Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Range: 3.5 G2- E6 (approx)
Longest Note: 5 seconds ("old landmark")
Vocal Pluses: Powerful, passionate voice, which is grounded in the Gospel tradition. Both a technical and an emotive singer, Aretha Franklin is able to sing complex vocal runs, that can span the top of her range right down to the bottom, as well as hold notes for lengths of time with ease.
Aretha Franklin has a well connected range, that appears to sound easily accessible both at the top and the bottom. The lower range is thick and weighty with a dark colouring and a slightly smoky timbre. The midrange begins to become more nasal, and lighter as it ascends into the belting range.
The belting range is incredibly elastic and powerful, having been known to hit a D6 when mixed with its head voice [listen here]. This part of the range is characterful and easily attributable to Aretha Franklin, due in part to its quick vibrato and nasal tone. Though her voice becomes lighter as its frequency increases, it still retains its resonance and power up into its top reaches. Her flexibility and ease in this part of the range is almost unparalleled.
Vocal Negatives: The voice has become more nasal as she has aged which has lessened the power, and quality of the higher notes.
I always thought that Aretha was overrated. Just my personal opinion. I always preferred Etta James, or Gladys Knight.
ReplyDeleteAretha can easily hit a D6? It's what she's famous for - her D6 "belt" (obviously using mixed voice). Certainly higher than a B5!
ReplyDeleteOkay, Aretha can belt (D6) she did it live! oh and her highest note is an (E6) once again Live with Ray Charles! so her range is (G2-E6) 3 octaves, and 6 notes.
ReplyDeleteThe whole profile has now been updated! Whoopee!
ReplyDeleteI think she's a soprano . I don't think that a mezzo can belt those A5 and B5 notes so easly like she does .
ReplyDeleteVocal range isnot only determined by the highest note that a singer can reach. It is also defined by the base note.
ReplyDeleteThat D6 is a C#6.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'm the only one who heard it was a C#6 and not a D6 .. :)
ReplyDeleteIt started off as a D6 but slid down into a C#6...None the less I'm impressed. The highest chest note I can hit is F5 soo and I have to mix my voice to get that high anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe note didn't slide down though, it slid UP in pitch. it went C6-C#6. I proved it a while back on youtube by playing a C#6 for several seconds while Aretha sang and she never went above the C#6. Belting a C#6 is plenty impressive though.
ReplyDeleteVocal classification isn't just about range, it's about vocal weight, colour, timbre, how easily they can access, use and shift between different registers among other things. Aretha is a dramatic mezzo-soprano I'd say.
ReplyDeleteyou must write there only this: she's got the best VOICE ever!
ReplyDeleteAretha has the best belting range ever
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love the tone of Aretha's voice. The best.
ReplyDeleteThe tone of a person's voice is very subjective and each of these singers are talented, it becomes a matter of personal preferance.
ReplyDeleteEmpress of the Upper Belt. Resonates up to an EXCELLENTLY MIXED D6!?!?? Unbelievable. Her and Patti + Upper Belting = The Standard.
ReplyDeleteShe is also another Soprano Falcon. Patti and Arethra are like the black soul sister counterparts to Venessa Amorosi and Monica Naranjo but from different eras...and genres...and ethnic back grounds....and hemispheres. LOL...
ReplyDeleteOh and on a different side note...I'm so fucking pissed at how Google failed to integrate Google+ with YouTube... It gives me utterly no privacy any more. Boy, I had a temper tantrum a few days ago when the switch happened. It all started when Google came out with KitKat... They're trippin'...
Falcon would make sense seeing as she has that stringy quality in the upper extremes around A5+. And yes, Vanessa is definitely the modern version of her. Monica? Ehh. Great voice, which is admirable, but the tone isn't my cup of tea. But she'll murder most of the so called "greats" in the industry, no doubt. Monica is another extremely underrated vocalist.
ReplyDeleteBruh, I was infuriated! I tried commenting on a video & it's prohibiting me from doing so solely because I refuse to MERGE my account with Google+ (MY CHOICE) which is STUPID. I'm like, where the HELL is my inbox? Now, I have to access my YouTube info through Google and when I comment it's shared for random people to see. I finally discovered how to revert back to my original channel - I STILL can't get access to my comments & replies that's when I REALLY lost it. I LITERALLY screamed "Nigga if you don't f*ckin' give me my shit" & I'm pretty sure people heard me LOL! I'm telling you, it's IDIOTIC. I honestly wasn't a fan when they merged in the first place. NOW, they're doing WAY too much. Like Google+ is LAME. They're literally trying to FORCE us into using it. What the HELL??? They better change it back. I can't deal with this, at all lol
My comment decided it wanted to be a bitch the first go-round so I'll retype it. LOL.
ReplyDeleteIn fact I forgot most of what I had typed. I just remember it was about how I could drive my foot so far up the ass of every Google Executive that had anything to do with this G+ conversion... I think I'm taking it too personally but IDC.... This new youtube layout is maddening...LOL..
I'm sayin'! I'm beginning to notice that less people are commenting. This just might be a good thing. If people continue to rebel against the new layout, maybe they'll change. Probably somewhat gullible of me to think, but it could work. Me on the other hand? If need be then I will quit YT all together (I'm probably bluffing) lol I just dislike the fact that we have to convert in order to gain access to certain features. I simply will not conform, at least not on my main account. Something is telling me that one day we log in our accounts will automatically be synced against our will, permanently. The struggle is real =/
ReplyDeleteThat is what happened to me. I woke up and alllllllll my shit was synced. LOL. I was like DAFUQ?
ReplyDeleteThe D6 in mixed voice was just astounding, WOW
ReplyDeleteWhile Etta and Gladys are amazing singers as well, you can't deny Aretha's almost unparalleled musicianship - check out her singing Nessun Dorma, for example.
ReplyDelete