noun

register

A particular range of pitch in a voice or instrument.

Her voice sounds warm and clear in its lower register.

Etymology

The musical sense of register is associated with organ stops and groups of pipes. It broadened to a range of tones sharing a particular pitch area or quality.

More examples

  • The melody stays in the violin's upper register.
  • He practices moving smoothly between vocal registers.
  • The clarinet's low register gives the passage a mellow sound.

Forms

register · registers

Similar words

range
Often describes the full pitch span rather than one section.