Sex, drugs, rock, and roll. That defines Axl Rose’s entire peak in his career as a pioneering rockstar. But that does not thoroughly illustrate his fantastic ability as the lead vocalist of the renowned band Guns N’ Roses.
Arguably, even if he is not the nicest figurehead out there, Axl Rose is one of the most influential figures in the world of heavy metal. Even outside his genre, he was idolized and worshipped by many fans. Why? Well, today, let’s have a deep dive into his capability as a singer.
The Vocal Range of Axl Rose
It is no secret that the Guns N’ Roses lead singer can sing in a large diversity of notes. That is especially shown in a chart created by Concert Hotel, which pits many famous singers against one another in terms of vocal range. In that chart, Axl Rose topples all well-known singers with his ability to reach high register notes and low register notes!
According to reports, Axl’s record-breaking vocal range can span as low as F1 and hit as high as B6. This voice range is much more diverse compared to the voices of some most acclaimed pop artists! What’s more impressive for his fans is that he can do all this without getting strained at all.
His lowest note was registered from the song ‘Ain’t it Fun’ from the album ‘Spaghetti Incident.’ On the other hand, you can hear his highest reach from the song ‘There Was A Time’ from ‘Chinese Democracy.’
If you listen to their song ‘It’s So Easy,’ you will be able to perceive the wideness of Axl Rose’s vocal range. You will also realize how effortless it is for him to shift notes when you listen to his live shows.
In a memoir written by Slash, Guns N’ Roses lead Guitarist, he accounted about how he heard a cassette recording of Axl’s voice just before he played for their band. He was amazed at how Axl could reach very high notes, which did not even sound human at that time.
When he fully got a grasp of his front man’s talent, he said that it was that time that a realization came upon him, that Axl was the guy he surely gonna play with!
Uniqueness That Makes the Boom
Many singers can sing well, but how many of these vocalists have that characteristic that is both fresh and extraordinary to the ear? A sound that you will only attribute to a single entity once you’ve heard it!
At his time, Axl Rose had that uniqueness that made him and his band break millions of records with just their first album. Although it is not just him who had a hand in this achievement, it is undeniable that his vocal style played a significant role in catching the masses’ attention.
Expert Tip: What makes his voice stand out is the nasality of the sound he produces in his songs, along with his forceful approach towards musical notes. And despite delivering his piece in a violent-like way, his voice remains unoffending for the ears.
Furthermore, the timbre of his grungy voice is different from those who did the same style before him. As it is noted, Axl also has staggering stamina in singing. And that endurance can allow him to surpass a soprano’s note in some cases!
Once people hear that pharyngeal voice, it is almost impossible to tag it as somebody else. His voice became a signature for people to listen, along with his notorious scream, which he can perform tenaciously in nearly all his shows.
The secret behind this uniqueness lies in his usage of his pharyngeal resonance, commonly known as mask. The mask is located in the back of your throat, on your pharynx. Using the pharynx resonance can make distortion in your voice, which makes them sound nasally and whiny.
Other professionals would often strike symmetry between chest voice, head voice, and the pharynx to create a whole and well-blended sound. Axl Rose, however, leaned on the usage of the pharyngeal resonance in his singing, especially when doing a falsetto.
Not everyone can sing the way Axl Rose did, however. That is because the muscles near the voice box are built differently for everyone else.
Sadly, singing the way he did cause Axl’s voice quality to diminish over time.
How many octaves does Axl Rose have?
Axle Rose can sing in almost six octaves. To be precise, his official vocal range is from F1 to Bb6. Axl Rose’s actual vocal range is 5 octaves and five semitones. However, he would occasionally surpassed that and reach C6, with ‘Sorry’ having one of that significant high notes.
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!
Does he Have the Widest Vocal Range?
The answer is short, no.
Despite toppling popular celebrities in a chart created by concert hotels, he is actually not the record holder for the widest vocal range. In fact, his former position is currently in the hands of another artist and even that person does not actually hold the title himself. The record is 10 octaves and the peron who hold this record is Tim Storms!
What makes Axl stands out more, however, is his usage of his talent. Although Rose is not one of the widest vocal ranges out there, he’s still one of the most influential vocalists of all time because of his showmanship and unique voice, not to mention the number of hit songs he has written and released with Guns N’ Roses.
The rise of Guns N’ Roses is proof of the talent their bandmates have. As a singer, Axl Rose’s uniqueness does not only reside in his ability to sing a wide array of notes. His charismatic appearance that stems from is many antics contribute to his fame.