i saw Rush twice in '75 & once in '77 & it wasn't long after, that his nutz finally dropped & his vocals were never the same, but damn, that guy could sing back then
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What's Geddy Lee's vocal range?
- Thread starter Fassa Albrecht
- Start date
No, I can think of two songs that are higher, at least on record.
The highest note in "Freewill" is F. He hits an F# in, "Temples of Syrinx", and even reaches G# in "Anthem" (though that's more of a slide up scream).
I haven't listened to Rush in years, so I'm most familiar with the older stuff when he was singing through the stratosphere, but I don't believe he sang in the opposite direction much lower than an octave below middle C. Taking that lowest octave C below middle C to the high F# I mentioned, that puts his range at about 3-1/2 octaves.
Long ago, before the internet, I read that his voice had begun to deteriorate rapidly, and the docs told him that he would have to adjust his approach dramatically lest he lose it entirely. Chord nodules and all that. IIRC, that would have been right around the Signals period, and indeed I think he just started singing differently about then. Less out of his nose, more from his diaphragm like the vocal teachers might say he should have all along.
I think the damage was done, though. I saw them on the Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto, and Test For Echo tours, and I have the Rush in Rio, R30, and Snakes and Arrows DVDs. Although they are still doing a nice job with him in the studio, to my ears he is sounding weaker and weaker with each passing years when I hear him live. On this latest Snakes and Arrows DVD, the band plays great, maybe the coolest setlist of any Rush concert I recall, but you can really hear his voice beginning to fail him.
Sadly, I think he may have a limited number of years left.
I think the damage was done, though. I saw them on the Power Windows, Hold Your Fire, Presto, and Test For Echo tours, and I have the Rush in Rio, R30, and Snakes and Arrows DVDs. Although they are still doing a nice job with him in the studio, to my ears he is sounding weaker and weaker with each passing years when I hear him live. On this latest Snakes and Arrows DVD, the band plays great, maybe the coolest setlist of any Rush concert I recall, but you can really hear his voice beginning to fail him.
Sadly, I think he may have a limited number of years left.
True. I think Geddy still sounds amazing in the studio (S&A is some of my favorite Geddy singing in studio), but I wonder how much longer Geddy can sing live...
While I think his live voice has matured and is now more of a lowered edged voice, going high seems to really strain him. I think he's putting in so much effort though, and I hope his years are as less limited as possible
Note pitch aside, I've always like his phrasing in his vocals.
The way that he puts a song together vocally.
My 16yr old daughter had decided that she wanted to read Witch Hunt as a poem for her English class. She mentioned that is was also a song. Well, the teacher asked her if she planned to sing it?
Not being afraid of a challenge, and being a decent singer, she said sure. So this week we have been working on Witch Hunt, and singing a few other songs as well.
She has a whole new respect for his vocals. I've always rather enjoyed his vocals. The fact that he sounds different is not a bad thing to me. I can't stand listening to ten different bands and not being able to tell one from the other.
She is singing today in class. She was a bit nervous this morning, but I'm sure she will do great.
The way that he puts a song together vocally.
My 16yr old daughter had decided that she wanted to read Witch Hunt as a poem for her English class. She mentioned that is was also a song. Well, the teacher asked her if she planned to sing it?
Not being afraid of a challenge, and being a decent singer, she said sure. So this week we have been working on Witch Hunt, and singing a few other songs as well.
She has a whole new respect for his vocals. I've always rather enjoyed his vocals. The fact that he sounds different is not a bad thing to me. I can't stand listening to ten different bands and not being able to tell one from the other.
She is singing today in class. She was a bit nervous this morning, but I'm sure she will do great.
Oh come on, that was funny right there!
And before someone has something to say, I am a 30 year Rush fan and have seen them 7 times....
Oh come on, that was funny right there!
And before someone has something to say, I am a 30 year Rush fan and have seen them 7 times....
I will confess I did laugh afterwards.
TBH I much prefer it when Geddy doesn't sing the screechy high notes!
Although I saw RUSH live on the Snakes and Arrows tour and Geddy sounded amazing, although on the R30 DVD his voice doesn't sound so good. Maybe it was a bad night!
Although I saw RUSH live on the Snakes and Arrows tour and Geddy sounded amazing, although on the R30 DVD his voice doesn't sound so good. Maybe it was a bad night!
Old thread but I think he is tenor-alto.
I am a barytone, I know it because I sang choir and 3 different teachers told me the same thing.
Most guys sing tenor. I believe he is a bit higher than the regular guy. I believe he can sing up to 1000 hz, but does not do it anymore, and surely not for a testicular issue, but to be safe.
I am a barytone, I know it because I sang choir and 3 different teachers told me the same thing.
Most guys sing tenor. I believe he is a bit higher than the regular guy. I believe he can sing up to 1000 hz, but does not do it anymore, and surely not for a testicular issue, but to be safe.
Well, Geddy's voice is classified as countertenor, he is higher than a tenor voice pitch. The voice, as everything, gets old and in men, you definitely loose some higher notes as you age. All the higher pitched voices, both in men and women tend to loose the higher quality soon, especially when you sing too much in that notes and without a extensive care (in R&R you usuallly don't pay too much attention to it, just sing as long as you can). And also, the band changed the style over the years, so it contributed to leave that pitch behind,either.
