Vocal Range
“You’ve heard the rest sing. Follow along with me and slowly raise your pitch as I play the piano,” Tang Ze said warmly while looking at Meng Fu.
Meng Fu nodded, expressing that she understood. Tang Ze had originally wanted to explain scales to her but seeing that she seemed quite confident, Tang Ze didn’t say anything else.
He reached out and pressed the piano keys one by one. He had heard Meng Fu singing live before and he knew she was a soprano. He pressed the C2 note to gauge her range. Hearing this, Tang Ze’s manager couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at Tang Ze.
Was there a need to start with such a high note? He leaned against the door frame and glanced at Meng Fu. Meng Fu went along with the sound of the piano and easily matched the C2 note.
Following the C2 note were D2 , E2 , F2, and G2. Meng Fu was able to keep up with each note effortlessly. At the beginning, Tang Ze’s manager had worn a very nonchalant expression on his face. Wei Jin could only go until the B3 note whereas Tang Ze could sing till the C5 note. Because of this, the manager took a second glance at Wei Jin, albeit reluctantly.
From C2 to B3, Meng Fu kept up with Tang Ze’s piano without pausing at all. Among the 13 trainees, only Wei Jin had managed to get to B3 and even then, she could barely manage it. However, Meng Fu was still singing effortlessly at even up to C3.
As a singer’s manager, of course, he knew music. Many people could sing to the B3 note with a falsetto voice. In showbiz, it was rare for someone to reach the B3 note with their modal voice. That’s why he had taken a second glance at Wei Jin earlier.
But now, Meng Fu…
The manager’s lackadaisical expression transformed into a serious one. He squinted his eyes and stared at Meng Fu seriously for the first time. After B3, it was C4 and Meng Fu was still able to keep up with it.
D4, pass!
E4, pass!
…
Meng Fu reached as high as G4 effortlessly.
The trainees in the training room, as well as Tang Ze’s manager, initially wore indifferent expressions. But as Meng Fu sang, they inadvertently turned towards Meng Fu and ended up with dumbfounded looks on their faces.
Every member of the group was a vocalist who had studied professional music. Of course, they knew that someone who could reach the G4 note with the modal voice was an extraordinarily talented person.
Yuxin, the first one who did the test, could not help but feel amazed. “She has a G4 modal voice. I thought she didn’t know how to sing?”
What was more frightening was she did not seem to be facing any difficulties while singing the G4 note. C2 to G4 was two ranges.
“Wei Jin, you’re familiar with Meng Fu, right? She hasn’t stopped singing and doesn’t sound strained at all. Can she sing up to C5?” Yuxin looked at Wei Jin and her eyes flashed with astonishment. She had never regarded Meng Fu as a competitor until now.
“It shouldn’t be possible,” someone around them said weakly. ” Mentor Tang himself can at most reach the G5 note.”
The group of girls did not expect such a talented soprano to be hidden among them. They had claimed that Meng Fu could not sing up to C5 but they were not particularly sure about that.
After all…
Singing up to G4 did not seem to be very strenuous to Meng Fu. However, they felt that any more than that was impossible. G4 to C5 was a large range and it was difficult to go further. It was not only separated by a pitch but also a range. Amongst the girls, nobody could reach C4 with the modal voice. They had taken vocal range lessons before and had gone through formal training as well.
But Meng Fu…
Everyone in the program crew knew that she had never taken a vocal range lesson in her life and that she didn’t even know the basics.
Even Tang Ze, who was testing Meng Fu, hadn’t expected Meng Fu to sing up to G4 so easily.
“After is C5. If you can’t keep up with it, please don’t force yourself.” Tang Ze finally paused and said to Meng Fu softly. “Remember. Don’t overexert your voice. The voice is a singer’s most important asset.”
Meng Fu nodded and gave him an “okay” gesture.
Seeing that Meng Fu was ready, Tang Ze did not remind her further. Typically, a vocal range test was done in one go, building momentum with each note. He pressed the C5 note.
C5 was indeed more difficult than G4, but Meng Fu also kept up with it. Tang Ze’s eyes lit up. He felt more astonished than when he had heard Meng Fu’s high vocal range during the last assessment. He didn’t speak but continued to press the keys. From C5 to D5, and then to G5, Meng Fu kept up with all of them. Even Tang Ze couldn’t help but stare at her.
G5 was the highest note that Tang Ze could manage.
He glanced at Meng Fu and pressed the A5 and B5 notes. Meng Fu sang both without batting an eye. The manager looked dumbfounded and wide-eyed, just as Tang Ze.
G4 and B5 were two completely different concepts. That was such a high range. Was Meng Fu’s manager blind? Why didn’t she cultivate her musical talent properly? Instead, she made her use her good looks to earn a living? Tang Ze’s manager was very experienced and knowledgeable. He began thinking deeply.
The rest of the girls stood rooted to the ground, holding their breath and staring at Meng Fu speechlessly.
Yuxin swallowed her saliva. “Ye Shuning is only a C6, right? Meng Fu… Is she that scary?”
There were four ranges from C2 to B5 and these girls certainly felt outdone. Ye Shuning was very famous amongst the trainees because of her C6 range. Xi Nancheng thought very highly of Ye Shuning mainly because Ye Shuning was capable.
Meng Fu had reached B5, just one note short of C6. If she achieved C6, she would be on par with Ye Shuning. However, by the time the note hit C6, Meng Fu could no longer hold on.
“She has finally stopped.” Someone could not help but heave a sigh of relief.
“Yes, finally.” Some girls couldn’t help but stare at Meng Fu. Although they said they felt relieved, their hearts were filled with shock and amazement. They had thought that Meng Fu didn’t know how to read music and didn’t expect her to have such an excellent vocal range.
With a B5 vocal range, Ye Shuning was the only one on the entire program who could compete with her. Tang Ze could tell that the girls had been stunned.
He glanced at his dazed manager standing by the door and then clapped his hands to stop the clamor. “Take a break here. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He left to look for his manager.
In the training room, Wei Jin grabbed Meng Fu’s arm and said excitedly, “Damn! Sister Fu, you can actually sing up to B5?”
“Well…” Meng Fu thought nothing of it. “Is there something wrong with that?”
She had never practiced her vocal skills. Therefore, she did not dare to keep up with the higher tones casually. She was planning on consulting Tang Ze about it in a couple of days time.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that… You’re too good.” Wei Jin stared at her as if she were seeing her for the first time. “Ye Shuning is a C6. She is not a human and we can’t compare ourselves with her. But Sister Fu, you are really… really…”
Upon hearing Wei Jin’s words, Meng Fu smiled but said nothing.
What Wei Jin didn’t know was that Ye Shuning only reached C6 because the latter had been trained since a young age. This was the first time that Meng Fu had tested her vocal range.