Michael Jackson's Vocal Fach

Sophia2023

Proud Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2020
Messages
250
Points
43
Location
United States
Country
United-States
Is Michael Jackson tenor or a baritone?

He had a natural deep speaking voice, like an average man. Seth Riggs said he was a Baritone, but MJ preferred high tenor so he spoke softly. So he is a tenor or a baritone?
 
If I recall correctly, Seth Riggs only said Michael had a strong baritone voice, not that he was classified as such.

Michael was a tried and true high tenor. The general tenor vocal range peaks at a C5 (or, for those of us who aren't musicians/singers, is the note sung on the line "truth unfurl" in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"), which Michael was able to surpass for a majority of his lifetime. Baritones can be trained to sing higher, but the vast majority aren't able to sing any higher than A4 to A#4. Michael was belting those notes naturally.

As an adult -- for the sake of argument, let's say from age 21 onward -- here are some of his highest full-voiced moments:

  • D#5: "Lovely One," age 21-22 ("You're driving me insane!"); "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," age 23-24 ("I took my baby to the doctor"); "Will You Be There," age 32-33 ("Yeah! Will you be there?")
  • D5: "Walk Right Now," age 21-22 ("Why'd you do it to me?"); "Baby Be Mine," age 23-24 ("Won't you stay with me until the morning sun?"); "State of Shock," age 25 ("'Cause you're so fine"); "The Way You Make Me Feel," age 28 ("... Paint the town"); "Dirty Diana," age 28 ("Because she's sleeping with me!"); "D.S.," age 36 ("Did he say to either do it or die?")
  • C#5: "Can You Feel It," age 21-22 ("Yes, it's alright"); "The Girl is Mine," age 23 ("My girl forever and ever"); "Will You Be There," age 32-33 ("Carry! Carry, yeah!"); "They Don't Care About Us," age 36 ("He wouldn't let this be")
No doubt -- he was a tenor.
 
Tenor? I always thought tenor.
Ew barrio tone no way wtf
 
Seth Riggs stated that Michael Jackson had an extraordinary vocal range and he could easily sing bass, baritone, and tenor but he always chose the tenor vocal range.

Seth Riggs statement means that just because he could easily sing also bass and baritone, this did not necessarily qualify him as a baritone singer, because being a baritone singer should not be based only on vocal range.

Besides, in another interview, Seth Riggs stated that Michael Jackson was classified as a high tenor singer.

Also, if you listen to some baritone singers (like, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Jim Morrison, etc) you will realize that Michael Jackson should not be put in the same, baritone category as them.
 
This been talk about before but the thread is close. michael had a large voice rage. he was very gifted. michael voice was soft spoken but he most certainly had a deep voice. it's creep me out sometimes. but yeah he did.
 
Michael started as a boy soprano, but changed into tenore Leggero, during 1975-1981, but became a tenore Lirico during 1982-2009 for the rest of his life. His passaggio during the teenager and early adult years was at Eb4 and G#4, but in 1982 until his death, it shifted to D4 and G4. He modified his voice a lot. His natural voice was much denser than his image voice. Between 1981 and 1982, the passaggio was D4/Eb4 and G4/G#4 because he was maturing and continued to develop his voice.
 
I think he sound whiny in “all in your name”. I know nothing about singing of course but the entire end is overdone for me
 
I love Michael's vocals on All In Your Name. I'm not keen on duets but this one I love. And his voice? He's doing that 'crying pleading' thing. I love it when he does that. It's quite piercing which I suppose is why it has that strong emotional effect. As you can see I have no technical knowledge at all. 'Crying pleading' thing? This is how I talk about voices. Works well enough. :ROFLMAO:

Tenor? I always thought tenor.
Ew barrio tone no way wtf
Ah, wendi, you don't like baritones? 🙁

I think they're great. So many different sounds. David Bowie and Jim Morrison have been mentioned but I believe we've also got Elvis, Johnny Cash, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, Chris Cornell, Frank Sinatra, Bill Withers and, possibly, Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain. I know nothing about voices, all the technical stuff, but I think I'm correct in listing these guys as baritones.

one of the most impressive low notes i've ever heard MJ sing is on the ending of you can't win

3:03

Mm, I think it's that low note that makes it sound really soulful. I only discovered this song a few months back (I haven't watched The Wiz) so I'm having a great time getting to know it.
 
Ah, wendi, you don't like baritones? 🙁

I think they're great. So many different sounds. David Bowie and Jim Morrison have been mentioned but I believe we've also got Elvis, Johnny Cash, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, Chris Cornell, Frank Sinatra, Bill Withers and, possibly, Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain. I know nothing about voices, all the technical stuff, but I think I'm correct in listing these guys as baritones
This is an eyeopening thread but no, ..no no not Cash ....and noooooooo not Vedder at all. I do like to hear these guys American acents and for me - i cant hear it much..I hear Nom Nom Nom ..For me no.

Vedder to me sounded ...less than dreamy. I needed silky, dreamy , smooooooth yet strong (not scary) - ok .it would explain another reason why i never particularly warmed to The Seattle Sound ...and that Grunge was never for me. right anyway ..

However i do respect Chris Cornell art , Moreso Solo ! Some Early Sound Garden .. But solo , I love his Lennon Cover , Watching the Wheels.!!! and i don;t mind Alice in chains art, Layne does yell shout though but , hey ho - I hear the accent! and i suppose some of Early Nirvana, think Bleach and when they had Channing in the band. *grumbles*

... I liked David Lee Roth vocals not sure where he fits in . ah , Metallica Noooooooooooooo .I liked Nin though ....
Um .. but With regards to who else was out there , at that time - Basically , - i preferred Axl to Kurt art - Guns n Roses , you see, @zinniabooklover 🥰
****************************************************************************************************************

Ive been googling because it really is interesting to explore. :LOL:

!! and people - i realise this thread is to discuss Michael Vocal Talents which singing voice (and accent !) i perpetually adore but weve got from google

Elvis Presley was a baritone whose voice had an extraordinary compass — the so-called register — and a very wide range of vocal colour. It covered two octaves and a third, from the baritone low-G to the tenor high B, with an upward extension in falsetto to at least a D flat.

Layne Staley(Alice in Chains) Country:United States Range:4 octaves Vocal Type:Dramatic Tenor/High Baritone Layne Staley was the mythic vocalist of Alice in Chains. Owner of a strong Tenor/Baritone voice,he and his band was on of the most metal at all grunge bands.

Chris Cornell- Although Chris is technically a baritone because of his lower range and warmth of tone, he has an outstanding high mix that is well-produced and manages to maintain that warmth.

Kurt Cobain -This video is the only technical one about Kurt Cobain voice,registering E2-F#6,what can consider him as High baritone because how deep was his lows,and Low Tenor because he reached the 6th octave on a raspy voice-and it´s too though to do.

Vocalist Andrew Wood's dreamy lyrics are sung in a tenor heavily reminiscent of Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. (!!) to Wood - but NOooooo to Plant - Funny huh ?

Dio was more than just a travelling vocal troubleshooter to heavy rock fans. For a start, he had one of the definitive hard rock voices, a rich baritone that could rise through the octaves.

Axl - He is a natural Bass-baritone which you can observe in his songs sung in low notes. Even if he is a natural baritone, he can still give people surprising high notes memorably! In fact, he is more known in his high notes rather than the lows!

And For Michael it says a bunch of ...... He easily sings in the E4-G4 range, which a baritone wouldn't. Big belts for him are up in the 5th octave, which is most certainly not where a baritones belts sit. He has a lot of throatiness up high, yet still such ease. - I agree with the throatiness.

Vocal type: Light-Lyric Tenor Michael had a bright, youthful and warm voice, known for his child-like timbre. -I agree with warm n bright,It wasnt all like that though we had some rasp! . haha .

and this .......
But Michael's voicerange was located somewhere between Baritone and high Tenor. So he was quiet flexible how to use it. - Agree.


My conclusion i am attracted to Tenor ! Throatiness , Dreaminess! the accent plays a huge part , for me -and pronunciation of words - and now i will stop.
 
Last edited:
I've always been wondering what's his highest note in All In Your Name.

I'm not a voice or music expert but I find some parts of this song "impressively high".
Yup Doesnt go through you or wail like a cat. It is extremely impressive. Even his demos.
I lay an example.

The "finished " product
 
This is an eyeopening thread but no, ..no no not Cash ....and noooooooo not Vedder at all. I do like to hear these guys American acents and for me - i cant hear it much..Vedder to me sounded ...less than dreamy. I needed silky, dreamy , smooooooth yet strong (not scary) - ok .it would explain another reason why i never particularly warmed to The Seattle Sound ...and that Grunge was never for me. right anyway ..However i do respect Chris Cornell art , Moreso Solo ! Some Early Sound Garden .. But solo , I love his Lennon Cover , Watching the Wheels.!!! and i don;t mind Alice in chains art, Layne does yell shout though but , hey ho - I hear the accent! and i suppose some of Early Nirvana, think Bleach and when they had Channing in the band. *grumbles* ... Metallica Noooooooooooooo .I liked Nin though .... i preferred Axl to Kurt art - Guns n Roses @zinniabooklover 🥰
Oh, I wasn't listing people that I actually like. Really don't like Frank Sinatra, for example. He has a good voice but, for me, it's just boring. No, I was just interested to see how different the baritone voices are. Elvis, I can see it. John Lennon I probably wouldn't have guessed he was a baritone. I can see it with Bill Withers but can't see it with Kurt Cobain. So it was interesting to me. I don't understand any of this technical stuff. I don't know what the difference is between a lyric tenor - which Michael was - and any other kind of tenor. Having said that, I don't think I need to know. I don't think it would influence me in who I like and who I don't.

Ive been googling because it really is interesting to explore. :LOL:
It really is. I don't *need* to know this stuff but it was nice to dip into it for a little while. Prince is listed as being baritone and I do quite like his deeper voice - in so far as I like him at all which isn't all that much, lol - but look at how high his falsetto is? Crazy high. I guess that's his vocal range, though, rather than his actual voice type. The voice and the vocal range are two different things.

Layne Staley(Alice in Chains) Country:United States Range:4 octaves Vocal Type:Dramatic Tenor/High Baritone Layne Staley was the mythic vocalist of Alice in Chains. Owner of a strong Tenor/Baritone voice,he and his band was on of the most metal at all grunge bands.
Ah, Layne Staley. RIP. 'Love Hate Love' - one of the best ever live vocal performances, imo. Stunning. A very unhappy story but he was a fabulous singer.

My conclusion i am attracted to Tenor ! Throatiness , Dreaminess! the accent plays a huge part , for me -and pronunciation of words - and now i will stop.
I don't think I'm attracted to any particular type of voice. I've never really thought about it, though. I either like the sound of someone's voice or I don't. If I don't like the sound, it doesn't matter to me how good they are. I just won't wanna know. I love a crappy, punky, shouty voice just as much as I love an accomplished vocalist like Michael.
 
Michael's highest note was a C#6 not an F#6
I've just watched a vocal coach video saying Michael reached a D5. Which means nothing to me but apparently that's even higher than the C5. No idea if that's true since I have no technical knowledge so I don't wanna get into that. But I was quite intrigued.

The bit that was really interesting to me was the bit about low notes, baritone voice, Burn This Disco Out. So I'm going to check that out.
 
I've just watched a vocal coach video saying Michael reached a D5. Which means nothing to me but apparently that's even higher than the C5. No idea if that's true since I have no technical knowledge so I don't wanna get into that. But I was quite intrigued.

The bit that was really interesting to me was the bit about low notes, baritone voice, Burn This Disco Out. So I'm going to check that out.
Yeah Michael belted up to a D5 on many songs (especially in his early 20s) & could belt all the way up to a E5 in his early 20s (after that his voice got deeper and he didn't belt as high as before)

Burn This Disco Out had some low notes and so did You Can't Win but it was in the 90s/2000s when he started using his lower register more often on songs like 2000 watts and Dangerous.
 
I've just watched a vocal coach video saying Michael reached a D5. Which means nothing to me but apparently that's even higher than the C5. No idea if that's true since I have no technical knowledge so I don't wanna get into that. But I was quite intrigued.

The bit that was really interesting to me was the bit about low notes, baritone voice, Burn This Disco Out. So I'm going to check that out.
For future reference, the western tone scale starts with C:
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - back to C again, which starts a new octave (semitones (#) not included, but you get the idea I hope).
So yeah, a D5 would be higher than a C5, and Michael was indeed capable of hitting those notes.

Another reference: I'm a soprano (the highest female voice type category), and the absolute absolute highest I'm capable of reaching "normally" is an A5. I can force up to a C6, but I'll sound like a banshee if I do, lol. My absolute lowest is an F3, but only on "good days" lol, I don't like singing in a lower range since it's not very comfortable to me. If I go lower, I will sound like a ghost LOL.
 
Last edited:
Yeah Michael belted up to a D5 on many songs (especially in his early 20s) & could belt all the way up to a E5 in his early 20s (after that his voice got deeper and he didn't belt as high as before)

Burn This Disco Out had some low notes and so did You Can't Win but it was in the 90s/2000s when he started using his lower register more often on songs like 2000 watts and Dangerous.
Just posted the vid on another thread. I'm getting into this more than I used to. It was that video I just watched. The guy explains things so well even though I can't follow it all. And he really enjoys Michael's voice and his ability. The guy is looking at WATW so that fits right in with what you've said here.

I was just listening to You Can't Win earlier today. That low note at the end? SO soulful, so brilliant, so expressive. Love it.
 
Elvis Presley was a baritone whose voice had an extraordinary compass — the so-called register — and a very wide range of vocal colour. It covered two octaves and a third, from the baritone low-G to the tenor high B, with an upward extension in falsetto to at least a D flat.
This is a very outdated analysis originally published in the book ‘The Great American Popular Singers’ by Henry Pleasants in 1974(!). Frankly, I don’t know why this is still being quoted so frequently as it is inaccurate.
Elvis was indeed a baritone but his range was not only 2 octaves and a third.

In reality, Elvis’ lowest recorded note was an E1, his highest belt was a C5 and his highest recorded note was a Bb5. In total, that is 4 octaves, 3 tones and a semitone.
 
For future reference, the western tone scale starts with C:
C - D - E - F - G - A - B - back to C again, which starts a new octave (semitones (#) not included, but you get the idea I hope).
It was kind of you to post this but this stuff never lands with me. We did all this at school. Meant nothing to me. The number of times in my life I've tried to get my head around it, I can't even tell you. I understand it and yet I really, really, really don't. So now I don't even bother.

But this guy's video, that I did like. I felt like I actually learnt stuff. I will watch it several more times. His enthusiasm helped.
 
It was kind of you to post this but this stuff never lands with me. We did all this at school. Meant nothing to me. The number of times in my life I've tried to get my head around it, I can't even tell you. I understand it and yet I really, really, really don't. So now I don't even bother.

But this guy's video, that I did like. I felt like I actually learnt stuff. I will watch it several more times. His enthusiasm helped.
😅 I admittedly don't have that kinda brain; I always try to be as clear as possibly when explaining this sorta stuff, but I guess if you legitimately can't comprehend it, then it's no real use. For me it comes naturally, especially once I got the chance to visually link it to sounds, but I guess not everyone has that.
 
That was falsetto. His actual full voice seemed to top around F5/F#5 when he was a young man
The highest I've heard him belt was an F5 in Enjoy Yourself which he sung when he was around 18. After that he went up to an E5 on Goin' Places, Destiny and Off The Wall. Then from Triumph to History his highest belt was an Eb5.
 
Michael Jackson was really a small kind of Tenore Lirico (full lyric), but he overbrighted his voice a lot by trying to sound like a kid because he didn't have a proper childhood. His passaggio were D4 and G4, but passaggio points are not set in stone.
 
Back
Top