Bass or Tenor: Which is More Manly?

When I think of the word “manly,” I think of strong athletic guys with deep voices.  Maybe this isn’t the picture you have, but it is mine.  A while back, some of my friends asked me which harmony part I thought was more manly: tenor or bass.

Obviously the bass part fits in a little better with the macho guy description.  The word “manly” means:

conventionally typical of man: having or showing qualities conventionally thought to be characteristic of or appropriate to a man, especially physical strength or courage 
(Encarta ® World English Dictionary)

 I think people sometimes equate a man with a higher voice as “geeky” or not as masculine as others.  But I love the tenor part, especially when it’s used in power singing.  There’s just something about singers hitting those high notes that I love.

So while the bass part might be thought of as more manly, tenor, I think, is a lot of the time, more fun.  :)

This video features Legacy Five's former tenor, Frank Seamans, with some great power singing. (near the end)

Another Legacy Five video, this time with their bass, Glenn Dustin taking the lead.