Stevie's Vocal Range

[WarmSir3]

Hello!!
For a few years I've been collecting vocal range info on a lot of singers, and at the moment am trying to get a good estimate for Stevie's recorded range.

So far, I've arrived at D3, the third D on the piano, to C5, the fifth C on the piano, which is a vocal range of 1 octave and 10 semitones. To give you an idea, there are a few D3s in Landslide (the final note on the vocal run on the word "life"), and there are head voice C5s on Dreams (it's only ri-ight), and the full Sara (before the "said Sara" verse/chorus), and a full voice C5 on Rhiannon on "life"!

I was wondering if any of you could help me out by pointing out some of Stevie's most impressive vocal performances. I'm such she can go a lot lower and higher, I really love her voice!

Thanks!

Edit: We have arrived at Bb2-E5! Two-and-a-half octaves exactly! Here is the video: <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N610_NOdsr8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N610_NOdsr8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

[vivfox]

Check out Whenever I Call You Friend by Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks. Many of us fans are amazed at the vocal he got out of her for this recording.

[WarmSir3]

Thanks, that was great, I'm a big Kenny Loggins fan. Is the high part at the beginning really Stevie?! If so it goes up to G5! As for the rest of the song, it really was a great performance, a few Bb4s and a C#5! So that's at least D3-C#5! Do you know any more about the high notes at the beginning? Sounded like a man for the first 20 seconds, a bit harder to tell after that...

[nailatixela]

Could you tell us a bit about stevie's vocal range changing throughout the years? I'm not sure if you are a big fan who can go into depth, or if you are just here for our imput.

Anyway, I really don't know anything about the letters and numbers of vocal ranges. However I am curious to know how you think it's changed over the years.

[Sanne2]

Thanks, that was great, I'm a big Kenny Loggins fan. Is the high part at the beginning really Stevie?! If so it goes up to G5! As for the rest of the song, it really was a great performance, a few Bb4s and a C#5! So that's at least D3-C#5! Do you know any more about the high notes at the beginning? Sounded like a man for the first 20 seconds, a bit harder to tell after that...

The high notes in the beginning are not Stevie's, pretty sure that's Kenny Loggins.
Listen to the piano demo of Sisters Of The Moon, one of her best vocals in my opinion, and she gets pretty high:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3TJ9XJ0Z

[nailatixela]

I thought of a demo version too. I really hope this is the right version where she hits the really high note in on The Highwayman.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mznot22ikme

[WarmSir3]

I am a fan! Can't go into too much depth I'm afraid. Her voice was consistently good for a long time, but quite hard to tell just how good live. On record at least, she was consistent, and for a long time too.
I'm not sure how much the cocaine affected her voice, but I don't think it was much, have never heard a bad performance from her up to 1987. I don't know much about her early-mid 90's material though. She was definitely in good form on The Dance, and wasn't bad when I saw Fleetwood Mac at the NEC Arena in Birmingham in 2003. Some of the higher notes she didn't quite hit. I'm sure she can still hit them but maybe doesn't want to tax her vocal cords too much at her age, considering the length of the tours.
What has baffled me is how she would miss a short high note on one song, and then sustain the exact same note later on!

Edit: Thanks for the links, I'll have a listen now!
Edit 2: Was that really Kenny Loggins? Pretty impressive.
The Sisters of the Moon demo was fantastic! Great singing, and lots of strong A4s! The Highwayman demo was great aswell! From F#3 to C#5 in falsetto. Thanks again!

[strandinthewind]

China Doll and the demo of Leather and Lace and After the Glitter fades -- she is very high on those.

Also - how high is she (musically) on the album cut of Beautiful child (esp on the "love" in "fell in love when I was only 10).

I think she does this thing where her voice sounds way higher than it really is.

[WarmSir3]

The "love" in Beautiful Child is a G4, but is in falsetto. It gives a thinner, higher sound. Compare it to the "so" in "so little time". Same note but in full voice. Lovely song, I'll listen to the others you mentioned shortly. Falsetto is used to hit notes that are outside a singer's natural range. Only the edge of the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to the whole cord, which gives it a softer sound. One could consider it an artificial raising of the voice.
The entire vocal cord vibrates when singing full voice, hence the, um, full sound. It will sound very much like the singer's natural voice. Most people prefer the sound of full voiced notes (also refered to as chest, mixed, and head voice), but falsetto notes have an airey, softer quality, where as full voiced notes have more power. On the downside, some higher full voiced notes can be taxing for the vocal cords. For some examples, see the C5s I pointed out in my first post and the Beautiful Child G4s at the top of this post. Here's a very informative/entertaining video aswell! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5jWi9MrOQo&feature=video_response).

I'll also explain the notes and numbers a bit more. The number refers to the octave in which the note is sung. A5 would be A in the fifth octave, for example. Each octave begins on C and ends on B, so B4 is higher than C4. For those who don't know, the chromatic scale starting on C has these notes: C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, Bb, B.

Stevie rarely strays above her favourite high note, B4. It is the same note as the classic "niiight" in Don't Stop Believin' by Journey! She sings it in a lot of songs, Stop Dragging My Heart Around, Edge of Seventeen, The Chain, Silver Springs.

Edit: China Doll was amazing, did she really not release it on an album? Up to A4 in falsetto. I prefered the Leather and Lace demo to the final version, a few falsetto C5s! I love After The Glitter Fades! Up to A4 in full voice a few times.
Edit 2: Long post! I had another listen to the Rumours album, as she was very much in her prime here. Second Hand News' harmony goes up to C#5, could be full voice. Go Your Own Way goes up to C5 in the harmony I think. The final "I don't wanna kno-ow" in I Don't Want To Know is a C#5 in full voice! A lot stronger and sustained than the Whenever I Call You Friend C#5!

[AgeOldDesire]

I can't cite specific performances; because my brain doesn't work like that; but some of the Rumours Tour GDW endings had some impressive high notes. Flip it and some of the Unleashed Tour GDW endings had some of the lowest notes. Go figure.

[WarmSir3]

Ha, I'll have to check them out.

Also, I have found a new highest note for Stevie, in both full and falsetto! In the studio version of Sisters of the Moon she sings up to E5 in falsetto, and on the live Mirage tour version, she sings up to D5 in full voice. Which means her range now without falsetto is D3-D5, 2 octaves!

Edit: Up to C5 on a live GDW from 1977, I'm sure there are versions that go higher!

[AgeOldDesire]

Oh yeah and Call On Me For Magic has a few high notes, too. FWIW.

[WarmSir3]

That was a nice song. A few Bb4s in falsetto.

Once I've amassed a few more great performances, and/or find some lower/higher notes, I'll have to make a video for Youtube.

[strandinthewind]

^^^

Thanks for that explanation!

Interestingly, I believe she is not singing the lead on the chorus of Dreams. I think she sings the fifth and the seventh, with LB and CM taking the first and third of the harmony. Do you hear that?

[WarmSir3]

I'm not sure, Stevie definitely overdubbed a harmony. Have a listen to the first chorus, on "players only love you when they're playing". Stevie takes the third of the harmony there, up to C5 in falsetto. It's harder to tell on the other choruses, however! On that first one at least I can't hear Christine at all. I hear Lindsey singing the fifth, but in a lower octave.

Edit: I think I hear Christine singing the third on the second chorus! Can't hear a seventh though...

[strandinthewind]

I'm not sure, Stevie definitely overdubbed a harmony. Have a listen to the first chorus, on "players only love you when they're playing". Stevie takes the third of the harmony there, up to C5 in falsetto. It's harder to tell on the other choruses, however! On that first one at least I can't hear Christine at all. I hear Lindsey singing the fifth, but in a lower octave.

Edit: I think I hear Christine singing the third on the second chorus! Can't hear a seventh though...

I think in the Making of Rumors doc. (circa 1997) -- LB dicusses the harmonies of the Dreams chorus. It could be, though, in the Rumors 5.1 reissue DVD. He actually plays the tracks alone. I can't find it though.

Interestingly, LB's voice was so high then that it often, to me, was hard to tell his voice from La Nicks' in some of the harmonies. The "YEAAAAAA" at the end of SYLM is a good example to me.

Finally, La Nicks' voice is sort of odd in that she sings in many different areas. Look at Circle Dance, which is higer sounding to me than Rhiannon. However, I think they are not that far apart musically.

[WarmSir3]

Both Nicks and Vanessa Carlton sing up to G#4 on Circle Dance. Doesn't sound higher than Rhiannon to my ears, but I know what you're trying to say with that last sentence. I was sure Silver Springs was higher than Rhiannon, and it was very close, but nope! For the most part Circle Dance is higher, Rhiannon is a fairly low vocal, but the "all your life" and "would you stay". Are both nice C5s. She pulled them off nicely live aswell for a few years. I'm thinking she could have gone up to E5 in full voice around 1976-1982, maybe higher.

[gldstwmn]

I was wondering if any of you could help me out by pointing out some of Stevie's most impressive vocal performances. I'm such she can go a lot lower and higher, I really love her voice!

Thanks!

Wild Heart, from the album The Wild Heart
Somebody Stand By Me - Boys On The Side Soundtrack
Frozen Love - Buckingham Nicks
Edge of Seventeen live version - Enchanted box set
Edge of Seventeen - VH1 Storytellers
Sisters of the Moon- Mirage Tour video
Sara - Tusk tour video
Gold & Braid - Enchanted box set
Angel - Tusk
Seven Wonders - Tango In The Night
Sleeping Angel - Enchanted box set

There are so many more and I'll add them later but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.

On edit: For the lower end of her vocal range you might want to check out God's Garden (for which I will post a link) and Destiny Rules from Say You Will.

[WarmSir3]

Whew! Time to make a checklist!

Wild Heart, from the album The Wild Heart
Somebody Stand By Me - Boys On The Side Soundtrack
Frozen Love - Buckingham Nicks This was amazing! Great vocals throughout and a super B4 towards the end!
Edge of Seventeen live version - Enchanted box set
Edge of Seventeen - VH1 Storytellers Also very good but I prefer the studio version. This one went up to C5 I think.
Sisters of the Moon- Mirage Tour video Mentioned this one earlier, fantastic, and has the highest full voice note I've heard from her, D5.
Sara - Tusk tour video Wasn't that much of a fan of this video. The Melbourne performance however, goosebumps alert towards the end! Great A4 which I'll include in the video.
Gold & Braid - Enchanted box set Not much in the ways of highs/lows, but a good song.
Angel - Tusk Nice song, up to A4.
Seven Wonders - Tango In The Night Had a listen yesterday, wasn't a bad song, nothing groundbreaking note-wise as far as I remember.
Sleeping Angel - Enchanted box set Nice G4
God's Garden Oh wow! A few C#3s and even a few short B2s!
Destiny Rules That was a nice song! Down to C#3! That brings us to 2 octaves and 1 semitone, C#3-D5!
Baby Come Back (Nothing Ever Changes?) Cool song

[gldstwmn]

Here's the link to God's Garden: http://www.mediafire.com/file/t02j2gyejym/09 God's Garden.m4a

[gldstwmn]

Here's the link to God's Garden: http://www.mediafire.com/file/t02j2gyejym/09 God's Garden.m4a

You might also want to check out Nothing Ever Changes from The Wild Heart.

[gldstwmn]

Edge of Seventeen - VH1 Storytellers Also very good but I prefer the studio version.
Nothing wrong with that. I like the VH1 performance for the energy of the vocal and it's an excellent indicator of what she was capable of vocally at that time.
Seven Wonders is a sentimental favorite around here because it is the last known pre Betty Ford vocal. Sniff.

[WarmSir3]

God's Garden is the lowest vocal I've heard from Stevie! As I said up there, a few C#3s and short B2s (not the man either!). I actually watched it on Youtube because iTunes was being tempermental. One of the comments mentions the song being slowed down, a few people were asking for the higher voice version. Slowing down would definitely affect the pitch. This version was 5:58, is the version you uploaded close to this length? I hope it's not slowed down, then we can credit her with B2-D5, 2 octaves and 3 semitones!

[gldstwmn]

God's Garden is the lowest vocal I've heard from Stevie! As I said up there, a few C#3s and short B2s (not the man either!). I actually watched it on Youtube because iTunes was being tempermental. One of the comments mentions the song being slowed down, a few people were asking for the higher voice version. Slowing down would definitely affect the pitch. This version was 5:58, is the version you uploaded close to this length? I hope it's not slowed down, then we can credit her with B2-D5, 2 octaves and 3 semitones!

There is another version of God's Garden. It's not much higher. In fact, to me it just sounds as if the mix is different. It's anyone's guess whether the one I posted was slowed down.
Also for another stellar Stevie performance you might want to check out Smile At You - Mirage demo (angry version).

[WarmSir3]

Well it doesn't sound slowed down, judging by her C#3s and D3s she should have no problem hitting B2! Maybe the Youtube user was suprised to hear her voice so low. So for now at least, I will say B2-D5 is correct, 2 octaves and 3 semitones!

I really enjoyed that Smile At You demo, lots of great C5s, even a trill up to D5 on one of them, and another short D5 later on! The D5s are better than the one in the live Sisters of the Moon aswell! Any more versions of the song? Probably the most impressive vocal I've heard from her!

[CADreaming]

Nothing wrong with that. I like the VH1 performance for the energy of the vocal and it's an excellent indicator of what she was capable of vocally at that time.
Seven Wonders is a sentimental favorite around here because it is the last known pre Betty Ford vocal. Sniff.

So, what we're saying here is that her voice sounded better on cocaine than off cocaine?
:shrug:

I'm just curious because I wonder what the drug does to cause that effect? I know of at least one other singer who falls into this category (for all I know there are a ton...)

[WarmSir3]

So, what we're saying here is that her voice sounded better on cocaine than off cocaine?
:shrug:

I'm just curious because I wonder what the drug does to cause that effect? I know of at least one other singer who falls into this category (for all I know there are a ton...)

As far as I know, it did. Not sure cocaine had that much of an effect. For all we know it could have been even better up until 1986 if she'd never taken cocaine. Excuse my ignorance here, but wasn't she on a different drug in the 90's?

[CADreaming]

As far as I know, it did. Not sure cocaine had that much of an effect. For all we know it could have been even better up until 1986 if she'd never taken cocaine. Excuse my ignorance here, but wasn't she on a different drug in the 90's?


Yeah, she traded cocaine addiction for prescription med addiction - Klonopin to be exact.

You're right about her voice being better without cocaine, period. I suspect smoking had more to do with her voice issues overall though. She has a classic smoker's rasp.

[WarmSir3]

Stevie smoked? News to me! Klonopin definitely would have affected her physically, aswell as the weight gain. The same happened a few years ago to Lou Gramm of Foreigner fame after complications with medication after an operation to remove a brain tumour. Lou seemed to be in a worse state than Stevie, however Stevie improved very noticeably towards the late 90's, and Lou is also improving.

A bit off topic there!

[vivfox]

You might also want to check out Baby Come Back from The Wild Heart.

What song is this? Do you mean Nothing Ever Changes?

[michelej1]

One of the cutest moments in Destiny Rules is when Stevie is telling Lindsey he is supposed to sing the high harmony. Then, she points upward with her finger, just to make sure he understands.

Michele

[gldstwmn]

So, what we're saying here is that her voice sounded better on cocaine than off cocaine?


No. There was a distinct change in style post Betty Ford, that's all.

[gldstwmn]

What song is this? Do you mean Nothing Ever Changes?

Yes. Brain blip.

[WarmSir3]

I couldn't find the original Nothing Ever Changes, but found a demo version. I got all excited thinking I heard a Bb2, turns out it was Bb3! The first video should be up today after I finish my listening checklist. If we find some more great stuff after that then I can make a video response. Thanks for all the help! I'll have to include a thanks in the video description too.

[WarmSir3]

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Here's the first video! Big thanks to all who helped out!

Still hoping to find some material for a video response though!

[gldstwmn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7LWw9Pmwtc

Here's the first video! Big thanks to all who helped out!

Still hoping to find some material for a video response though!

Nicely done! I love the Sara from Melbourne. If memory serves that whole boot is good. You must hear the end of Wild Heart and the "if it's me that's driving you to this madness" at the end of Nothing Ever Changes. According to Stevie, a lot of The Wild Heart was recorded live and on the fly so those notes were like capturing lightning in a bottle.
And since I love this topic, I was thinking about some more stuff for you to check out. For the current decade of Stevie, there is a fantastic four part harmony at the end of If Anyone Falls from Stevie's shows at Caesar's Palace in '05. And Beauty and the Beast is not to be missed from those shows.

[WarmSir3]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out if I can get a copy of Wild Heart. Four part harmony, sounds great!

I'm thinking Stevie could manage 2 and a half octaves. I'm a bit unsure about the B2, but with the B2 she'd need an F5 for a solid 2 and a half octaves. Those Destiny Rules C#5s sound comfortable, I wouldn't be suprised if she hit an A2 at some point, her natural speaking voice is quite low. Next course of action is listening to the Buckingham Nicks record for highs and the rest of Say You Will for lows.

[strandinthewind]

This is a cool oldie - note her drop to the first (?) at "Where is the Reason?" at around 3:32 - then at about 3:55 she goes back to the third (?)

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She does the same kinda thing here (lower at 3:19) :

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They are high as kites here - talk about lightening in a bottle!!!!!!!!!!!

[WarmSir3]

Hm, on that first video I'm thinking she starts on the third then moves to the first!

[strandinthewind]

Hm, on that first video I'm thinking she starts on the third then moves to the first!

I agree. She starts at the third, drops to the first, and then goes back to the third.

I also think the other singer sounds great.

Harmony singing is so fun!

[WarmSir3]

Yes it is! Slightly unrelated, but here's some lovely harmony singing ending on an A5 from Mark Boals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXeSYJlwJmA

[strandinthewind]

^^^

Mark B. hits that last notes :eek:

In my youth I could have - now, I am not so sure LOL

[gldstwmn]

This is a cool oldie - note her drop to the first (?) at "Where is the Reason?" at around 3:32 - then at about 3:55 she goes back to the third (?)

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She does the same kinda thing here (lower at 3:19) :

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They are high as kites here - talk about lightening in a bottle!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't see these. Are they from the Rolling Stone Photo shoot?

[WarmSir3]

Mark is terrifying indeed! He even hits a soprano high C (C6) in the beginning of this video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgdpVjATZo&feature=related)

Had a listen to Nothing Ever Changes. Some strong C5s in there, and a great D5 on "if it's me that's driving you to this madness"! Definitely one for part 2! More strong C5s in Wild Heart! And a full voice D#5!! Super!

The videos aren't appearing because Youtube is down for maintenance at the moment.

[AgeOldDesire]

Towards the end of Talk To Me are some impressive high notes. The very ending of Juliet as it fades has a nice high note. The demo of Juliet has a few high notes. Long Way To Go is full of them. And Seven Wonders is powerful on the "kind of intensity" part. And the ending of Crying In The Night is great.

[michelej1]

I don't know what the notes are, but I think she gets pretty high on Midnight Wind.
Michele

[WarmSir3]

Towards the end of Talk To Me are some impressive high notes. The very ending of Juliet as it fades has a nice high note. The demo of Juliet has a few high notes. Long Way To Go is full of them. And Seven Wonders is powerful on the "kind of intensity" part. And the ending of Crying In The Night is great.
I don't know what the notes are, but I think she gets pretty high on Midnight Wind.
Michele

C5s and I think a short D5 on Talk To Me. Up to B4 on both Juliets. Will have to listen to the rest tomorrow.

[goldustsongbird]

I know nothing about notes, but some live songs and demos to consider:

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Her harmony here, especially at 2:30

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[michelej1]

Will have to listen to the rest tomorrow.

Yes, I don't know if a falsetto really counts for your purposes. Michele

[Travis]

Hi Warmsir3!

In my quick skim thru this thread, I don't think anyone mentioned "Sorcerer" from Trouble In Shangri-La and the 2005 version of "Dreams" by Deep Dish feat. Stevie. From Sorcerer, the line "in my misery" seems high for Stevie, espeically given that her voice has dropped a few registers since the 70's and early 80's. I'm curious to know what these two are.

Thanks!

Travis

[WarmSir3]

I know nothing about notes, but some live songs and demos to consider:

That first one went up to D5s in both falsetto and full voice, nice! The Silver Springs demo would not play! Two clips from The Highwayman demo were used in the vocal range video. I think someone may have pointed out the Leather and Lace demo, up to C#5 in falsetto. Thank you for the links!

Yes, I don't know if a falsetto really counts for your purposes. Michele

Oh yes, I used falsetto for comparison purposes, and also her highest note so far is falsetto! I loved Midnight Wind. A looong falsetto C#5 from Stevie there and a powerful vocal. A shame the fade had to start so soon! Thanks!

Hi Warmsir3!

In my quick skim thru this thread, I don't think anyone mentioned "Sorcerer" from Trouble In Shangri-La and the 2005 version of "Dreams" by Deep Dish feat. Stevie. From Sorcerer, the line "in my misery" seems high for Stevie, espeically given that her voice has dropped a few registers since the 70's and early 80's. I'm curious to know what these two are.

Thanks!

Travis

The 2005 version of Dreams is a semitone higher, meaning she goes up to C#5 in falsetto (again!) on "it's only right"! I love Sorcerer, "in my misery yeah yeah" ends on falsetto A4, but I understand why it might sound higher. Down to F3 aswell. Thanks!

Edit: Had a listen to some Say You Will tracks again, the title track and Thrown Down have some nice F3s, Illume has solid E3s. Everybody Finds Out goes from F3 to Bb4 (twice) in full voice. Some more E3s in Goodbye Baby... major goosebumps on this one! Smile At You, less impressive than the "angry" demo, still great singing in the higher register around A4, and down to, you guessed it, E3 a few times.

[DashingDan]

I just thought of one...how about the low note on 'Violet and Blue'. The part that I'm thinking of is: Hard on my heart.
That's pretty low, isn't it?

[WarmSir3]

I just thought of one...how about the low note on 'Violet and Blue'. The part that I'm thinking of is: Hard on my heart.
That's pretty low, isn't it?

F#3, lower than usual for Stevie! Fantastic C#5 about half way through if that's her doing the harmony! Is it her? At 02:48. What do you all think?

[David]

What recordings are you using? YouTube? Old tapes? Old boots? Bootlegs sometimes reproduce actual pitch inaccurately. Whole concerts in the Mac boot catalog -- for example, Osaka 12.04.77 -- have circulated for decades pitched at levels that weren't actually the levels performed or recorded at.

[WarmSir3]

Studio recordings and demos for the most part. The only clip I am unsure of is the God's Garden B2, it's quite easy to tell when the pitch is wrong, although most of the time it's a result of tape speed issues.

[gldstwmn]

What recordings are you using? YouTube? Old tapes? Old boots? Bootlegs sometimes reproduce actual pitch inaccurately. Whole concerts in the Mac boot catalog -- for example, Osaka 12.04.77 -- have circulated for decades pitched at levels that weren't actually the levels performed or recorded at.

Finally. Why are you so late to the party? :lol:

[David]

Finally. Why are you so late to the party? :lol:Daylight saving time!
:xoxo:

[StandbackStevie]

i love so much stevie is hard to choose but i love the vocal arangements on If You Ever Did Believe Stevie is amazing on this song as pretty much with any song she sings also love Sorcerer and Whenever I call you Friend with Kenny Loggins here is a clip of that song too.

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[goldustsongbird]

That first one went up to D5s in both falsetto and full voice, nice! The Silver Springs demo would not play! Two clips from The Highwayman demo were used in the vocal range video. I think someone may have pointed out the Leather and Lace demo, up to C#5 in falsetto. Thank you for the links!


Here's an mp3 of the Silver Springs demo if the clip still doesn't work. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ldjjjt5jjay/AGypsyInTheMaking_07_SilverSpringsOldPianoDemo.mp3

[WarmSir3]

Here's an mp3 of the Silver Springs demo if the clip still doesn't work. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ldjjjt5jjay/AGypsyInTheMaking_07_SilverSpringsOldPianoDemo.mp3

Nice! Up to B4 I think, and the Bb4s are strong.

i love so much stevie is hard to choose but i love the vocal arangements on If You Ever Did Believe Stevie is amazing on this song as pretty much with any song she sings also love Sorcerer and Whenever I call you Friend with Kenny Loggins here is a clip of that song too.

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Good G#4s there, and full voice C5s! Went down to G#3 a lot of times, think I heard a D#3 in there too.

Still looking for a solid note under C#3! Need to finish Say You Will, her lowest singing and harmonies are here.

[Black_Moon]

Nice! Up to B4 I think, and the Bb4s are strong.



Good G#4s there, and full voice C5s! Went down to G#3 a lot of times, think I heard a D#3 in there too.

Still looking for a solid note under C#3! Need to finish Say You Will, her lowest singing and harmonies are here.

Have you heard her harmonies on Miranda off there? Those are pretty low.

[WarmSir3]

The track is out of tune by about a quarter tone to my keyboard sadly, but I think it was down to E3. Strange guitar playing by Lindsey there!

[WarmSir3]

Finally the non-"slowed down" God's Garden works! Definitely a B2, this version doesn't sound unnaturally low either. She seems to sing the lower harmony at first, and then a man (Waddy Watchel?) sings it from then on, which is a bit confusing. So 2 octaves and 4 semitones! Hopefully we can bring that up to 2 and a half octaves if we can find an A2 or F5. Or a Bb2 and an E5.

Has she performed Wild Heart live?

[WarmSir3]

At last! A strong Bb2 is buried in the fade of Destiny Rules! Judging by it she should have no problem with G#2...

What's good about this is we can now credit her with 2.5 octaves (with falsetto)! At the moment I'm researching into a different singer but happened to notice the Bb2 when listening. I may make a thread on Lindsey Buckingham in future, I'm already at D2-A5(!) just from casual listening, but this thread was very fun!

[iamnotafraid]

Stevie's vocal range 20hz to 20khz, here it is.

20hz ---------^----------20khz

Graph courtesy of Apple's V.D.C.A.

[PenguinHead]

For what it's worth, her live performance of At Last is very impressive.

[WarmSir3]

Stevie's vocal range 20hz to 20khz, here it is.

20hz ---------^----------20khz

Graph courtesy of Apple's V.D.C.A.

If only!

For what it's worth, her live performance of At Last is very impressive.

This was certainly different! Fantastic performance! Lovely Bb4s in there. I'll have to listen to the rest of that album sometime.

[WarmSir3]

Here is a revised video with better notes and less of them!

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On another note, it turns out what I was defining as falsetto was actually female head voice! This explains why she seldom hits some of them live. Hooray!

[nailatixela]

WarmSir, thanks for doing all this. I really don't understand all the letters you use but it's great to know Stevie's range in terms of how big/small it is. That's something even I can understand.

But what I'd really love you to do is tell us how much range Stevie had during certain periods of her career. It would be cool to see the differences from every decade. And maybe split each decade up into 3s (early, mid and late) And see how much her vocal range has changed over the years. I think that would be really cool. :)

[WarmSir3]

WarmSir, thanks for doing all this. I really don't understand all the letters you use but it's great to know Stevie's range in terms of how big/small it is. That's something even I can understand.

I enjoy doing it! What do you not understand?

But what I'd really love you to do is tell us how much range Stevie had during certain periods of her career. It would be cool to see the differences from every decade. And maybe split each decade up into 3s (early, mid and late) And see how much her vocal range has changed over the years. I think that would be really cool. :)

Yes yes, a good idea indeed! With the Christine topic I started sorting it by albums. Maybe this week I'll start that with Stevie. I think The Wild Heart could have the most range on a Stevie album but we'll see!

Thank you for the kind words! :D

[nailatixela]

I enjoy doing it! What do you not understand?



Yes yes, a good idea indeed! With the Christine topic I started sorting it by albums. Maybe this week I'll start that with Stevie. I think The Wild Heart could have the most range on a Stevie album but we'll see!

Thank you for the kind words! :D

Oh, I'm just not a very good musical person. So I don't understand the difference between a B3 or a E8. Except I'd assume one is higher/lower than the other.

Albums would be good. Don't forget about the Fleetwood Mac ones and Buckingham Nicks. It might be a good idea to incorporate live stuff into this idea too, and not just studio vocals?

[iamnotafraid]

If only!

That blip in my graph (^) is Stevie's vocal range.

[WarmSir3]

Oh, I'm just not a very good musical person. So I don't understand the difference between a B3 or a E8. Except I'd assume one is higher/lower than the other.

Ah, well each octave has 12 notes, from lowest to highest C C# D Eb E F F# G G# A Bb B. The number refers to which octave the note is from. So C4 is an octave higher than C3 and an octave lower than C5, and lower than B4 but higher than B3. F#3 is higher than D3, etc.

Albums would be good. Don't forget about the Fleetwood Mac ones and Buckingham Nicks. It might be a good idea to incorporate live stuff into this idea too, and not just studio vocals?

Of course! The Buckingham Nicks album has my favourite Stevie high note, the B4 from Frozen Love. Live is a good idea although I don't think I'll use bootlegs as they are sometimes recorded at the wrong speed which affects the pitch. Stevie is a more, how could I say, reliable? person when it comes to studio vocals, compared to Lindsey. Any manipulation of her voice is mostly found on FM albums, courtesy of Lindsey. A good example is the descending "I am what I am" passage in Family Man. I think she recorded two or three seperate "I am what I am"s because the echo is fairly soft but some of the lines are quite strong. If I am right this is Stevie's lowest singing on Tango In The Night but there's no way of being sure :distress: Her highest is a C#5 from Seven Wonders included in the video (How did I say it had nothing noteworthy earlier in the topic?! It's very rare she goes above C5... maybe I was listening to a different song)

That blip in my graph (^) is Stevie's vocal range.

:xoxo:

[gldstwmn]

. Any manipulation of her voice is mostly found on FM albums, courtesy of Lindsey. A good example is the descending "I am what I am" passage in Family Man. I think she recorded two or three seperate "I am what I am"s because the echo is fairly soft but some of the lines are quite strong

That's not Stevie. It's Lindsey aping Stevie courtesy of his fondness for the vso.

[WarmSir3]

That's not Stevie. It's Lindsey aping Stevie courtesy of his fondness for the vso.

Really?! Sounds just like her! Scary!

[gldstwmn]

Really?! Sounds just like her! Scary!

His ability to imitate her voice is borderline freakish. Like Keith Olsen said those two voices were meant to sing together.
With Family Man, I think Lindsey sang the part he thought Stevie would sing there. She was basically missing for a good part of the recording of Tango due to the Australian tour and Betty Ford.

[WarmSir3]

Does she appears on a Family Man remix like with Big Love? I love that remix! Possibly more than the original studio version... !

[michelej1]

Really?! Sounds just like her! Scary!

Stevie has said it's really uncanny the way he can sound like her or slow down her voice so that she sounds just like him too.

She also pointed out during the SYW promotion that she heard something that sounded so much like Christine that she had to ask Lindsey if it was Christine or just him sounding like Christine.

Michele

[WarmSir3]

I had the same problem with Beautiful Child!

I've been meaning to start the vocal-range-over-time thing(...) but have been busy with some other vocalists, mainly trying to finally finish "researching" Ann Wilson's range. It's been a few month and I still haven't found any decent low notes! Oh Ann :distress: I managed to finish with Lou Gramm's earlier though! :blob2:

Anyway back on topic, hopefully I can get started on the weekend :)

[David]

Stevie has said it's really uncanny the way he can sound like her or slow down her voice so that she sounds just like him too.Has Lindsey (or anybody else) ever given more details about the VSO machine? I know that the device itself is referred to by several different names, & that its employment stretched beyond the recording studio.

[michelej1]

Has Lindsey (or anybody else) ever given more details about the VSO machine? I know that the device itself is referred to by several different names, & that its employment stretched beyond the recording studio.


Musician's Magazine covered it a bit in their interview with Lindsey:

http://fleetwoodmac.net/penguin/archive/musician2.htm



The most important technique used to achieve the album's unique, concise guitar timbres was analog tape varispeeding. Buckingham is a VSO fiend from way back, and uses it on backing vocals and drums as well as guitar. "It's a voicing tool," he says, "a way of refining a sound-the harmonics of it-so it sits right in the track. It's like another version of EQ."

The actual technique is pretty obvious, says Lindsey: "You just slow the tape down to where you think it's going to sound right. Then you just play to the slowed-down tape; you've got to transpose, of course. After that, you take it back up to normal speed and see how it sounds. It's a real trial-and-error thing."

Varispeeding accounts for some 40 percent of the guitar sounds on the record, Buckingham estimates: "On 'Countdown' a lot of rhythm stuff was [recorded with tape speed] taken down, in order to come up more crystalline. And the lead sound is a Tele recorded through a fuzz preamp and VSOed. The idea was to make it come up like a violin sound. When [engineer] Chris Lord-Alge was mixing that he kept trying to fatten it up. I told him, 'No, it's gotta sting like a bee.'"

The dulcimer-like timbres in the intro to "Soul Drifter" were made with several tracks of VSOed guitars. "The ascending line"-Lindsey sings the riff-"that's two guitars in octaves. Then there's a [muted] 3/4-time pattern that goes across that."

Buckingham says VSOing produces results very much like Nashville tuning-"that high, harpsichord type of sound." While there are no Nashville-tuned guitars on the disc, there are a few open-G, 'E and dropped 'D tunings. There's also one Lindsey invented and dubbed his "oriental" tuning: "We put all high E and B strings on my Strat and tuned them all a half-step or whole step apart. So you get this . . .[he imitates the sound of a sitar's sympathetic strings]. You can get these nice open things going with it, like in the verses of 'This is the Time.'"

With all this trickery, it's no wonder that listeners start hearing things as they ain't. "A guy in New York was swearing he was hearing all these effects," Buckingham recounts. "He was saying, 'Yeah, you used a harmonizer on there.' But I didn't use any of that stuff. I had to tell him, 'I hate to burst your bubble, but it's just a different approach to recording.'"

[michelej1]

Has Lindsey (or anybody else) ever given more details about the VSO machine? I know that the device itself is referred to by several different names, & that its employment stretched beyond the recording studio.

Also, I think there's an interview where Mark Needham was talking about how the way Lindsey uses VSO interferes with Pro Tools, makes it harder to transfer to Pro Tools. It was technical and I didn't understand what he was saying.

Michele

[WarmSir3]

New info!!

In this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-DqLBkb_vQ) interview Stevie speaks down to Ab2! This adds a tone to her range, possibly a tone and a half since the Bb2 was a bit debatable. And the E5, which I'm not even completely sure is her. In any case it solidifes her over-2.5 octaves.

[vivfox]

New info!!

In this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-DqLBkb_vQ) interview Stevie speaks down to Ab2! This adds a tone to her range, possibly a tone and a half since the Bb2 was a bit debatable. And the E5, which I'm not even completely sure is her. In any case it solidifes her over-2.5 octaves.

I feel the same way Stevie does about people and their cell phones and their texting. I was with my neice and my mom last night having dinner and playing cards. All through the night the niece received text messages and then sent them. It really gets annoying because you feel that she's not totally there. Her mind is constantly elsewhere. Another thing that drives me nuts is when I'm giving someone a ride to a meeting and their cell phone rings, then I have to turn my music down real low so they can hear the other person. Then the two of them have a conversation and that leaves me outta the picture.

[WarmSir3]

Oh... that was the wrong interview! She speaks down to A2 on that one. Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIBX1SxULR8&feature=related) around 1:34 is the Ab2. I should have learnt to pitch speaking a long time ago!

[silversprings62]

Check out Whenever I Call You Friend by Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks. Many of us fans are amazed at the vocal he got out of her for this recording.

yes, one of her all time top vocals on any song, ever

[michelej1]

Oh... that was the wrong interview! She speaks down to A2 on that one. Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIBX1SxULR8&feature=related) around 1:34 is the Ab2. I should have learnt to pitch speaking a long time ago!

But does speaking really count in an interview? I mean, I know sometimes they sing/talk in a song and that counts a little more, seems a bit more eligible for inclusion, but when they're just chatting and not trying to stay in key or anything, I'm not sure that should count in vocal range. I bet if you just use my speaking voice, I have a tremendous vocal range!

Michele

[WarmSir3]

I understand your point Michele, but if she can speak the notes she can sing them too.

[StreetAngel95]

as a Soprano 1 in my high school choir, i thought these videos were very cool! I have always loved her high falsettos in the likes of "Dreams" and "Sisters of the Moon", but i absolutely love her low, husky voice that she has now! Great videos!

[Nathan]

I feel the same way Stevie does about people and their cell phones and their texting. I was with my neice and my mom last night having dinner and playing cards. All through the night the niece received text messages and then sent them. It really gets annoying because you feel that she's not totally there. Her mind is constantly elsewhere. Another thing that drives me nuts is when I'm giving someone a ride to a meeting and their cell phone rings, then I have to turn my music down real low so they can hear the other person. Then the two of them have a conversation and that leaves me outta the picture.

I think the problem with the text-edemic is that is implies to the rest of the room that you'd rather be somewhere else. That whatever keeps grabbing your attention is more important. And, after a certain point, you just can't help but ask, "Who the hell is it??!" ... And that's just nosy.

[WarmSir3]

as a Soprano 1 in my high school choir, i thought these videos were very cool! I have always loved her high falsettos in the likes of "Dreams" and "Sisters of the Moon", but i absolutely love her low, husky voice that she has now! Great videos!

Thank you!

A few updates...
- Stevie's absolute lowest spoken note is F#2, although with vocal fry, which is a very croaky register not connected to the chest and therefore isn't a part of one's range, she has reached D2, which is a male bass note!
- There are a few Eb5s on the studio version of I'm So Afraid, a lovely harmony!
- Her E5 I now think is Christine.
- The range she covers on the Soundstage CD is B2-A4, and they are good A4s so she can probably still reach a B4. She has a much better range now than people give her credit for!

On the Mirage tour video she hits D5s in Rhiannon and Sisters of the Moon... yet she still doesn't hit the famous Rhiannon C5s! Baffling! Does anyone have any bootleg versions of both songs from that tour? Thank you..

[michelle2677]

bumping an old thread and unfortunatley i don't think warmsir3 has been back in a while but i took max for a walk and was listening to straight back, the studio version (i normally listen to the live rehearsal version). i wonder if her vocal in this hits her lowest note.

specifically i'm talking about "hours and hours of....waiting for you" after the musical break and in between "she remembers how good it can be".

the first one. after that she starts to break loose and take it up a notch.


it's around 2:35


"WOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!" :lol:

[WildHearted]

I think it would be useful(? for lack of better word) to document Stevie's vocal range exclusively at various points in her career, too. I'm sure there are notes she sang in the 70's she could not hit now, as well as notes she can hit now that she couldn't hit in the 70's.

[teedeerocks]

Check out Whenever I Call You Friend by Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks. Many of us fans are amazed at the vocal he got out of her for this recording.

In some interview a long time ago Stevie referred to Kenny Loggins as the "slavedriver" because he was never satisfied with the vocal she offered for WICYF.She said he pushed her over and over b/c he knew she was capable of more and at the time she was POed about it but later realized he was right and she is now very proud of her contribution:nod:.Me too:angel:

[Jondalar]

In some interview a long time ago Stevie referred to Kenny Loggins as the "slavedriver" because he was never satisfied with the vocal she offered for WICYF.She said he pushed her over and over b/c he knew she was capable of more and at the time she was POed about it but later realized he was right and she is now very proud of her contribution:nod:.Me too:angel:

That is one of her best vocals ever along with her vocal on Midnight Wind.

[porkpie]

The vocal range and indeed entire vocal performances on 24 KG are the best she's recorded in years in my opinion - is it that she's worked hard on her vocals or studio trickery helping her out?

[Jondalar]

The vocal range and indeed entire vocal performances on 24 KG are the best she's recorded in years in my opinion - is it that she's worked hard on her vocals or studio trickery helping her out?

I agree. She has worked hard on her voice. She does vocal exercises and has a vocal coach.