir!

That’s really frustrating. I’ve been in situations like that. You could try confronting your director/teacher about it and asking for more time for sectionals, or if you aren’t good with confrontation (like me) bring it up to your section leader (assuming that you have one) or another, more confrontational alto to bring to the attention of the director. The best you can do is practice your music as best you can outside of choir and try to keep up. It’s hard, but maybe the director is not giving the altos as much time in choir because they believe that the altos are really solid and can take care of themselves? If you keep bringing it up, and insist on keep the director’s word of rehearsing “next week”, maybe you’ll get some more time. 

[thealtostruggle]

Yesterday we were warming up in choir and our director was warming up the lower voices with a simple 'o' vowel and holding it. Being an alto we got pretty far (and i hate to say it but I thought it was kinda funny watching the sopranos do the double chin low growls trying to be altos) and then she started go like, SO DEEP. And this one bass, bless his heart, takes it down to like an E1 and the lower he got we were all just like o.o And this one tenor just whispered "jesus christ" rlly amazed

That’s incredible! I love basses. 

[thealtostruggle]

Alright I've never sung in a choir so I don't know much bout struggle but don't EVER THINK you're any less cause you can't sing high. Altos often have more unique voices and are more pleasant to listen to + we can sing male parts! Long live altos!!

[thealtostruggle]

This is a weird question but are a lot of altos in the LGBTQ+ community? We have seven alto 2s and one is heterosexual, and seven alto 1s and three are heterosexual. All of the sopranos are straight. It has become a known thing that all the altos re gay, lol.

Well, considering that I am Asexual in a same-sex relationship, I’m not really helping to disprove the stereotype that altos are overwhelmingly queer, but my partner is a soprano, so there is at least one gay soprano! Perhaps this is similar to the stereotype of lesbians playing softball. I think there may be some confirmation bias at play here, in which someone expects to find MOGAI altos, so when they do, they’re doubly sure that that there’s a connection there, when, in fact, there may not be. I, personally, doubt that there is really a link between the lower a female voice is and their likelihood of being not straight, but, who knows? Although, I’m not gonna lie, I have made jokes about the altos being gay af before. 

[thealtostruggle]

[a woman with her arms folded being excluded from a group of people with the text, “When every voice part gets a section solo except for the altos” overlaid]

Alto Problems 82

[thealtostruggle]

hey-im-amber replied to your post:What's the difference between an alto and a...

i never knew this existeddddddd!!

[thealtostruggle]

Relatable CONTRALTO thing

When everyone else can belt but your lower break is actually between a B3 & D4.

[thealtostruggle]

[a woman rolling her eyes in mid-sigh with the text, “having to make large interval jumps over your vocal break” overlaid]

Alto Problems 80

[thealtostruggle]

[Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” with the text, “Composers who inexplicably seem to believe that all altos are secretly sopranos and write really high notes.” overlaid]

Alto Problems 79

[thealtostruggle]

Not only did I hit one thousand followers, I coincidentally went online when it was exactly one thousand. Thank you so much, everyone, thank you. 

[thealtostruggle]

Dude, the choir professor said, "Any woman under the age of 25 is really a soprano. Altos are just sopranos with low ranges." We all just kinda looked at each other and decided to ignore it.

You heard the choral professor, guys. We’ve got to end the charade. Everyone take off your “alto” masks and be the sopranos you truly are! I believe in all of you, you can do it because you’re not really altos and never have been. Except you, Sylvia, happy 26th birthday, you’re an alto now. 

[thealtostruggle]

What's the difference between an alto and a contralto?

A contralto is a lower voice than alto. It’s kind of like tenor range, but for a woman. It’s like the opposite of a countertenor (a male voice with a female range) but instead, it’s a female voice with a male range.