How many steps are there to take? The answers to that vary along with where you expect to reach and where you are now. Do you know where you are? Can you accurately measure the distance?
It’s not a matter of how many singing octaves there are because theoretically there are infinite. This query is itself wrong. With a little bit of understanding of how music theory and singing work, this query will quickly turn to whether you’re able to sing to your maximum limit.
There is a lot to unpack here in terms of theory and how things actually work. Let’s read on ahead to know more about it.
Why This Question is Wrong
There is a myriad of reasons why this question is wrong in itself.
Because technically speaking, the singing octaves theoretically are not determined by human capability but by what is theoretically possible. Like there are notes that act in a frequency we can’t hear. Doesn’t mean they don’t exist, we just can’t perceive them.
So if someone tomorrow comes along and sings a higher note than anyone has ever sung before and we are capable of hearing that note that would make that singer the highest someone ever has been.
And I think the problem that lies with this question has to do with a lot of misunderstanding of how singing actually happens versus how music theory actually works.
Importance of Music Theory
I say music theory because regardless of what you do, music theory is the building block to understanding how music works and how we communicate music with each other. It acts like a bridge through which musicians communicate to each other what they are trying to do whether it is on paper or in real life.
So an octave in music theory is an interval of a perfect 8th(what?) and that means in order to understand how intervals work, you need to understand how music theory works.
Back to The Question
So coming back to the main question, how many singing octaves are there? Again that would depend on our ability to hear and the physical limits of our singing capabilities.
And in an all-practical sense, it doesn’t actually matter how many singing octaves there are. But what matters is how high can you sing. And if you are a female, you will generally be able to sing higher than a male.
One of the biggest things singers need to work on is their range. It’s not done in a week or a month’s time. At least not effectively. So strap in and get yourself ready to practice this in the long term.
What This Website Can Do For You
A lot of the resources on this website are based on shifting the perspective of what people believe seems to be true when it actually isn’t. This is one of those questions.
And the basic logical thinking that is required to never have these kinds of questions appear in the first place is to have the correct knowledge, which as I have already said is avoided through music theory.
If you have understood how intervals worked and how singing actually is taught and how it works then this question would not exist.
I would recommend highly for you to go and read other articles on this website so that your knowledge base can increase and also that there are a lot of resources for learning how to sing online. I have provided all these links at the end of the article.
But one thing that I would like to tell anyone who’s trying to venture into music theory or any other endeavor related to singing is this – when you are first starting out, you need to understand that the person who is teaching you needs to be knowledgeable and be able to convey what the concepts are very clearly and concisely; it is only then that a student can actually start to make progress on what the teacher is trying to convey.
So choose your courses/teachers wisely. (They also charge you a lot for private classes).
A Word if You’re a Beginner
The basics of music theory and singing are definitely easy. It is not something that nobody can pick up and not understand. Anyone can pick up music theory and anyone can pick up singing at any stage in their life and understand it.
If you dedicate yourself to the study of understanding music theory or singing I can assure you that within a month you will definitely be much better of than you were when you began and you will see a considerable amount of change, not only just your knowledge but you how you perceive music.
Once you start doing that and you are at that level where you are able to understand certain things, you will start to see different aspects of music.
Uses of Music Theory
In the light of how music theory plays a part of a larger whole because by itself music theory cannot just be left alone. It needs to be combined with actual practice like singing or playing an instrument or composing.
But since music theory is universal and the knowledge that music theory contains can be applied anywhere. It goes without saying that the need to understand music theory alongside singing is absolutely required because with either of the parts missing you will not be able to accomplish, neither the understanding part of it nor be able to see how these parts fit into each other and come together to make music.
But moving on from here I would suggest you look at all the courses that I have provided at the end of this article and there is a reason why I strongly believe that you need to have an online singing course in your library and there is the link for that at the end as well. I’ve written other articles on why practice is important and various other articles.
Time to Learn How to Sing
It is time. Now you understand how things work and how you can use them to manipulate them to your advantage.
If you’d like to know why online courses are the big deal and why they’re important you can read about them here. I have outlined in great detail why I love online courses.
But of course, it would be wrong on my part to not tell you which online course you ought to opt for.
‘The Four Pillars of Singing’ is the way to go and the one that will allow you to learn how to sing in every aspect. It is taught by Robert Lunte and you ought to check it out for sure, there are many other courses on offer and you can check them out here.
No more excuses, go learn how to sing!