Mariah Carey’s Entire Octave Range Is Not Seven Or Five
Submitted anonymously:
For those of you who remember Mariah was in the Guinness Book of World Records not to long ago for having a five octave range and singing a G7# when she sang the National Anthem. But that’s not true. The note she sang was a B6. You can play this note on the piano if you don’t believe me. However it was later found out that there was some tampering going on with the sound equipment and so she’s supposedly no longer in the book.
If you’ve been musically trained you know that octaves are arranged C D E F G A B and then C’. There are 8 octaves on the piano and to count octaves you start with the lowest note and count to the same note in the next octave until you get the range. Now in order for Mariah to sing all eight octaves she’d have to be able to sing several notes lower than what any man can which is impossible even for someone with her range. The lowest most men can sing is a G2 while there are those like Viktor Wichniakov (a male opera singer) who can sing C2 (C1 in European standard). Mariah’s lowest note she ever sung was C3 at the end of My All, and the beginning of Emotions, and You’re So Cold–not A2 or D3 like some people keep saying.
A singer’s true range is measured by the number of notes they can actually SING–not necessarily HIT. You see, in actuality Mariah can only sing up to D7. The E7 she hit on Emotions (album version), the F7 she hit on All in Your Mind, and the G7 she hit in 2 live versions of Emotions were all done when she was either congested or sick. You see in order to access what is called the flageolet register the vocal cords are held closely together and a high pitched sound moves up into the sinus cavities. When a singer is sick or congested the vocal cords become swollen making it easier to access this range but it can throw a singer off a little when this happens. This explains why none of Mariah’s songs with the exception of Emotions, and All In Your Mind have been written to go higher than D7. Mariah herself has said that she’s hit notes she can no longer do. If you’ve ever heard the clip of Mariah singing All In Your Mind acapella you’ll notice she can’t go higher than D7. You can find that clip by going here
www.geocities.com/notes_and_octaves/mariahcarey.html
You’ll also find a clip of Mariah singing her G7 and a G7# (it was unintentional because it didn’t match the melody) But I doubt some of the accuracy of what the author has written about Mariah’s range. That’s why I’m telling the information now so that nobody will get confused. Now if you have been paying attention Mariah’s range (C3 to D7) is 4 octaves and 1 note.
Next Mariah has 2 top vocal registers she can use. One is called the “Whistle Voice” and the other is called “Super Head Voice”. Contrary to popular belief whistle voice can be used by both females AND males. That’s right–MEN can do it too. The only reason hardly anybody uses it is because the voice can be hard to control since the sound is moving into the nasal cavity and so it sounds soft and has a low volume. Super head voice on the other hand has a higher volume and a sharper sound and it doesn’t really move up in the sinus cavities. It DOES take a little more effort than whistle voice but it’s easier to control. It also sounds higher than whistle voice but it’s the EXACT same range–whistle voice has a lower volume because the tone of the voice is airy while super head voice isn’t.
And guys CAN sing as high as women. And woman CAN learn to sing as low as men (alto’s are most likely able to do this). The lower your is the wider you can develop your range with practice. If you’ve heard of Adam Lopez then you probably know he can sing D7 using super head voice. Technically he doesn’t hold the record for highest note ever because Betty Wright also uses super head voice and when she appeared on Making the Band II (when she was teaching Sara how to control her voice) she sang Eb7 which is higher than D7 by a semitone so if anybody holds the record for singing the highest note ever it’s neither Mariah or Adam it’s Betty Wright. Mariah could HIT those notes when she was sick but she couldn’t hold them because THE NOTES IN THE 7TH OCTAVE ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ACTUALLY SING. I don’t expect many people to know this but this is the reason why no opera has ever been written in the 7th octave.
In conclusion I would also like to say that it IS possible to have a range wider than Mariah (Mariah fans don’t hate me for this because I’m a fan of her too) I have a range wider than Mariah (since I’m a baritone) I can sing down to a Bb1 and up to a G6 or higher) But neither Whitney Houston or Christina Aguilera have a wider range. Whitney has a 3 octave range (C3 to C6–she did C6 on How Will I Know) and Christina has close to a 3 and a half octave range (E3 to G6#–the note she sang on The Christmas Song was D6 in super head voice).
Tags: Mariah Carey
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30 Responses to “Mariah Carey’s Entire Octave Range Is Not Seven Or Five”
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July 25th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
soory but you are wrong. i’m not a mariah’s fan but her range is G#2 made during an interview and A2 in some songs. her highest note is G#7 made in a performance of emotions in 1991…. so that her range goes from G#2 to G#7. Moreover christina’s lowest live note is C3 made in some performances of At last. her highest live note is A6 during Por siempre tu live in caracas. so her live range is C3-A6. it’s true that in the christmas song she hit a D6 but after that note there’s her famous C#7. search some videos on youtube to understand. i leave you three videos in particular that you must see:
- it.youtube.com/watch?v=s0aH_DCsHcg ….this is about mariah’s live range
- it.youtube.com/watch?v=mKYhQFCsUxU ….this is about xtina’s live range
- it.youtube.com/watch?v=5lkXlk30amw ….this is about xtina’s studio range
read the cooment of this last video cause it says that her lowest note is C3
July 29th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Welcome to the 21st century..nobody cares about ‘octave’ other than Lambs who have been brainwashed since the 90s.
July 29th, 2008 at 5:49 am
it’s not true.. some people care about octaves. how many times do you hear people talking about mariah’s octaves? i think a million times. On youtube there are lots of videos about octaves
July 30th, 2008 at 10:56 am
What makes a good singer? Apart from measured by the number of notes they can actually SING and HOLD, not necessarily HIT- I agree!
Moreover, the ability to interpret the lyrics turning into a ‘believable’ live performance without overdoing it, versatility, good technique and fresh.
Whitney is the VOICE of our time and sorry, the rest is just a footnote below her.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:54 pm
i love whitney’s voice is my second favourite singer but the first is christina aguilera. she has such a strong voice, such a high whistle register. moreover the highest live whitney’s note in chest voice is G5 while christina did a G#5/A5. in this place we are talking about whistles. don’t you think that christina goes pretty high? i really love whitney but here we are talking about whistles
August 7th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Wrong!!!! Mariahs Ranges are:
STUDIO RANGE: A2 - F7 (4 OCATVES, 4 NOTES)
LIVE RNAGE: G#2 - G#7 (5 OCTAVES)
Go on youtube.com and search calvin999999999 , and click on Mariah Carey Vocal Range and you will see :)
August 14th, 2008 at 6:33 am
i saw that video of mariah. (in youtube my name is rocketto8) this is what i was saying: mariah’s range is G#2-G#7
September 7th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
“Whitney is the VOICE of our time and sorry, the rest is just a footnote below her.”
Aw look, a snobby little fangirl! *points* Everyone take a picture, quick, before it runs away!
September 10th, 2008 at 3:44 am
we are talking about whislte register. so don’t talk about whitney cause she can’t whistle. we are talking about mariah carey and christina aguilera and their vocal ranges. whitney has just 3 octaves even if she has a great voice and she is the best singer with christina and mariah. anyway i’m sure christina can hit an E7 in fact even herself said that she never forcd hr voice actually her range is 4 octaves and a semitone (C3-C#7) while mariah has 5 octaves (G#2-G#7).
September 17th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
What about Pat Benatar?
She had a 4-5 octave range, I believe.
You’re right about Mariah, and she, Christine Aguilera both are nasal - comment on that?
Pat Benatar was NEVER nasal; she and Whitney both had better tone.
October 10th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Mmmm I just wanna point out some things..
About the low note thingies and Wichnakov thing…Uhmm hello she’s a woman…Do you really expect that she can reach bass??? And as far as I know nobody claims that she can sing/hit 8 octaves…As far as I know the claim is only 5 octaves…And yeah let’s just say the highest notes were just some luck but she sang them with EASE and she can hit them EASILY..and she sings so easily not like others who push and push…
October 15th, 2008 at 7:44 am
This post if full of a jealous whitney lover. You dont have to be sick to sing the whistle register. You just have to have talent, it is classified a gift. When your sick and your throat is hurting, please try to access it, i wonder how you throat will feel. Plus she has done it live many many times and she wasnt sick…
October 18th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
you are wrong!! check out for “You and I” tribute to stevie wonder where she hits a G2 lol and she has hit G#7 and wasn´t sick because she can´t do the whistle if she is sick…besides she no longer is on the guiness book coz Georgia brown can hit a G9 and got the throne now…get ur facts straight before talking
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:30 pm
no mariah’s lowest note is G#2 and georgia’s highest note is G10 and not G9
October 29th, 2008 at 9:49 am
She can’t really sing, but people think that she can because she sings in her highest register.
The only reason she can sing in that is because she has nodules that make it easier for her to zip up her vocal chords.
November 4th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
She’s an amazing singer. Beyonce has a 3.2 octave range.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
mariah carey h8rs,if its dat easy 2 sing like her n its not a gift then please,feel free 2 show me wot u got.giv it ur best shot let’s hear…thot so!u can h8 all u want bt she’s stil makin n breakin records.she’s beat elvis presley’s record n hopefully she’l beat d beatles’ record soon n u’l stil b arguin about dis.get a life!!
November 10th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson are both better singers.
Jennifer Hudson is better at singing than Beyonce and Mariah Carey. What I mean on the she can’t sing part is that she can’t sing as well as people really think she can. She can sing, but mostly sounds better in studio at times than she does live. Like when she sang the “star spangled banner.” She can sing though.
November 10th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Minnie Riperton is and was definitely better than Mariah Carey.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:10 am
what a load of sh**
November 16th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
LMFAO!!! Some people are just…ok…
Mariah’s vocal range is EXACTLY 5 octaves, nothing more nothing less. Her lowest note was sung during an interview when she did a vocal run going down to G#2. She has sung a A2 during a “Yours” performance in a UK tv show in 2003. In the “You And I” performance she hit Bb2 a couple of times and loads of sustained with vibrato C#3 and Eb3 notes. Her highest note was a G#7, wich she clearly did with complete ease and effortless. It was on the Emotions performance in the MTV Awards in 1991. On that final run she did a G#7 followed by a G7. She also did G7’s and F#7’s in other live performances of the same song and there is proof to substanciate these claims…both video and audio proof. The whole “notes that are hit shouldn’t count” argument is pathetic bullsh**. There’s a lil’ technique called “staccato”, used in opera as well…it’s where you ony HIT notes. It’s what Mariah did in those G#7, G7 and F#7 runs in “Emotions” and also what she did in “All In Your Mind” with those F7 notes (she also proved more than able to do this song live with the high notes with ease…and she surpassed even the studio recordings). So yes, hit notes are obviously counted as well as long as they’re incorporated in the music.
And no, I’m not a fan of hers. Used to be but no longer am. However, facts are facts.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Minnie Riperton had a five and a half octave range.
Who do you think has a wider range.??..
November 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Minnie Riperton of course. She sang higher than Mariah ever has.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Wrong! Minnie had a 4,5 octave range. It is SAID she once hit an A7 in a live performance but there’s no proof AT ALL of that. The highest she displayed was D7. Even if she did, to have a 5,5 octave range she’d have to be able to go down to D2…when her lowest note is D3. That’s actually 4 octaves but I believe she was able to go a few more notes above D7 so yeah, let’s say 4,5 octaves.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:01 am
Mariah Carey is the BEST singer in the WORLD. No matter what anyone says, she has every special characteristic any good singer has, plus a million of her own. In other words, if she sang someone else’s song, she would sing it even better than the original singer; but if someone, if anyone, tried to sing ANY of Mariah’s songs - they would like idiots and sound like fools. Not only that, but Mariah’s lyrics are amazing. They’re inspiring, emotional, so well written and beautiful. Totally her own, unique style, and her 18 number one hits are the support. She’s just one around the Beetles, and just so happened to come out with an album THIS YEAR after being in the music industry for 20 years now. She writes her own songs, produces them, and sings them. She’s got the hugest range, best control, most gorgeous voice. She’s definitely the best singer in this world. No doubt!
November 21st, 2008 at 1:06 am
She has so many albums, the most beautiful Christmas album (which is also the most successful xmas album of all time - and we get to listen to it next month!! yay!) and I don’t even know how many songs. She began in the 1990’s and she’s still around, with better music than anyone. She never loses trend, stays in with what’s going on and keeps coming out with music that fits the crowd. She can go so low, yet so high. And all the bullsh** about nodules she may have that make it easier to hit high notes, or her being sick during performances in order to hit those notes is all crap said out of ignorance and jealousy for her one and only voice. she’s the most talented person on EARTH! For anyone that doesn’t understand or agree, listen to at least 10 of her number ONES (google it if u must) and prove me wrong!
November 21st, 2008 at 1:09 am
Find ONE singer that has as MANY songs as Mariah Carey, who WROTE the lyrics to EACH and EVERY one of them!
November 21st, 2008 at 7:14 am
Whitney Houston and Beyonce` have the better voices. Mariah Carey definitely doesn’t have the best or widest range. Minnie Riperton did have a wider range than she did, she’s just said to have a wider range because of her million dollar insured legs and boob job. The fact is that she’s a marketing genius like Britney Spears.
She has a nice voice and everything but the reason why she sold so many albums was because she’s so intersting to the public. Of course Whitney had the bigger and better voice, and Beyonce` has more control. One of the reason’s why she had gotten to where she is today was because she did you know what with her first husband.
AND THAT’S THE TRUTH.!!!!!..
November 21st, 2008 at 7:15 am
THERE ARE A THOUSAND MORE GIRLS WHO CAN SING BETTER THAN SHE CAN.
December 16th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Um a piano has a little over 7 octaves not 8
guess you weren’t musically trained…