The Beatles Bible - Topic: Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

obcbeatle on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 20:39:16 +0000

Hello ... thanks for all the replies and feedback! Well ... apparently I need to do some more research Sorry for any mis-information in my previous post. So now I have some questions and comments. Just for clarification ... for some of my questions below I will define middle C as C4 as I believe that is the most common designation (and I believe that is the C fingered on the B string, first fret on the guitar ... standard tuning). Again ... if I'm wrong about anything, please feel free to chime ...

Ben Ramon on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:56:31 +0000

paulsbass said

Ben Ramon said

Thanks for the backup, paulsbass But Paul is a tenor for certain! (or at least was until about the mid 80s). A tenor with an uncanny ability to imitate a baritone timbre, but listen to how incredibly light and bright his natural singing voice is, and how powerful and easy his high notes are. He's a low tenor for sure.

Welcome!

But sorry man, but didn't YOU do this nice little thing about his vocal range?

I did indeed! And although I feel we will end up agreeing to ...

paulsbass on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 12:58:32 +0000

Ben Ramon said

Thanks for the backup, paulsbass But Paul is a tenor for certain! (or at least was until about the mid 80s). A tenor with an uncanny ability to imitate a baritone timbre, but listen to how incredibly light and bright his natural singing voice is, and how powerful and easy his high notes are. He's a low tenor for sure.

Welcome!

But sorry man, but didn't YOU do this nice little thing about his vocal range? No true tenor can go that way down. Nope, another baritone for sure. Jon ...

Ben Ramon on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 12:41:27 +0000

paulsbass said

obcbeatle said
I've been doing a little research lately and think I've determined a few truths about John Lennon's singing voice. Please feel free to correct me if I am am wrong on anything:

1) Lennon is most often considered a tenor, but sometimes considered a low tenor as far as classification.

Agree with Ben Ramon: Not true. What would be your sources? Not even Elton John is considered to be a tenor but a high baritone. John couldn't sing as high as Paul, and of course Paul neither is a tenor but a baritone.

Thanks for the backup, ...

paulsbass on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 08:31:22 +0000

obcbeatle said
I've been doing a little research lately and think I've determined a few truths about John Lennon's singing voice. Please feel free to correct me if I am am wrong on anything:

1) Lennon is most often considered a tenor, but sometimes considered a low tenor as far as classification.

Agree with Ben Ramon: Not true. What would be your sources? Not even Elton John is considered to be a tenor but a high baritone. John couldn't sing as high as Paul, and of course Paul neither is a tenor but a baritone.

2) Lennnon had a very good vocal ...

Funny Paper on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 02:29:04 +0000

Sorry to bring up Paul, but that experience of the OP of being unable to match Lennon's vocal range in a song mirrored my own realization when I tried to sing along with "Hello, Goodbye" and I experienced the strange phenomenon where Paul's voice sounded high, but was simultaneously grounded in a lower register, so to speak. I'm not technically versed in music, so I'm articulating this in a non-professional way. At any rate, my chest is just way too weak, apparently, to accomplish singing this melody with the greatest of ease performed by Paul.

Ben Ramon on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 14:14:28 +0000

obcbeatle said
I've been doing a little research lately and think I've determined a few truths about John Lennon's singing voice. Please feel free to correct me if I am am wrong on anything:

1) Lennon is most often considered a tenor, but sometimes considered a low tenor as far as classification.

I'm afraid this is simply untrue. Lennon is most definitely a baritone, albeit a light one. People who classify him wrongly as a tenor seem to be listening to some of his lightest performances (Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, I'm Only Sleeping) while failing to take into ...

obcbeatle on Lennon's vocal range/classification and how understanding it might help a singer/song writer

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:34:58 +0000

I've been doing a little research lately and think I've determined a few truths about John Lennon's singing voice. Please feel free to correct me if I am am wrong on anything:

1) Lennon is most often considered a tenor, but sometimes considered a low tenor as far as classification.

2) Lennnon had a very good vocal range so even though his classification has often been tenor he could consistently hit notes within the baritone range, and his falsetto was very good.

3) Most men are baritones, thus their ability to sing a Lennon vocal in the same key and range as John ...