Short answer: An alto is the lower of the two female parts in a choir, singing below the sopranos and above the tenors, with a typical range from about G3 to D5. Alto is a choir part rather than a solo voice type: it is usually sung by mezzo-sopranos and contraltos, and sometimes by men singing in falsetto (countertenors, or male altos).
Alto vs Soprano: Which Is Higher?
Typical ranges: Soprano C4–C6, Alto G3–D5. They share 15 notes (C4–D5), so range alone rarely decides. Choose your lowest and highest comfortable notes to see which fits you.
- Soprano C4–C6 · 262 Hz–1,047 HzHighest female voice; bright and light
- Alto G3–D5 · 196 Hz–587 HzLower female choir part in SATB music
Typical classical ranges; many voices go beyond them. Range is one part of voice type: tone colour, tessitura and where your voice changes register matter too.
What Is an Alto Voice?
All six voice types, and how alto fits among them, are compared in voice types. The word comes from the Italian alto, “high”, because the part was originally the high line above the tenor. Today it means the lower female line in SATB music: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Altos usually sing harmony rather than the melody, which is why good altos are prized for a steady sense of pitch. An alto voice tends to sound warm and full, with a comfortable middle around A3 to A4 and a darker colour than a soprano.
In classical solo singing the word alto is rarely used as a voice type. A singer who sings alto in a choir is usually classified as a mezzo-soprano or a contralto; how those two differ is explained in mezzo-soprano vs contralto, and the alto/contralto naming is untangled in alto vs contralto.
Alto Vocal Range
| Part or voice | Typical range | Frequencies |
|---|---|---|
| Alto (choir part) | G3–D5 | 196–587 Hz |
| Mezzo-soprano | A3–A5 | 220–880 Hz |
| Contralto | F3–F5 | 175–698 Hz |
| Countertenor (male alto) | E3–E5 | 165–659 Hz |
Choir alto parts rarely go below G3 or above C5, so most women can sing alto comfortably. First altos (A1) take the upper notes of the part and second altos (A2) the lower ones. Detailed part ranges are in choral vocal ranges.
Alto vs Soprano: Which Is Higher?
The soprano is higher. A soprano’s typical range is C4–C6; the alto part is about a fourth lower, G3–D5. The two ranges overlap on more than an octave, from C4 to D5, so the real difference is where each voice is comfortable and how it sounds:
| Soprano | Alto | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical range | C4–C6 | G3–D5 |
| Role in a choir | Usually the melody | Harmony below the melody |
| Sound | Bright, light at the top | Warm, full in the middle |
| Comfortable zone | E4–A5 | A3–A4 |
| Register change | Higher; head voice feels easy | Lower; chest voice is strong |
If the soprano line in a choir makes you strain for the top notes and the alto line feels natural, you are probably an alto. The full soprano picture is in the soprano voice guide.
Is Alto Higher Than Tenor?
Yes. The alto part sits about a fifth above the tenor part: altos around G3–D5, tenors around C3–A4 in a choir (C3–C5 for a solo tenor). Around middle C the two overlap, and a low alto and a high tenor can sing the same notes, but the alto sounds lighter and the tenor brighter and more ringing. More about the highest male voice is in the tenor voice guide.
Alto 1 and Alto 2
Choirs often divide the altos into two lines. First altos (A1) sing the higher part, usually up to C5 or D5, and are often mezzo-sopranos. Second altos (A2) sing the lower part, down to G3 or F3, and are often contraltos. If you are placed in the altos, singing both lines for a while shows where your voice is happiest.
Tips for Singing Alto in a Choir
- Learn your part on its own first: alto lines are harder to hear in the full choir than the melody.
- Listen to the sopranos and basses; the alto often sits in the middle of the chord and tunes to both.
- Keep low notes warm and resonant rather than pressed; you don’t need to be loud to be heard.
- Sing the top of the part (C5–D5) lightly in head or mixed voice instead of pushing chest voice.
Male Altos
A man who sings the alto part is called a male alto or countertenor. He sings mainly in head voice or falsetto, a skill that goes back to church choirs, where men and boys sang all the parts. Male altos are common in English cathedral choirs and early music.
Famous Singers Often Called Altos
| Singer | Reported range | Classified on this site as |
|---|---|---|
| Amy Winehouse | D3–E♭6 | Contralto |
| Etta James | D3–G5 | Contralto |
| Brandy | F3–D5 | Contralto |
| Beyoncé | G♯2–F6 | Mezzo-soprano |
| Taylor Swift | B♭2–G5 | Mezzo-soprano |
Pop singers with low, warm voices are often called altos. On this site’s singer pages they are classified as contraltos or mezzo-sopranos, which are the solo voice types behind the alto part.
How to Tell If You Are an Alto
- Your comfortable range sits around G3 to C5, and notes above E5 feel like work.
- Your chest voice is strong down to G3 or lower.
- You naturally hear and sing harmony lines below the melody.
- Your voice sounds rich in the middle rather than bright at the top.
Check your range with the voice type test, or see your notes and closest famous singers with the vocal range calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is alto a low or high voice?
A lower female voice: below the soprano, above the tenor.
Can men sing alto?
Yes, in falsetto or head voice. They are called male altos or countertenors.
Is alto the same as contralto?
Not exactly. Alto is a choir part; contralto is the lowest female solo voice type. Contraltos usually sing alto, but so do many mezzo-sopranos.
Is alto the most common female voice?
The alto part suits most women, because mezzo-soprano, the most common female voice type, sits comfortably in it.