David Phelps
Tenor · Gospel · USA · prominent since 1997
How David Phelps uses that range
Phelps runs a classically schooled tenor through gospel phrasing: lifted soft palate, ringing squillo, and long-breath legato lines that crescendo through sustained vowels. His vibrato is constant and symmetrical, even at full volume. He approaches climaxes by vowel modification so the top stays connected instead of flipping. The low extension near E2 is soft-spoken color, not projection. What students copy wrong is the volume arc: they start loud and have nowhere to go, while he banks breath early and spends it on the final phrase, ending at D5 still supported.
What is David Phelps’s vocal range?
David Phelps's vocal range is commonly cited as E2 to D5 — about 2.8 octaves, or 34 semitones, and is usually classified as tenor.
Gleaming gospel tenor with operatic ring, huge sustained climaxes, and a floated head voice for quiet verses.
- Signature song
- End of the Beginning
Reading the numbers
- 1 other voice here carries the identical cited range — at the resolution these figures are quoted in, those voices are indistinguishable on the chart.
- No separate full-voice ceiling is cited, so the figures describe a range worked largely in full voice across its 34 semitones.
- Ranked by bottom note, it is the 72nd lowest voice in this library; by top note, the 456th highest.
Commonly cited figures, not lab measurements — extreme notes are one-off recorded moments, not the singer’s everyday range.
More about David Phelps’s voice
How high can David Phelps sing?
David Phelps is commonly cited singing as high as D5, the top of a cited range that starts down at E2.
What is David Phelps’s highest note?
David Phelps’s highest note is commonly cited as D5, heard in Let the Glory Come Down.
What is David Phelps’s lowest note?
David Phelps’s lowest note is commonly cited as E2, heard in Arms Open Wide.
How many octaves can David Phelps sing?
David Phelps’s commonly cited range spans about 2.8 octaves (34 semitones), from E2 up to D5. That span is wider than 53% of the 636 voices in this library.
Take the free 2-minute range test — your mic finds your lowest and highest notes, then this page shows exactly how your voice lines up with David Phelps’s.
Also bottoming out on E2
42 other voices here are cited to the same floor.
Also topping out on D5
42 other voices here reach the same ceiling.