Tenor Vocal Range: C3 – C5, Notes & Chart

The typical tenor range is C3 to C5 — 2 octaves. The tenor is the highest of the ordinary male voices, a third above the baritone.

The tenor range in notes and hertz

Lowest note	C3 · 130.8 Hz
Highest note	C5 · 523.3 Hz
Span	24 semitones · 2 octaves
Middle C (C4) is	12 semitones above the bottom, 12 below the top

Notes are in scientific pitch notation, where C4 is middle C, and the frequencies are at A4 = 440 Hz. Press the keys above to hear any of them, then check your own pitch against the voice tuner.

Where the tenor sits

Below it is the baritone (A2 – A4), starting 3 semitones lower; the two share 21 of their 24 semitones. Above it is the alto (F3 – F5), 5 semitones higher, with 19 semitones in common. That overlap is the reason a range on its own cannot say which of two neighbouring types a voice is.

Music written for the tenor

The top of the tenor range has a name of its own: the “tenor high C” is C5, and it is the note audiences wait for. Rodolfo’s “Che gelida manina” in Puccini’s La bohème rises to it, and Tonio’s “Ah! mes amis” in Donizetti’s La fille du régiment asks for nine of them. The most famous tenor moment of all sits just below: the final “Vincerò!” of “Nessun dorma” in Turandot is a high B (B4).

Tenor music is written in the treble clef and sounds an octave lower than written, which is why a tenor’s part can look identical to a soprano’s on the page. Voices that sing higher than this in falsetto are countertenors, a different technique rather than a higher tenor.

The tenor in a choir

In four-part writing the tenor is the higher of the two male lines, usually an inner part of the harmony. True tenors are the scarcest voices in most amateur choirs, so the section is often filled out by high baritones.

Is this your range? The vocal range test listens for your lowest and highest notes and shows how they compare with the typical tenor range.

Take the vocal range test

Songs in a typical tenor range

A voice can sing a tune in any key, so the useful question is which key. These are the keys that put each tune in the middle of the typical tenor range, with room to spare above and below — worked out from the melodies in our public-domain song library. Other keys fit too; this is the one with the most headroom at both ends.

Song	Key	Notes
Amazing Grace	B major (1 semitone lower than written)	F♯3 – F♯4
Auld Lang Syne	B♭ major (2 semitones lower than written)	F3 – G4
Happy Birthday	B major (1 semitone lower than written)	F♯3 – F♯4
Ode to Joy	A♭ major (4 semitones lower than written)	G♯3 – D♯4
Silent Night	E♭ major (3 semitones higher than written)	D♯3 – G♯4
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star	G major (5 semitones lower than written)	G3 – E4
Joy to the World	F♯ major (6 semitones higher than written)	F♯3 – F♯4
O Holy Night	E major (4 semitones higher than written)	E3 – G♯4

Frequently asked questions

What is the tenor vocal range?

The typical tenor range runs from C3 to C5 — 2 octaves, or 130.8 Hz to 523.3 Hz at standard concert pitch. It is a description of where most tenor voices lie rather than a requirement: individual singers reach notes above and below it.

What is the highest note a tenor can sing?

The typical tenor range tops out at C5 — the “tenor high C”, an octave above middle C. Operatic tenors are expected to have it; a few roles go beyond, to D5. In falsetto or head voice a tenor can go higher still, but the classification is about the full voice.

Is tenor the most common male voice?

No — the baritone is. Most men’s voices sit between the bass and tenor ranges, and a comfortable, ringing top above the stave is the less common gift. That scarcity is part of why the tenor gets the hero’s part.

How do I know if I am a tenor?

Start by measuring your range: if it sits around C3 – C5, tenor is a reasonable first guess. But range alone does not decide it — the neighbouring types share most of the same notes. What settles it is where your voice is strongest and most comfortable (its tessitura), its timbre, and where it changes register, and those are judged by a teacher listening, not by a test.