What is Axl Rose's octave range??

[requiem156]

Plenty of singers with comparatively small ranges have done a lot with them, including John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Joe Strummer, Billy Corgan, Eddie Vedder, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis, Roger Daltrey, Ray Davies, John Fogerty, Tom Petty and that's just off the top of my head.

as much as i have loved some parts of the smashing pumpkins catalog, billy corgan's voice sucks. yes, he can pull it off and make songs worth listening to, but as a pure voice, i'd be hard pressed to find a similarly (or more) successful singer with a worse voice.

Sorry to double post, but this needs answering. First of all, ok, that's your opinion but it hardly changes my point. Secondly, Corgan is a better singer than most people think. The fact that he uses such a nasal tone, should not be contrued as a limitation so much as an affectation. In the early Pumpkins days, he was definitely not capable of reproducing a lot of things live, but from 97-present he has studied voice and developed into a reasonable singer. I don't think most people who aren't singers realize exactly what goes into standing up there in front of a few thousand people and belting out a song.

[deanaxlrose]

what is a head voice??

[requiem156]

what is a head voice??

It's a higher register in the male voice, commonly mislabelled as falsetto. The term "head voice" is a bit more difficult to explain without some general knowledge of vocals cords and their workings, but suffice it to say that it's what all the really high male rock singers use for their top notes. It is not the range that people speak in, or sing naturally in, and is somewhat harder to train. It's also tricky because it tends to be much thinner sounding than your chest or "full" voice, which means you have to really push it to make the two registers sound even. This is why so many head voice users, Axl included, tend to do damage to their voice over prolonged touring.

[dub05]

Of all the present rock stars doing the rounds i would say that Chris cornell is higher than 99.9% of the names mentioned so far.

[deanaxlrose]

I think i get it. I tryn to sound like Axl.so I practice hard.every day in the morning ?with my head in the bathtub full of water I scream loudly with (that i thought) my falsetto voice.about ten times.I've been doin it for about 5 years.Its looks stupid,.but it works.

[Neemo]

well he definately sings to Eb cuz thats what the guitars tune to...so i would say that is his lowest note....his highest I've heard is the better intro but i dunno what that is played like...also on Coma his voice/scream fades to the "flatline" note whatever that is ,17th fret on the high "E" string so an A, so i think that works out to 3 1/2 octaves or there abouts

did that make any sense at all?

but Slash couldn't get much higher than that now could he that's pretty much the whole fretboard he can cover vocally

[Neemo]

Of all the present rock stars doing the rounds i would say that Chris cornell is higher than 99.9% of the names mentioned so far.

does cornhole ever sing out of falscetto?

I think Bach prolly is really up there as far as vocal range goes...the man has an insane voice

[ppbebe]

..also on Coma his voice/scream fades to the "flatline" note whatever that is ,17th fret on the high "E" string so an A, so i think that works out to 3 1/2 octaves or there abouts

You mean a high A? I'd say No way! But I''m gonna check the bit anyways. on Coma, yes? Yep, with my absolute pitch.

[ppbebe]

For TWAT I'm talking about the part where he sings "I would do anything for you". That is the highest I've ever heard him sing on a recording. As for I.R.S you already know the part I'm talking about, right before Bucket's solo.

As for his highest full voice note, I couldnt tell you. Never really compared songs. But for his headtone, its def. that part in TWAT.

You're referring to a line in the chorus after the great middle keyboards in the later half of the longest leek, perhaps?
Phew, I checked all the leaked versions messing about the equalizer to find out where.
Unclear but all anyhow, DD C# B, DC#B G# B, There(A was(A a (A ta (A im (B~ then
comes The high line moving about among F#5, E5 and D5, I think. which is actually high, like you said.
Still not above f#5.

Incidentally, what part of what GNR song do you think goes the lowest? I wouldn't count a backing vocal bit when it's indistinguishable from the other parts and from the subjest dunkin experts on.

[Neemo]

Incidentally, what part of what GNR song do you think goes the lowest? I wouldn't count a backing vocal bit when it's indistinguishable from the other parts and from the subjest dunkin experts on.

you prolly weren't asking me but I'd say on "You Ain't the First" ie the "Deep Down Inside" line so i dunno how low that puts him maybe up above 4 octaves...we need your perfect pitch again

[requiem156]

Of all the present rock stars doing the rounds i would say that Chris cornell is higher than 99.9% of the names mentioned so far.

does cornhole ever sing out of falscetto?

I think Bach prolly is really up there as far as vocal range goes...the man has an insane voice

Badmotorfinger/Temple of the Dog era Cornell might have been one of the highest, but that was many years ago, and he was already losing top notes by Superunknown. His voice sounds more shot that anyone else on the list these days, and he barely uses his high range anymore.

Bach is ridiculous - that guy can really sing. He hasn't lost a thing, as far as I know.

ppebe- I think Locomotive is the lowest I've heard him go, and if that is what you were referring to, I think it's sufficiently audible. Eb is probably not his lowest note, because it's a safe bet that he isn't going to use notes at either extreme of his range in something he's going to need to perform on a nightly basis. That would be unwise, since you never know what shape you'll be in vocally.

[Neemo]

Eb is probably not his lowest note

yeah you're right, but it's the lowest he goes on a regular basis...that's what i meant...it's his natural starting point...GnR have always been tuned down a half step as far as I know

[CAFC Nick]

Well I think the highest note he has reached on a studio recording is the scream in I.R.S...now thats pretty high. If someone could give an example of his lowest vocal work on the recordings, we will then be able to judge what his octave range is.

[Neemo]

Incidentally, what part of what GNR song do you think goes the lowest? I wouldn't count a backing vocal bit when it's indistinguishable from the other parts and from the subjest dunkin experts on.

you prolly weren't asking me but I'd say on "You Ain't the First" ie the "Deep Down Inside" line so i dunno how low that puts him maybe up above 4 octaves...we need your perfect pitch again

"Deep down inside" from you aint the first is an Eb on the Bass I believe, which therefore adds another Octave, so that puts him @ 4 1/2 ?

i think that Locomotive deep part is an A so i think that the line i mentioned from "You aint the First" is a lower note

[ppbebe]

Yep nick that what I thought.

requiem156, if you're refering to the deep back vocal on the Chromatic scale bit where the main goes like G# G F# F C# G# B G# B, it's difficult to distinguish from the bass guitar but doesn't seem to go below F2.
Even Axl can't sing two parts in chorus at once that he wouldn't worry much about how to back himself on stage.

what is a head voice??

It a voice from the head register. Axl and other genuine singers mostly use it except when they sing bass.

From Wikipedia:
The head register is a vocal mechanism used in singing. It is found in all voice types from the lowest male bass to the highest female soprano. It is not associated with any particular musical pitch, but rather with the position and use of the vocal cords and larynx. The human voice is commonly divided into two registers: the upper register called the head register and the lower register called the chest register.

When singing in the head register, laryngeal behaviour is quite different from that of the chest register. The vocal cords are thin and have a wide amplitude. There is no firm glottal closure. The crico-thyroid muscles become much more active, while the action of the vocalis muscle decreases. All of the these actions reduce the volume and number of partial harmonics.

The term head register reflects the perceptions of many singers who feel that when they sing in this register the sound vibrates in their heads rather than their chests. While scientists and physicians have disproved this idea, the term is still very common.

seemingly there're many theories and yet a theory is theory.

I've been wondering what people here mean by the "full voice", as I thought ones full voice should include their head notes as well as those from the chest, and include out their falsetto.

[requiem156]

Yep nick that what I thought.

requiem156, if you're refering to the deep back vocal on the Chromatic scale bit where the main goes like G# G F# F C# G# B G# B, it's difficult to distinguish from the bass guitar but doesn't seem to go below F2.
Even Axl can't sing two parts in chorus at once that he wouldn't worry much about how to back himself on stage.

what is a head voice??

It a voice from the head register. Axl and other genuine singers mostly use it except when they sing bass.

From Wikipedia:
The head register is a vocal mechanism used in singing. It is found in all voice types from the lowest male bass to the highest female soprano. It is not associated with any particular musical pitch, but rather with the position and use of the vocal cords and larynx. The human voice is commonly divided into two registers: the upper register called the head register and the lower register called the chest register.

When singing in the head register, laryngeal behaviour is quite different from that of the chest register. The vocal cords are thin and have a wide amplitude. There is no firm glottal closure. The crico-thyroid muscles become much more active, while the action of the vocalis muscle decreases. All of the these actions reduce the volume and number of partial harmonics.

The term head register reflects the perceptions of many singers who feel that when they sing in this register the sound vibrates in their heads rather than their chests. While scientists and physicians have disproved this idea, the term is still very common.

seemingly there're many theories and yet a theory is theory.

I've been wondering what people here mean by the "full voice", as I thought ones full voice should include their head notes as well as those from the chest, and include out their falsetto.

I'm afraid that there is a lot of debate about some of these terms. All you can do is pick what seems like the most likely explanation. As far as head voice, although obviously the sound doesn't resonate entirely in your head, it is very crucial to open your nasal cavity when singing this way if you want a full sounding tone. Full voice is a term that is used by some to distinguish chest from head voice. I'm not sure what you mean by "genuine singers" but on the list of singers who don't regularly use head voice you'd find Maynard James Keenan, Jim Morrison, Mike Patton, Layne Staley, Scott Weiland, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett. I think one could argue that some of these are genuine singers. In point of fact, there have been some fairly poor head voice singers such as Tom Keifer, Joe Elliott, Vince Neil, and Dizzy Dean. Brian Johnson gets a pass for his early stuff, but his voice is shot. So, there's good and bad on both sides.

[jimmythegent]

3.5 is being generous - between 2 and 3 is most likely

this is an impressive range for a male but there is no way he is 4

I know this discussion is getting old, but we can defintiely say that he has more than 3. He sings down to a low Eb on more than one occasion, and higher than an Eb 3 octaves above quite frequently. That's not so hard to believe - I have more than 2 octaves, and I'm no vocal god.

About his highest full voice note - I don't think he has ever pushed it on a recording, which is smart because if he did the timbral differences between his head voice and full voice would become even more apparent.

mmm.. Im sceptical of that, Im a guitarist so I dont claim to know everything vocal wise, but I do recall Tim Buckley (Jeffs father) had a range somewhere between 4-5 and his was considered extraordinary to the point of freakishness. So I think it very unlikely he is higher than 3. It is very difficult and unusual to go 3 btw

Ok, so you don't claim to know everything but you think you know enough to be condescending about it. Thanks for that. I'm a musician of 20 years, and have studied theory, guitar and voice at a college level. That is not to say that I know everything, but I'm not talking out of my ass. If you sit down with your guitar, and figure out which notes he is singing in various songs, you will see that he clearly has more than 3 octaves. I'm saying this from pure observation, not some kind of misguided hero worship. If you listen to Locomotive, you can hear him tripling the chorus part, each voice in a different octave. That is hardly the only example, but it's a pretty damn obvious one.

There is a big difference between pure falsetto and head voice. Axl uses head voice, and always has when he is in his high range - much like Shannon Hoon, Chris Cornell, Robert Plant, etc. He is just cleaning it up more now, which is a pretty impressive achievment, considering how gritty it used to be. Pure falsetto comes from whistle tone, which is not a genuine part of vocal range as it is a tone produced by another part of the larynx.

youve misinterpreted me man - I wasnt being condescending at all, got it? However your own post is extremly condescending .and ive played guitar for near on 15 years, tutored etc.. and furthermore didnt present my theory as the be all and end all.

if you read my post again i said I found it unlikely he had a higher register than 3 - didnt dismiss 3 and also explained that Axl has a good range. I'll let others determine exactly what that is, I was merely dispelling some of the more out-there suggestions of 4-5 etc..

[tHeElEcTrIcSiNtAr]

I think his lowest vocal is either the "Deep Down Inside" in You Ain't The First, or the low part he sings in Locomotive. It's pretty low, at the end near the "Love's So Strange", he goes so low that its blending in with the music. You have to really listen to it. Its the line "If love is blind I guess I'll buy myself a cane" and he sings that with all three voices like the other parts, but he holds the word "cane" longer than all the others and then he says "yeah" at the end. I think that might be his lowest vocal, like I said its so low that it pretty much just blends in with the music.

[requiem156]

3.5 is being generous - between 2 and 3 is most likely

this is an impressive range for a male but there is no way he is 4

I know this discussion is getting old, but we can defintiely say that he has more than 3. He sings down to a low Eb on more than one occasion, and higher than an Eb 3 octaves above quite frequently. That's not so hard to believe - I have more than 2 octaves, and I'm no vocal god.

About his highest full voice note - I don't think he has ever pushed it on a recording, which is smart because if he did the timbral differences between his head voice and full voice would become even more apparent.

mmm.. Im sceptical of that, Im a guitarist so I dont claim to know everything vocal wise, but I do recall Tim Buckley (Jeffs father) had a range somewhere between 4-5 and his was considered extraordinary to the point of freakishness. So I think it very unlikely he is higher than 3. It is very difficult and unusual to go 3 btw

Ok, so you don't claim to know everything but you think you know enough to be condescending about it. Thanks for that. I'm a musician of 20 years, and have studied theory, guitar and voice at a college level. That is not to say that I know everything, but I'm not talking out of my ass. If you sit down with your guitar, and figure out which notes he is singing in various songs, you will see that he clearly has more than 3 octaves. I'm saying this from pure observation, not some kind of misguided hero worship. If you listen to Locomotive, you can hear him tripling the chorus part, each voice in a different octave. That is hardly the only example, but it's a pretty damn obvious one.

There is a big difference between pure falsetto and head voice. Axl uses head voice, and always has when he is in his high range - much like Shannon Hoon, Chris Cornell, Robert Plant, etc. He is just cleaning it up more now, which is a pretty impressive achievment, considering how gritty it used to be. Pure falsetto comes from whistle tone, which is not a genuine part of vocal range as it is a tone produced by another part of the larynx.

youve misinterpreted me man - I wasnt being condescending at all, got it? However your own post is extremly condescending .and ive played guitar for near on 15 years, tutored etc.. and furthermore didnt present my theory as the be all and end all.

if you read my post again i said I found it unlikely he had a higher register than 3 - didnt dismiss 3 and also explained that Axl has a good range. I'll let others determine exactly what that is, I was merely dispelling some of the more out-there suggestions of 4-5 etc..

Ok, sorry for misunderstanding.

[deanaxlrose]

so, The Bee gees using a head voice in staying alive ?