Singing and the Saxaphone
When describing the voice to people I often like to draw comparisons between the human voice and the saxophone, from a sound and categorisation viewpoint.
Just like there are many types of voice i.e. from the depths of a man’s voice, to the heights of a female voice, there are also some similar characteristics in the saxophone family. You can choose what type of saxophone you play regardless of your age or gender, however you are born with the type of voice you have and in order to truly understand where you fit, you need to maximise the function of the voice with exercises. This is why it is important to understand your own voice.
For example some women may have tendency to sing lighter than their speaking voice, and therefore automatically assume that they’re a soprano. However, when I have worked with someone like this and showed them how to sing using their spoken voice, and then to blend that feeling into the upper part of their range, they come to realise that their voice is more a mezzo-soprano. Then, as the new exercises change the sound and colour of the voice, it also opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to song choice and musical style.
I have also had similar experiences with men’s voices. Some men come in yelling their spoken voice to a particular melody - and have to have their voice ‘streamlined’ to show them that they can actually sing and blend their voice into the higher registers, thereby giving them a completely different sound and colour. Often men will say they are a baritone (the heavier more robust voice that resonates freely in the lower part of the range), only to quickly realise that they are a tenor - a singer who is able to get more robust and brassy sounds in the higher part of the voice.
Saxophones also have categories and colours, much like the human voice. For example a baritone can be likened to a baritone voice, a tenor saxophone a tenor voice, an alto saxophone an alto voice (although I liken this sound to a tenor) and the list could keep on going.
Below are some links to voice and saxophone categorisation. Definitely worth a read, and if you're uncertain about where your voice might fit, why don’t you get in touch…
For the saxophone family :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone
For the voice family :