Editing Alto (section)

==Solo voices==
{{More citations needed|section|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Alto vocal range.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Alto vocal range, F<sub>3</sub> to F<sub>5</sub>,{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} notated on the [[treble clef|treble]] [[staff (music)|staff]] (left) and on piano keyboard in green with the yellow key marking middle C]]
{| align=right
|<score>{ \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } \clef "treble" f f'' }</score>
|}

The contralto voice is a matter of vocal timbre and [[tessitura]] as well as range, and a classically trained solo contralto would usually have a range greater than that of a normal choral alto part in both the upper and lower ranges. However, the vocal tessitura of a classically trained contralto would still make these singers more comfortable singing in the lower part of the voice. A choral non-solo contralto may also have a low range down to D<sub>3</sub> (thus perhaps finding it easier to sing the choral tenor part), but some would have difficulty singing above E<sub>5</sub>. In a choral context mezzo-sopranos and contraltos might sing the alto part, together with countertenors, thus having three vocal timbres (and two means of vocal production) singing the same notes.{{sfn|Smith|2005}}

The use of the term "alto" to describe solo voices is mostly seen in contemporary music genres ([[pop music|pop]], rock, etc.) to describe singers whose range is lower than that of a mezzo-soprano but higher than that of a true contralto, and is very rarely seen in classical music outside of soloists in choral works. In classical music, most women with an alto range would be grouped within mezzo-sopranos, but many terms in common usage in various languages and in different cultures exist to describe solo classical singers with this range. Examples include contralto, countertenor, ''[[haute-contre]]'', and ''tenor altino'', among others.