Here's my question.. I can sing chest voice from B3 as high as a C6 and still keep a good resonant power to it without straining.. with head voice i can go as low as Ab5 without it being "shaky" and as high as C#7.. I can't seem to switch smoothly from chest to head.. I think i need a clear description of what head voice feels like versus' falsetto.. I know falsetto, problem is i think i've neglected my head voice.. and when sliding from head to chest i can't stop going to falsetto.. help?
@FerociousDrummer i'm terribly sorry i got the notes wrong.. B2, C5, Ab4, C#6... Should I just implement your "bah bah bah" (middle c to male high tenor c) and "nah nah nah" (5 note scale run from 1st to 5th note in the scale) exercises into my everyday routine and hope for the best? maybe i'm trying to switch to head voice too late? and are there exercises ONLY for head voice, to make it stronger.. cause i noticed i almost never use my head voice when i sing, which is bad, cause i sing high..
@FerociousDrummer you know what.. i found my problem after watching about 6 other videos of your's.. man you're a genius.. I'm trying to switch too late.. I also ran across "Breaking the Chains: Rock Vocal Course".. i'm DEFINITELY going to buy that soon.. my problem is i've got no mixed voice, only head and chest.. I need to find that mixed voice.. THANKS KEVIN..
thanks, I find it clearer. I agree with the falsetto NOT being a vocal range, because it overlaps into your upper and lower voices. I also agree with what you said about Baritones and tenors not being taught approximate vocal cords. I even tried to ask my teacher to give me some falsetto exersises and she doesnt feel that they would be important. I still want to work on it, cause its a sound used in contemporary music, (But in college you sing alot of classical)
@pwrsurg35 - RUN from any teacher who will not teach you something simply because they say "its not important". RUN AWAY - FAST. They are a thief taking your money.
A REAL vocal coach should be able to demonstrate any vocal technique a student asks to see or hear. If they cannot either 1. you are taking lessons with the wrong vocal coach for the style of singing you want to do OR 2. They are an incompetent coach taking peoples money.
@GleeFan123 - the epiglottis directs food into the esophagus , the vocal cords close to keep non-air items from entering the lungs. They do this together in one motion. That is why its not smart to try to talk and eat at the same time.
The vocal cords main function is to slam shut when you lift, pull or push something. This closing traps air in the lungs to give you a stiff upper body for leverage.
Making sound is their third and least important function.
Hey there Kevin, I have a question about my singing that would really help me out if you could answer. I noticed that when you sang the twinkle little star song in your falsetto, that you sang it in a lower key then when you did with your head voice. The reason I point this out is cause when I'm singing some sort of scale that goes from my chest voice to my higher register, I automatically switch to falsetto, but as I get higher and higher, my tone starts to gain more power again. Help me out?
@FrostyAuzzy i think i know what you mean because i have that kind of problem too. When I reached my maximum range of my chest voice and enter higher notes with falsetto, I cant find the door to enter from chest voice to head voice so i enter with falsetto. Kevin, do you have any idea about this? How can i enter head voice smoothly?? Thanks a lots.
@SaturnineXTS - No, not really, Singing up into the female resonances and not sounding breathy or too light is NOT easy. If it was, I'd be out of a job!
Falsetto can have some power or loudness to it, it just lacks a solid, core or a fully connected tone.
@chrisstevensjunior - then its not falsetto. Simple as that. Sing a phrase with a very whisper like quality - thats falsetto and no one had to show you how to do it and it was easy.
How can you tell what technique a singer is using when singing in a higher range? For just a random comparison lets say, Don Dokken, chorus to 'Dream Warriors', Chris Cornell, chorus to 'Like a Stone', Don Henley verse of 'Hotel California', and Bruce Dickinson chorus 'Aces High'....are any of these a clear example of mixed voice, head voice or just plain belting?
Thanks, you're videos are by far the best out there
@oz1747 - each of your songs are each examples of mixed, head and belting. "Aces High" has belting and head voice, "Dream Warriors" has head voice and belting. "Hotel California" has mixed and head voice. The differences between all can be very subtle and some singers can weave in and out of each vocal mode so easily and quickly you can't tell what they're doing.
Belts are generally upper mix notes sung loudly. Cornell was very good at that.
One thing I still don't understand about this whole thing: Is there a way to FEEL if you are correctly doing the head voice you teach? All I have to go on right now is the level of breathiness I hear--and I'm sure that has me missing something.
@MyOttoLink - sensations are very subjective. I could describe to you what it feels like for me but it may not feel that way to you. To know if you're singing in head voice correctly is a combination of what you feel and what you hear.
Singing in head voice correctly should have almost no sensation (except in your abdomen). If the sound is strong, solid and you can vary the pitch and intensity without much effort AND the tone doesn't change, you are doing head voice right.
@songstess4life - Nope. Your vocal cords do all the vibrations to make sound, but they only make a buzzing type sound. What you hear as singing/speech is that buzzing shaped by the throat, mouth and holes in your skull.
I think you are confused on the term "resonate". Resonance means where the sound you create bounces around vibrates against between your vocal cords and your lips. After you create sounds at the vocal cords that sound resonates in your throat, mouth and head.
@songstess4life - ALL sound comes from your vocal cords. Where sound resonates depends on several factors - pitch of the note, throat space, larynx position and intensity / volume of the note.
Tell your teacher to explain how falsetto and head voice can be the same thing if one can sing with a falsetto on low notes. I bet she can't.
"Approximation" is the spot on the cords where they come together to make a sound or pitch.
@songstess4life - falsetto is the only vocal mode that does not have to taught. Its not a technique per se'. We all know how to make breathy sounds. One can sing in falsetto in your entire range and not crack. The process is to sing in full voice in your whole range and not crack. Or sing from falsetto to full voice and back to falsetto without cracking - that is a technique.
Falsetto doesn't have a set place it resonates because you can in falsetto in low, mid and high notes.
This was fantastic. For some reason, learning that speech is only the 3rd function for the vocal chords and your fantastic examples of lifting a heavy box and the whole air pressure control function took me outside of the mindset of trying to wrangle this unruly voice business to realizing how much of what i hope to achieve already happens naturally by design ... i feel i have a more symbiotic (and far more hopeful) way of approaching this mentally. Thanks so much for posting this.
@dearydarling - Thanks. Its seems to be a way of thinking I've not seen any other vocal teacher talk about or even think about in this way. I'm a student of how the brain and body works together so I have a unique insight into getting these two things to coordinate naturally. Where most singers and teachers go wrong is trying to "micro manage" the technique of singing. The brain already knows how to do project voice naturally, why mess with that? Why not use it to our advantage?
@dearydarling - when you start thinking of your brain & body working together as nature intended a lot of this mindset comes into focus. Its a very prominent aspect of martial arts training. Chinese martial arts masters discovered how to use what the body wants to do naturally as a means to produce power and speed. Specific training is then used to refine that natural ability and enhance it.
So.....if I can currently sing a note in falsetto, once I understand the sensation between head resonance and falsetto, I should with practice be able to cover the same range with both? Please say so, because it would open me up to so many songs I've never been able to touch as a bass singer. My range would become c1 to e4!
@JamesSayneMusic - any note you can sing in falsetto you can sing in full voice (chest or head resonances) The difference between the two are simply a matter of partial or full vocal cord closure.
@JamesSayneMusic Interesting to read, coz my limit is e4 too, f4 is when i feel more comfortable breaking into falsetto. Yet I can't do someone as low as Tom Waits justice. Been wondering if I'm baritone with just a low range?
My highest notes however are louder if I start in a countertenor kind of sound and go up with that - I can, for example, do a pretty loud top G like that if I wanted to, I think (or at least have done before when I was practicing that more).
@oliveranthonyrowland - your goal should be to be able to sing from your lowest to your highest notes - all in the same tonality and volume. You shouldn't have to "switch gears" to access any part of your range. If you do that means you are changing the way you are phonating from note to note and if the coordinations are set up properly you don't have to switch anything.
Think of your voice like a piano - every note is the same tone, the same volume only the pitch changes.
OK, thanks. I can see that makes sense as a goal, but I ask myself whether it's possible - a throat isn't made of wood and metal and surely it's normal for you to be able to sing louder in a moderately high or moderately low pitch compared to when you are right at the bottom or top of what notes you can make? I do aim though to have the same kind of quality up and down in what I would consider a performance range. Then I growl and squeak up and down a bit more as an exercise...
BTW if you feel like it, you can see the way I am singing at the moment on my channel with me singing Out There (there's also stuff in some other styles)
The only exception to me trying to keep a similar quality all the time is if I experiment with trying to sing countertenor, which gives a different quality, but I'm not doing at the moment as I want my normal voice to be as good and relaxed as possible and I think I should concentrate on that, not keep switching my voice production around.
I've seen several of your videos BWT and like your voice and am interested by how much range you get. You go somewhat higher than me as well as much lower - interesting that some voices have a big range on both ends, not just one or the other. But I feel mine is enough to sing quite a lot of different stuff with even so and that it's not a competition. I can make a connected sound from about E to Ab depending on the day, to about a C# to F#, and to Ab to C# in a little light sound.
But falsetto is not always breathy, though it can be. I would say it's characteristic is a feminine/choirboy kind of sound -- take most countertenors, they sing in a well-developed falsetto. They can also sing in a baritone/tenor quality if they want to. So how does that fit with what you said? Also disagree that classical tenors or baritones don't learn to adduct the chords well to go high, I would say that is absolutely what an operatic male singer learns to do. Try this: /watch?v=LdExKWIEwsQ
@oliveranthonyrowland - you are slightly confusing the phonations of head voice with falsetto. What a lot of opera purists call "falsetto" I call head voice. Falsetto is by its very physical nature, a breathy phonation. If someone is singing high and light and its NOT breathy - its not pure falsetto. Its either very light head voice or a mezza voce type phonation.
This type of labeling has lead to a lot of confusion between opera and contemporary singers.
OK, thanks for clarifying your view. However if you start high in a pure head voice (or what a lot of opera purists would call falsetto) and come down, then it is hard to go into the more speaking voice type sound without a break - right? That is why many people would call it a falsetto - because it's not blended/joined to the normal voice.
In fact what you need to learn to do, for either rock or unforced sounding classical singing, it seems to me, is to find a more "mixed" tone as you go high, that avoids the break but is neither "falsetto"/or maybe we could say "pure head voice", not merely pushed up chest. Would you agree?
What do you see as the real difference between a good rock sound going up and a classical one (I mean eg. tenor or baritone or bass, not countertenor, which is another thing again)? Is it more a question of classical just needing a somewhat bigger resonating space in the throat and comparatively lower larynx, perhaps?
So is King Diamond singing in falsetto or a head voice? He doesn't sound breathy like you demonstrated, yet I wouldn't say his voice sounds "full" comparing to singers like Halford or Gillan.
Thanks for responding to all those comments under your videos, you have a lot of patience! : )
@NihilQuest - its mostly falsetto. Its hard to tell how weak his voice sounds on record, search YouTube for live clips and you can clearly hear his voice sounds weaker without the support of recording techniques. In some places he used a reinforced falsetto or half-voice sound which is not quite falsetto but not quite connected head voice. Ian Gillan sometimes used that half-voice sound but he was mainly connected head voice - especially on songs like "Child in Time".
perhaps but i think "falsetto" does the confusing more than anything else, for me the head voice and chest voice definitely do exist and when you start learning to bridge them you can definitely feel and hear them differently. since the voice is in our bodies all we can do is term things to try and share knowledge but ofcourse there comes confusion which is counterproductive. thanks again
so you mention that falsetto is not a register yet i pulled this from the wikipedia page titled "Head voice"
Head voice and vocal registration
One prevailing practice within vocal pedagogy is to divide both men and women's voices into three registers. Men's voices are divided into "chest register", "head register", and "falsetto register" and woman's voices into "chest register", "middle register", and "head register".
@armansrsa - Wikipedia? Really? This is where people go to get correct information nowadays? Geez. This is old nonsense still perpetrated by outdated and obsolete thinking. The fact that is says women can't do falsetto says it all. Somebody copied that out of an outdated book on singing.
The answer to that is simple. If I can make low notes with a falsetto sound how is falsetto a register only found above head voice? Its nonsense.
@RocktheStageNYC I have to agree with you completely. Just because some source claims it to be a register, does not make it a "connected" register. There are also numerous videos where the larynx was recorded while a vocalist was singing in both head voice and falsetto, demonstrating everything you mentioned here. Great video, man, really great that someone is actually teaching from knowledge rather than opinions based on nothing.
your argument is good, however, perhaps singing those low notes would not be considered "falsetto" in some academic singing circles. its the only thing i can think of
@armansrsa - thats my whole point. If I can apply falsetto to low notes then falsetto by itself cannot be a register. Register are defined by their placement in the vocal tract. Since falsetto can be applied to both low and high notes it does not have a definite placement in the vocal range. Therefore its a tonality.
I agree with Lilli Lehmann's statement that registers should be a term that is done away with as it just confuses people. The voice only has one register - separated by resonances.
When I try to do the head voice, my throat starts hurting quite quickly. Is it because I'm doing it wrong, or is it something i have to keep trying and the stamina will build up?
@96MattMad - "louder" from what level of volume? If you are already singing at a volume slightly above speech then a little may or may not be a good thing but if you are singing at a low volume and getting a little louder that is correct. If you under support the voice - don't give it enough breath to function properly - it won't work the way its designed.
Can you please help me out? James Durbin on American Idol has got the whole Adam Lambert/Siobhan Magnus/Steven Tyler reinforced falsetto thing going on, but he has a pretty average range in full chest voice. How can he be "mixing" the two registers when there's such a huge gap between them? I feel like I'm at the same place but want to add some of that 'rasp' to my falsetto which is already strong.
@EmilieSagae - two things you've got wrong here. 1. James is singing in full voice with grit, not reinforced falsetto. 2. James has a tremendous mix, its just higher than most male singers so his chest voice seems limited. I've been listening closely to his range and its completely connected from chest to his highest notes (G5-B5).
Steven Tyler is also full voice with rasp/grit in his upper range. That rasp is part of his natural voice. Listen to him laugh - its in there.
Hi. I think I understand the difference between the 2, but I now I have 2 problems.
1 It feels forceful, and im scared of doing it wrong and wrecking my voice.
And 2. Is there any warm up techniques I can use to increase my Range in head voice.
For years I've strained my voice, and Im using a technique where I'm using less volume in my higher register, and it seems to be working, but I don't know weather me doing head voice in this way will clash with that because of the force im using?
@stcc11 - warm ups are not used to increase range - range extension exercises are for that. Warm ups are just to get the voice primed for singing.
One should never force anything vocally - if it feels forced - stop - you're doing something very wrong or you are pushing your voice beyond its current limits to soon.
hi, thanks for your comprehensive discussion. i would just like to ask, coz im still not good in distinguishing falsetto from head voice, which among the two is leona lewis frequently using in her songs? i would greatly appreciate a reply from you Sir. thanks.
@saintzreji - she uses both quite equally. It depends on the note. Her higher notes tend to be more falsetto but her lower head register notes are connected head voice. I'd say she leans more toward the falsetto sound.
When i sing in headvoice, it's very light and my voice cracks a lot. Also, I heard people saying I should use more air to make the sound louder but i don't get how air would help because same opening of vocal chord. please help
@Mttt3 - it s no about how much air but how much you compress the air against the vocal cords. Air is what drives the vocal cords (our voice is a wind instrument after all) so how you use air greatly affects how your voice works. Its not about blowing massive amounts of air through the cords but how you can "push" the air against them while only opening the cords up wide enough to make a full sound.
Well I can understand what is the difference. But when I'm trying to distinguish it while listening a music it's so hard. For example a song Emerald Sword by Rhapsody is very cool so I tried singing it but i completely cannot understand what the hell voice it is. It is not so void as falsetto. It is not so sharp as head voice. Then kinda super high chestvoice? It sounds like speaking voice lifted for some octaves.
Hey, Kevin. Watched both vids. Ok, so falsetto can be sung in any part of your voice. But what I notice is sometimes I sing in a very high but breathy way and I assume this is falsetto. But for example in the song "Apologize" from OneRepublic, the lead singer goes into his falsetto and it sounds totally different to what I'm doing....and if I try that it sounds very off-key. Can that be learned or is it just something you have to be born with?
@Malc230692 - what that singer is doing is not falsetto. He is using head voice so he can have control over it. It IS something you can learn. Nobody is born with perfectly connected head voice.
@RocktheStageNYC Oh, ok, thanks! That clears some things up. One last thing, though....is head voice then really always something that sounds that high or does it depend on the singer how high it sounds?
@Malc230692 - it can depend on the singer how high or low something sounds based on their tonality. People hear songs by a band like Def Leppard and don't think its high because the way Joe Elliot sings it seems so natural to him, not forced. Then you try to sing the song and realize "holy crap this is really high".
But I went back to listen to Apologize and noticed that during the chorus when he sings 'laaaaate" there's a breathy timbre to his voice. How can this not be falsetto then?
@Malc230692 - Joe Elliot sometimes uses a "half voice" sound - kinda like a screamy falsetto. Steven Tyler does it too. Its not quite full voice or falsetto, its falls somewhere in the middle.
I love the explanations in this video, and will often direct people who argue that falsetto and head voice are the same thing to this video of yours! BUT..I have to say one thing, yes...the folds of the vocal chords do trigger a coughing reflex if something goes "down the wrong way" -- but it's the epiglottis that actually "slams shut" and prevents food/drink going down the trachea, not the vocal chords :) Love the vids!
@notochrasyy - yes I know the epiglottis is involved in the process of swallowing but it had no bearing on this particular video explanation. Besides I doubt if people even know they have one!
BUT: the vocal cords do slam shut when it is lifted when you swallow. Try to swallow and breath in at the same time. Its impossible.
YES! I'm a lyric tenor who can go up to C5, but I can only go up to about Eb4 in my chest voice, but my (older) chorus teacher insists that it's falsetto. Oh, well.
@Feebas321 - your chorus teacher is mired in old and tired vocal pedagogy. Tell him to read a book on voice that's been published in the last 20 years.
Nice video, explaining that falsetto and head voice are not interchangeable. From your comments and videos it's obvious that you know what you're talking about. I'm an operatic countertenor and it's annoying when my voice is described as falsetto when it clearly is much more powerful. Thumbs up.
@BruceyBoy - ah countertenor - a voice type I wish I had. Yes, the falsetto vs. headvoice is annoying at this point (mostly perpetrated by universities and older teachers) when clear medical evidence has proven they are too separate glottal configurations.
Hi, can you please tell me what Matt Shadows from Avenged uses on his high notes? I don't think he's going it with his normal voice but it doesn't sound as high as the head voice examples you do either...
This has certainly shown me a few things. I always though of it as Falsetto not being part of a person's natural range. Like, with my favourite vocalist, Geoff Tate, I spent forever persuading people he never screamed or sung falsetto. Every note was natural. People would talk about his higher register being head voice and I'd defend it as I'd have considered head to be screaming pitch. Now I think I understand it's just an extension of a person's natural range.
@j800r - well yes and no. Head voice is an extension of head resonance but not necessarily one's "natural range". Truly connected head voice has to be cultivated and strengthened, it doesn't come naturally. In fact, connected head voice is counter- productive to the voice. It WANTS to break into falsetto but through training we learn to keep the connection without any strain.
@RocktheStageNYC hmm..That makes more sense, but not when I listen to Geoff's old stuff. He hit the fifth octave which such ease and clarity. It sounded just as natural as his lower octaves. Maybe I'll have to have a closer listen. I mean with the screams from the likes of Halford and Gillen it's a little more obvious, but Tate's just sound like it's part of his natural range.
@j800r - Geoff has really good training so it sounded effortless. It was part of his natural range he'd still be able to do it today. Sadly he has lost almost all of the power in his upper range.
I'm pretty sure I get the difference between falsetto and head voice now.
I use head voice quite alot. And when I do I have to kind of look up to get higher, is that normal?
Also, falsettos are hard for me, and I can only do "oohs" and sometimes "ahs" but never sentences, but I see singers doing it all the time. Am I doing something I shouldn't be?
@bloodhawkisawesome - if you are looking up to get higher there is tension somewhere in your process of creating sound. You should be able to sing from low to high without moving your head, your eyes, eyebrows, coming off your toes. If you can't sing from low to high while standing like a statue, there is tension somewhere.
Falsetto is the one vocal sound that does not have to be taught. Its instinctive. If you can't do sentences in falsetto, again there is tension in your vocal process.
@RocktheStageNYC yeah but in actuality falsetto and headvoice are one thing. Headvoice is just a tonality of falsetto or vise versa. Its still a dis-connent from your full/chest voice. Its like within your "full voice" you can create different tonalities like raspiness, a clear voice, a deep voice, a high voice. Its the same thing with your "dis connected voice. Headvoice is really just a "clearer tonality of falsetto" thats it . Shall we really distinguish so much between the two??
@musoben123 - Nonsense. Brian Johnson is singing in his chest & lower head voice ALL with false cord activation. Brian Johnson's voice is one of the most misunderstood of the hard rock singers. Its very unique. He has a slightly raspy speaking voice so its part of his voice. Rod Stewart is another example. Its a natural sound and NOT one easily duplicated by someone w/o a similar voice. Bon Scott had a high male voice so what would be lower head voice for most guys was chest voice for him.
Yeah but it is still a dis-connect from his full voice. You cant say its chest voice that he sings with unless you are saying chest voice is not part of your full voice. From my understanding chest voice is your full voice. He is certainly dis-connected from his full voice when he sings. Its just a tonality of falsetto..its raspy falsetto.. When you are in your "full voice" your notes can resonate in your chest and as you go higher in your head..and that to me is headvoice.
@Bigrobkerr - you are slightly confused on some terminology. Full Voice is simply connected or adducted vocal cord phonation. Brian Johnson is singing in his chest and lower head voice - all full voice or connected vocal cords. Nothing he does is falsetto. Its false cord vibration. I know people that can imitate Brian Johnson and they are NOT doing falsetto. You can't and achieve the same deep, full sound he gets. Steven Tyler uses raspy falsetto sometimes and he sounds nothing like Brian.
You mentioned that in the head voice register, many males singers (to reach high notes) close the vocal chords at the bottom but leave them open at the top. Is this the 'zipping' technique? How do I go about training myself to do it. I know the theory, but I don't know any methods to increase my ability to perform it.
@MaDMadZ101 - through a method called "compression" which allows the vocal cords to stay closed but thin out as you blend from chest resonance into head resonance. This is called "zipping" as the movement of the vocal cords is similar to that of a zipper.
Training it takes time, patience and the right techniques based on your voice type.
@Gordinieo - from every book on voice I've read, every article, every video, every vocal course and my own personal experience. Is a never ending learning process.
@chizzlemcdizzle - I don't do comparison viewing for people. If you have legit question about vocal technique in this video please ask it. I'm not here to look at other bands videos and tell you how they are singing. Its not going to help you anyway.
@futurerocker77 - the epiglottis is involved in the action of swallowing but for my example it was best to just mention the vocal cords. People can picture them more easily. Most people don't even know they have an epiglottis.
@RocktheStageNYC so what use countertenors ? im a bit confused. cause the head voice you present sounds rly pressed and not free..doenst sound right. im a classical trained bariton and i try to discover head voice/falsetto cause normally in classical singing i dont need to use it and i dont know at the moment how to develop this sort if register. any tips? ^^
@musicfool114 - I am using a light head voice here.Singing just with the edges of the vocal cords. It is NOT classical, "Legit" tonality. I'm not doing an "open throat" sound.
Countertenors use light head with an open throat technique.
@musicfool114its just best to try and explore your voice and if its falsetto that develops more power than well and good, heads good too, we are all different and our muscles can be trained to create unique sounds, the key is not to push, let your voice resonate and find a sweet spot that can be controlled by the diaphragm , i.e breath support, just practise 4 - 6 days , listen to the falsetto in the song by this guy, he has it so strong that chest blends, its shook me a night long on my chanel
I'm so confused...see I can get to an A flat with what I believe is my head voice (sounds very I guess high pitched), but with what I believe to be falsetto (sounds even more high pitched) I can go even higher. Please help!
@Acoontey - full voice head voice notes are harder to train - falsetto is by nature very light on the voice so untrained singers can usually go higher with it than full voice. Its a common thing.
Here's a question i was just wondering after watching the vid. Is it possible to go from falsetto, e.g. a light high note singing and then transition into a strong head voice while holding the notes? would it be possible or would the way the vocal chords work restrict it? Just curious cos i think it would be cool to hear a singer singing in head voice slip into a high falsetto, and then gradually transition back to head voice and drive more air out?
@martyfriedman666 - sure. what you describe is called "transitioning tone". Start with a light falsetto note and gradually turn it into a full voice note. It actually hrlps people understand what it takes to produce full volice tones in head voice.
Steve Perry was a master at singing from falsetto to head voice to falsetto in one phrase.
@RocktheStageNYC Oh cool yeah that makes sense. Im new to all this stuff. chest/head voice etc. had never heard the term head voice until recently! I've been reading about head voice and other singing techniques and its really interesting! Even tho i cant sing at all! lol
@ExNihilMetal - Nope. Head voice will always go higher because falsetto lacks proper vocal cord closure. With fully closed vocal cords one can slip into whistle voice and achieve notes off the piano.
The way I feel it when I sing, which corresponds to the way I've been taught, I have three/four "voices" - chest, head, and falsetto, which goes into "flageolette register" at the higher extreme. I can feel a notable difference when singing in any voice, and the difference between all is audible. Chest can slide into head, but head can't slide into falsetto; falsetto can't slide down to chest, but can go higher than E6 with absolute ease. Are we using different terms, here?
@ExNihilMetal - you have two resonances - chest (which is really throat) and head. Flageolet is an extension of head resonance - not falsetto. Falsetto is a vocal embellishment like vibrato, fry or rasp/distortion and can be applied to low & high notes..
Head & falsetto are two different vocal approximations of the vocal cords - head=closed, falsetto=partially open. They can be blended (called transitioning tone) but its easy.
You have your full voice. Within your full voice you have chest, and head. Chest being where the notes resonate in your chest and head being where the notes resonate in your head. Then you have a disconnected voice. Within that voice you can make a breathy sound which you are calling falsetto, and then a clear sound which you are referring to as your headvoice, which in my opinion is just a tonality of your dis-connected voice . I would not distinguish this from falsetto.
I've been singing for quite some time now and I'm still having difficulties with my head voice. I've heard some people say that if you yawn, you're like singing in head voice by pushing your tongue down. Is that true? Thanks!
@iroritz15 - Singing in head voice in general should have a yawning sensation; "sensation" meaning your throat feels very wide and unrestricted like when you yawn. If you start the yawn on a high note you are, in a sense, creating sound like you would in a light, connected head voice sound.
Pushing the tongue down doesn't initiate head voice but it will keep your throat clear in the back. The tongue is a monster of a muscle to tame. It LOVES to creep backward & snuff out our voice.
Thank you so much! That was by far the best illustration of the difference between head voice and falsetto. I've looked everywhere on youtube and google on what exactly each one is and have gotten very vague answers. You are a very good mentor. Keep it up with your videos. =)
i am a baratone, and am unclear how to use head voice properly, is it something that will build up in time? i'm not even sure how to train it properly, any tips?
@JakeTF2 - it can be a harsh reality for some people. Youth tends to breed a "I want it now" attitude and I get a lot of singers who want a great voice in 2 months. Its just not going to happen.
Its hard work. Really long hours of practicing over years. There's no other way to say it.
@RocktheStageNYC oh by no means did i think it'd be a quick thing, far from it, and i do see your point, how old were you when you begun practising full voice?
Quick Q: How can I make my head voice less screechy and a bit rounder in sound? For example, create a sound like Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica. His head voice is one of my favorites, but every time I reach head voice, I feel screechy.
If I sing in a higher than my chest voice register and it doesn't sound breathy (as you've described falsetto while explaining the differences between it and the head voice) it means that it's head voice and not falsetto?
@TiGuitarAn It depends how much higher than chest voice. One can "pull" chest voice too high. It wont be falsetto but it won't be proper head voice either. If its way higher than chest voice and its not breathy than you are using adduction.
@RocktheStageNYC Thank you. Well, the highest note of my chest voice is G4 and I'm about singing from approximately A4 to G5 (or a bit higher). And also I'd like to know what is adduction?
@TiGuitarAn - Most male chest voices top out at F#4 or G4 naturally. The bridge into head voice G4 and above you have to keep the closure of chest voice but let the resonance thin and go higher into your head.
Look at this video on adduction: watch?v=aVdaRop0E0U
This is a great video describing the difference between the two. I am studying classical vocal pedagogy, and you are absolutely correct! Personally I have always sang with a more contemporary style which allows me to use head voice and falsetto. But teaching classically does require the middle or mixed voice. Great vid!!
@jchwomble - Thanks. Finally someone who is presently studying classical vocal pedagogy who isn't arguing with me that they are the same thing. God I hate that.
i have a really hard time changing from my highest note to my falsetto like you could hear the change, is there anything i could do to make it resonate better?
@waspjerk1 - highest note in chest voice to falsetto? not sure what you mean... anyway falsetto, like a scream, should be a choice for notes not a necessity.
I have accepted that there is a difference between the two, but I spent a lot of time learning to bridge from chest voice to head/falsetto. Every time I try, I can't seem to remove the falsetto from my head voice. Do you have any suggestions how to break up this seemingly automatic coordination?
Urrrgh, from what I have always understood...it is the same thing. It is what people use to sing higher notes after their natural chest voices have broken up on them. It's called falsetto for men and head voice for women. I'm sorry to disappoint you.
WE AGREE!!!
ronaldo101000 1 month ago
Here's my question.. I can sing chest voice from B3 as high as a C6 and still keep a good resonant power to it without straining.. with head voice i can go as low as Ab5 without it being "shaky" and as high as C#7.. I can't seem to switch smoothly from chest to head.. I think i need a clear description of what head voice feels like versus' falsetto.. I know falsetto, problem is i think i've neglected my head voice.. and when sliding from head to chest i can't stop going to falsetto.. help?
FerociousDrummer 1 month ago
@FerociousDrummer i'm terribly sorry i got the notes wrong.. B2, C5, Ab4, C#6... Should I just implement your "bah bah bah" (middle c to male high tenor c) and "nah nah nah" (5 note scale run from 1st to 5th note in the scale) exercises into my everyday routine and hope for the best? maybe i'm trying to switch to head voice too late? and are there exercises ONLY for head voice, to make it stronger.. cause i noticed i almost never use my head voice when i sing, which is bad, cause i sing high..
FerociousDrummer 1 month ago
@FerociousDrummer you know what.. i found my problem after watching about 6 other videos of your's.. man you're a genius.. I'm trying to switch too late.. I also ran across "Breaking the Chains: Rock Vocal Course".. i'm DEFINITELY going to buy that soon.. my problem is i've got no mixed voice, only head and chest.. I need to find that mixed voice.. THANKS KEVIN..
FerociousDrummer 1 month ago
thanks, I find it clearer. I agree with the falsetto NOT being a vocal range, because it overlaps into your upper and lower voices. I also agree with what you said about Baritones and tenors not being taught approximate vocal cords. I even tried to ask my teacher to give me some falsetto exersises and she doesnt feel that they would be important. I still want to work on it, cause its a sound used in contemporary music, (But in college you sing alot of classical)
pwrsurg35 1 month ago
@pwrsurg35 - RUN from any teacher who will not teach you something simply because they say "its not important". RUN AWAY - FAST. They are a thief taking your money.
A REAL vocal coach should be able to demonstrate any vocal technique a student asks to see or hear. If they cannot either 1. you are taking lessons with the wrong vocal coach for the style of singing you want to do OR 2. They are an incompetent coach taking peoples money.
RocktheStageNYC 1 month ago
The thing that keeps food out of your lungs is called an epiglotis… that is definitely not what your vocal cords are for.
GleeFan123 1 month ago
@GleeFan123 - the epiglottis directs food into the esophagus , the vocal cords close to keep non-air items from entering the lungs. They do this together in one motion. That is why its not smart to try to talk and eat at the same time.
The vocal cords main function is to slam shut when you lift, pull or push something. This closing traps air in the lungs to give you a stiff upper body for leverage.
Making sound is their third and least important function.
RocktheStageNYC 1 month ago 3
Hey there Kevin, I have a question about my singing that would really help me out if you could answer. I noticed that when you sang the twinkle little star song in your falsetto, that you sang it in a lower key then when you did with your head voice. The reason I point this out is cause when I'm singing some sort of scale that goes from my chest voice to my higher register, I automatically switch to falsetto, but as I get higher and higher, my tone starts to gain more power again. Help me out?
FrostyAuzzy 1 month ago
@FrostyAuzzy - no way to answer unless I heard what you're doing. It sounds like a poor mix.
RocktheStageNYC 1 month ago
@FrostyAuzzy i think i know what you mean because i have that kind of problem too. When I reached my maximum range of my chest voice and enter higher notes with falsetto, I cant find the door to enter from chest voice to head voice so i enter with falsetto. Kevin, do you have any idea about this? How can i enter head voice smoothly?? Thanks a lots.
MrZackzz92 1 month ago
@MrZackzz92 - watch my videos on connecting chest to head voice - that answers your question in many ways.
RocktheStageNYC 1 month ago
Damn, any guy can imitate a female soprano singer "for funz" and then he'll be in his head voice. Falsetto is the airy, breathy, powerless thing.
SaturnineXTS 2 months ago
@SaturnineXTS - No, not really, Singing up into the female resonances and not sounding breathy or too light is NOT easy. If it was, I'd be out of a job!
Falsetto can have some power or loudness to it, it just lacks a solid, core or a fully connected tone.
RocktheStageNYC 2 months ago
for most guys falsetto is very hard but i can do it similar to a girl singing soprano.,...
chrisstevensjunior 2 months ago
@chrisstevensjunior - uh no. Falsetto is easy for EVERYONE. Its the ONLY vocal mode that doesn't have to be taught.
RocktheStageNYC 2 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC i saw u had like very breathy when u tried to sing it... that doesnt happen to me u can hardly hear the breathy
chrisstevensjunior 2 months ago
@chrisstevensjunior - then its not falsetto. Simple as that. Sing a phrase with a very whisper like quality - thats falsetto and no one had to show you how to do it and it was easy.
RocktheStageNYC 2 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC what if you try falsetto while using your diaphragm?
chrisstevensjunior 1 month ago
@chrisstevensjunior - everytime you breathe out you use your diaphragm. Not sure what you're trying to accomplish.
RocktheStageNYC 1 month ago
@RocktheStageNYC nothing really btw my voice tends to be mysterious..
chrisstevensjunior 1 month ago
How can you tell what technique a singer is using when singing in a higher range? For just a random comparison lets say, Don Dokken, chorus to 'Dream Warriors', Chris Cornell, chorus to 'Like a Stone', Don Henley verse of 'Hotel California', and Bruce Dickinson chorus 'Aces High'....are any of these a clear example of mixed voice, head voice or just plain belting?
Thanks, you're videos are by far the best out there
oz1747 2 months ago
@oz1747 - each of your songs are each examples of mixed, head and belting. "Aces High" has belting and head voice, "Dream Warriors" has head voice and belting. "Hotel California" has mixed and head voice. The differences between all can be very subtle and some singers can weave in and out of each vocal mode so easily and quickly you can't tell what they're doing.
Belts are generally upper mix notes sung loudly. Cornell was very good at that.
RocktheStageNYC 2 months ago
One thing I still don't understand about this whole thing: Is there a way to FEEL if you are correctly doing the head voice you teach? All I have to go on right now is the level of breathiness I hear--and I'm sure that has me missing something.
MyOttoLink 3 months ago
@MyOttoLink - sensations are very subjective. I could describe to you what it feels like for me but it may not feel that way to you. To know if you're singing in head voice correctly is a combination of what you feel and what you hear.
Singing in head voice correctly should have almost no sensation (except in your abdomen). If the sound is strong, solid and you can vary the pitch and intensity without much effort AND the tone doesn't change, you are doing head voice right.
RocktheStageNYC 2 months ago
@songstess4life - Falsetto is not harmful to the voice as your vocal cords are not vibrating across their entire length.
Chest Voice - sound bounces around mostly in the area where you neck meets your shoulders.
Head Voice - sound bounces mostly from the jaw area to right under the nose or behind the eyes.
Where it "bounces" depends on the note (high or low), position of the larynx and shaping of the throat and mouth.
RocktheStageNYC 3 months ago
@songstess4life - Nope. Your vocal cords do all the vibrations to make sound, but they only make a buzzing type sound. What you hear as singing/speech is that buzzing shaped by the throat, mouth and holes in your skull.
I think you are confused on the term "resonate". Resonance means where the sound you create bounces around vibrates against between your vocal cords and your lips. After you create sounds at the vocal cords that sound resonates in your throat, mouth and head.
RocktheStageNYC 3 months ago
@songstess4life - ALL sound comes from your vocal cords. Where sound resonates depends on several factors - pitch of the note, throat space, larynx position and intensity / volume of the note.
Tell your teacher to explain how falsetto and head voice can be the same thing if one can sing with a falsetto on low notes. I bet she can't.
"Approximation" is the spot on the cords where they come together to make a sound or pitch.
RocktheStageNYC 3 months ago
@songstess4life - falsetto is the only vocal mode that does not have to taught. Its not a technique per se'. We all know how to make breathy sounds. One can sing in falsetto in your entire range and not crack. The process is to sing in full voice in your whole range and not crack. Or sing from falsetto to full voice and back to falsetto without cracking - that is a technique.
Falsetto doesn't have a set place it resonates because you can in falsetto in low, mid and high notes.
RocktheStageNYC 3 months ago
You rock.
wrath0ff 3 months ago
This was fantastic. For some reason, learning that speech is only the 3rd function for the vocal chords and your fantastic examples of lifting a heavy box and the whole air pressure control function took me outside of the mindset of trying to wrangle this unruly voice business to realizing how much of what i hope to achieve already happens naturally by design ... i feel i have a more symbiotic (and far more hopeful) way of approaching this mentally. Thanks so much for posting this.
dearydarling 3 months ago
@dearydarling - Thanks. Its seems to be a way of thinking I've not seen any other vocal teacher talk about or even think about in this way. I'm a student of how the brain and body works together so I have a unique insight into getting these two things to coordinate naturally. Where most singers and teachers go wrong is trying to "micro manage" the technique of singing. The brain already knows how to do project voice naturally, why mess with that? Why not use it to our advantage?
RocktheStageNYC 3 months ago
@dearydarling - when you start thinking of your brain & body working together as nature intended a lot of this mindset comes into focus. Its a very prominent aspect of martial arts training. Chinese martial arts masters discovered how to use what the body wants to do naturally as a means to produce power and speed. Specific training is then used to refine that natural ability and enhance it.
RocktheStageNYC 3 months ago
i can do a falsetto voice pretty good.
Alyzabeth90 4 months ago
So.....if I can currently sing a note in falsetto, once I understand the sensation between head resonance and falsetto, I should with practice be able to cover the same range with both? Please say so, because it would open me up to so many songs I've never been able to touch as a bass singer. My range would become c1 to e4!
JamesSayneMusic 4 months ago
@JamesSayneMusic - any note you can sing in falsetto you can sing in full voice (chest or head resonances) The difference between the two are simply a matter of partial or full vocal cord closure.
RocktheStageNYC 4 months ago
@JamesSayneMusic Interesting to read, coz my limit is e4 too, f4 is when i feel more comfortable breaking into falsetto. Yet I can't do someone as low as Tom Waits justice. Been wondering if I'm baritone with just a low range?
JiminyKracker 3 months ago
My highest notes however are louder if I start in a countertenor kind of sound and go up with that - I can, for example, do a pretty loud top G like that if I wanted to, I think (or at least have done before when I was practicing that more).
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
@oliveranthonyrowland - your goal should be to be able to sing from your lowest to your highest notes - all in the same tonality and volume. You shouldn't have to "switch gears" to access any part of your range. If you do that means you are changing the way you are phonating from note to note and if the coordinations are set up properly you don't have to switch anything.
Think of your voice like a piano - every note is the same tone, the same volume only the pitch changes.
RocktheStageNYC 4 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC
OK, thanks. I can see that makes sense as a goal, but I ask myself whether it's possible - a throat isn't made of wood and metal and surely it's normal for you to be able to sing louder in a moderately high or moderately low pitch compared to when you are right at the bottom or top of what notes you can make? I do aim though to have the same kind of quality up and down in what I would consider a performance range. Then I growl and squeak up and down a bit more as an exercise...
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@RocktheStageNYC
BTW if you feel like it, you can see the way I am singing at the moment on my channel with me singing Out There (there's also stuff in some other styles)
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC
The only exception to me trying to keep a similar quality all the time is if I experiment with trying to sing countertenor, which gives a different quality, but I'm not doing at the moment as I want my normal voice to be as good and relaxed as possible and I think I should concentrate on that, not keep switching my voice production around.
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
I've seen several of your videos BWT and like your voice and am interested by how much range you get. You go somewhat higher than me as well as much lower - interesting that some voices have a big range on both ends, not just one or the other. But I feel mine is enough to sing quite a lot of different stuff with even so and that it's not a competition. I can make a connected sound from about E to Ab depending on the day, to about a C# to F#, and to Ab to C# in a little light sound.
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
But falsetto is not always breathy, though it can be. I would say it's characteristic is a feminine/choirboy kind of sound -- take most countertenors, they sing in a well-developed falsetto. They can also sing in a baritone/tenor quality if they want to. So how does that fit with what you said? Also disagree that classical tenors or baritones don't learn to adduct the chords well to go high, I would say that is absolutely what an operatic male singer learns to do. Try this: /watch?v=LdExKWIEwsQ
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
@oliveranthonyrowland - you are slightly confusing the phonations of head voice with falsetto. What a lot of opera purists call "falsetto" I call head voice. Falsetto is by its very physical nature, a breathy phonation. If someone is singing high and light and its NOT breathy - its not pure falsetto. Its either very light head voice or a mezza voce type phonation.
This type of labeling has lead to a lot of confusion between opera and contemporary singers.
RocktheStageNYC 4 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC
OK, thanks for clarifying your view. However if you start high in a pure head voice (or what a lot of opera purists would call falsetto) and come down, then it is hard to go into the more speaking voice type sound without a break - right? That is why many people would call it a falsetto - because it's not blended/joined to the normal voice.
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
In fact what you need to learn to do, for either rock or unforced sounding classical singing, it seems to me, is to find a more "mixed" tone as you go high, that avoids the break but is neither "falsetto"/or maybe we could say "pure head voice", not merely pushed up chest. Would you agree?
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
What do you see as the real difference between a good rock sound going up and a classical one (I mean eg. tenor or baritone or bass, not countertenor, which is another thing again)? Is it more a question of classical just needing a somewhat bigger resonating space in the throat and comparatively lower larynx, perhaps?
oliveranthonyrowland 4 months ago
idk there was such thing as a singing tip
LedaKhim 5 months ago
So is King Diamond singing in falsetto or a head voice? He doesn't sound breathy like you demonstrated, yet I wouldn't say his voice sounds "full" comparing to singers like Halford or Gillan.
Thanks for responding to all those comments under your videos, you have a lot of patience! : )
NihilQuest 6 months ago
@NihilQuest - its mostly falsetto. Its hard to tell how weak his voice sounds on record, search YouTube for live clips and you can clearly hear his voice sounds weaker without the support of recording techniques. In some places he used a reinforced falsetto or half-voice sound which is not quite falsetto but not quite connected head voice. Ian Gillan sometimes used that half-voice sound but he was mainly connected head voice - especially on songs like "Child in Time".
RocktheStageNYC 6 months ago
Oh...which mean what I'm using is falsetto and not head voice....Then, how am I going to use head voice....==
Redemptionofdead 7 months ago
perhaps but i think "falsetto" does the confusing more than anything else, for me the head voice and chest voice definitely do exist and when you start learning to bridge them you can definitely feel and hear them differently. since the voice is in our bodies all we can do is term things to try and share knowledge but ofcourse there comes confusion which is counterproductive. thanks again
armansrsa 7 months ago
so you mention that falsetto is not a register yet i pulled this from the wikipedia page titled "Head voice"
Head voice and vocal registration
One prevailing practice within vocal pedagogy is to divide both men and women's voices into three registers. Men's voices are divided into "chest register", "head register", and "falsetto register" and woman's voices into "chest register", "middle register", and "head register".
armansrsa 7 months ago
@armansrsa - Wikipedia? Really? This is where people go to get correct information nowadays? Geez. This is old nonsense still perpetrated by outdated and obsolete thinking. The fact that is says women can't do falsetto says it all. Somebody copied that out of an outdated book on singing.
The answer to that is simple. If I can make low notes with a falsetto sound how is falsetto a register only found above head voice? Its nonsense.
RocktheStageNYC 7 months ago 10
@RocktheStageNYC I have to agree with you completely. Just because some source claims it to be a register, does not make it a "connected" register. There are also numerous videos where the larynx was recorded while a vocalist was singing in both head voice and falsetto, demonstrating everything you mentioned here. Great video, man, really great that someone is actually teaching from knowledge rather than opinions based on nothing.
theRedPress 7 months ago
your argument is good, however, perhaps singing those low notes would not be considered "falsetto" in some academic singing circles. its the only thing i can think of
armansrsa 7 months ago
@armansrsa - thats my whole point. If I can apply falsetto to low notes then falsetto by itself cannot be a register. Register are defined by their placement in the vocal tract. Since falsetto can be applied to both low and high notes it does not have a definite placement in the vocal range. Therefore its a tonality.
I agree with Lilli Lehmann's statement that registers should be a term that is done away with as it just confuses people. The voice only has one register - separated by resonances.
RocktheStageNYC 7 months ago
I'm 15 years old and I can't move from falsetto to normal voice. This may be because of the age and change of voice?
narutonagato17 7 months ago
@narutonagato17 - nope. just lack of technique. going from falsetto to full voice is actually difficult to do.
RocktheStageNYC 7 months ago 2
@RocktheStageNYC I agree with you!
jackytan555 5 months ago
When I try to do the head voice, my throat starts hurting quite quickly. Is it because I'm doing it wrong, or is it something i have to keep trying and the stamina will build up?
KeistasZmogelis 8 months ago
is jeff buckley's long note at the end of hallelujah falsetto or head voice?
iSdTuEnVoE 8 months ago
what exercise will increase the range and control of falsetto? Like direct me to which of your videos. Thank you
relax235 8 months ago
@relax235 - I don't teach falsetto techniques.
RocktheStageNYC 8 months ago
@relax235 Just watch Matt Bellamy of Muse lol
Seleukos1209 8 months ago
I am having trouble getting a reasonable head voice. For me, it seems that if i sing a little louder, it comes out smoother, is this normal?
96MattMad 9 months ago
@96MattMad - "louder" from what level of volume? If you are already singing at a volume slightly above speech then a little may or may not be a good thing but if you are singing at a low volume and getting a little louder that is correct. If you under support the voice - don't give it enough breath to function properly - it won't work the way its designed.
RocktheStageNYC 9 months ago
100% the truth!!,I sing alott in head voice!!
zalliwa 9 months ago
Can you please help me out? James Durbin on American Idol has got the whole Adam Lambert/Siobhan Magnus/Steven Tyler reinforced falsetto thing going on, but he has a pretty average range in full chest voice. How can he be "mixing" the two registers when there's such a huge gap between them? I feel like I'm at the same place but want to add some of that 'rasp' to my falsetto which is already strong.
EmilieSagae 10 months ago
@EmilieSagae - two things you've got wrong here. 1. James is singing in full voice with grit, not reinforced falsetto. 2. James has a tremendous mix, its just higher than most male singers so his chest voice seems limited. I've been listening closely to his range and its completely connected from chest to his highest notes (G5-B5).
Steven Tyler is also full voice with rasp/grit in his upper range. That rasp is part of his natural voice. Listen to him laugh - its in there.
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
Hi. I think I understand the difference between the 2, but I now I have 2 problems.
1 It feels forceful, and im scared of doing it wrong and wrecking my voice.
And 2. Is there any warm up techniques I can use to increase my Range in head voice.
For years I've strained my voice, and Im using a technique where I'm using less volume in my higher register, and it seems to be working, but I don't know weather me doing head voice in this way will clash with that because of the force im using?
Help!
stcc11 10 months ago
@stcc11 - warm ups are not used to increase range - range extension exercises are for that. Warm ups are just to get the voice primed for singing.
One should never force anything vocally - if it feels forced - stop - you're doing something very wrong or you are pushing your voice beyond its current limits to soon.
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
hi, thanks for your comprehensive discussion. i would just like to ask, coz im still not good in distinguishing falsetto from head voice, which among the two is leona lewis frequently using in her songs? i would greatly appreciate a reply from you Sir. thanks.
saintzreji 10 months ago
@saintzreji - she uses both quite equally. It depends on the note. Her higher notes tend to be more falsetto but her lower head register notes are connected head voice. I'd say she leans more toward the falsetto sound.
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC thanks for enlightening me about Leona, Sir!
saintzreji 10 months ago
When i sing in headvoice, it's very light and my voice cracks a lot. Also, I heard people saying I should use more air to make the sound louder but i don't get how air would help because same opening of vocal chord. please help
Mttt3 10 months ago
@Mttt3 - it s no about how much air but how much you compress the air against the vocal cords. Air is what drives the vocal cords (our voice is a wind instrument after all) so how you use air greatly affects how your voice works. Its not about blowing massive amounts of air through the cords but how you can "push" the air against them while only opening the cords up wide enough to make a full sound.
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
Well I can understand what is the difference. But when I'm trying to distinguish it while listening a music it's so hard. For example a song Emerald Sword by Rhapsody is very cool so I tried singing it but i completely cannot understand what the hell voice it is. It is not so void as falsetto. It is not so sharp as head voice. Then kinda super high chestvoice? It sounds like speaking voice lifted for some octaves.
FakiZun 10 months ago
@FakiZun That's mix voice, haha!
AtariMaxiToriyama 9 months ago
@FakiZun Oh, and excellent taste in music. Wisdom of the Kings for the win!
AtariMaxiToriyama 9 months ago
Hey, Kevin. Watched both vids. Ok, so falsetto can be sung in any part of your voice. But what I notice is sometimes I sing in a very high but breathy way and I assume this is falsetto. But for example in the song "Apologize" from OneRepublic, the lead singer goes into his falsetto and it sounds totally different to what I'm doing....and if I try that it sounds very off-key. Can that be learned or is it just something you have to be born with?
Malc230692 10 months ago
@Malc230692 - what that singer is doing is not falsetto. He is using head voice so he can have control over it. It IS something you can learn. Nobody is born with perfectly connected head voice.
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC Oh, ok, thanks! That clears some things up. One last thing, though....is head voice then really always something that sounds that high or does it depend on the singer how high it sounds?
Malc230692 10 months ago
@Malc230692 - it can depend on the singer how high or low something sounds based on their tonality. People hear songs by a band like Def Leppard and don't think its high because the way Joe Elliot sings it seems so natural to him, not forced. Then you try to sing the song and realize "holy crap this is really high".
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
@RocktheStageNYC
Indeed, I tried, and failed at Def Leppard. XD
But I went back to listen to Apologize and noticed that during the chorus when he sings 'laaaaate" there's a breathy timbre to his voice. How can this not be falsetto then?
Malc230692 10 months ago
@Malc230692 - Joe Elliot sometimes uses a "half voice" sound - kinda like a screamy falsetto. Steven Tyler does it too. Its not quite full voice or falsetto, its falls somewhere in the middle.
RocktheStageNYC 10 months ago
I love the explanations in this video, and will often direct people who argue that falsetto and head voice are the same thing to this video of yours! BUT..I have to say one thing, yes...the folds of the vocal chords do trigger a coughing reflex if something goes "down the wrong way" -- but it's the epiglottis that actually "slams shut" and prevents food/drink going down the trachea, not the vocal chords :) Love the vids!
notochrasyy 11 months ago
@notochrasyy - yes I know the epiglottis is involved in the process of swallowing but it had no bearing on this particular video explanation. Besides I doubt if people even know they have one!
BUT: the vocal cords do slam shut when it is lifted when you swallow. Try to swallow and breath in at the same time. Its impossible.
RocktheStageNYC 11 months ago
YES! I'm a lyric tenor who can go up to C5, but I can only go up to about Eb4 in my chest voice, but my (older) chorus teacher insists that it's falsetto. Oh, well.
Feebas321 11 months ago
@Feebas321 - your chorus teacher is mired in old and tired vocal pedagogy. Tell him to read a book on voice that's been published in the last 20 years.
RocktheStageNYC 11 months ago
OOOOOMMMMMGGGGG, I didn't know what I was doing. My singing teacher is NOW telling me the differences in the registers.
highnote32 1 year ago
Nice video, explaining that falsetto and head voice are not interchangeable. From your comments and videos it's obvious that you know what you're talking about. I'm an operatic countertenor and it's annoying when my voice is described as falsetto when it clearly is much more powerful. Thumbs up.
BruceyBoy 1 year ago 3
@BruceyBoy - ah countertenor - a voice type I wish I had. Yes, the falsetto vs. headvoice is annoying at this point (mostly perpetrated by universities and older teachers) when clear medical evidence has proven they are too separate glottal configurations.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago 6
Hi, can you please tell me what Matt Shadows from Avenged uses on his high notes? I don't think he's going it with his normal voice but it doesn't sound as high as the head voice examples you do either...
DiiiM3bag 1 year ago
This has certainly shown me a few things. I always though of it as Falsetto not being part of a person's natural range. Like, with my favourite vocalist, Geoff Tate, I spent forever persuading people he never screamed or sung falsetto. Every note was natural. People would talk about his higher register being head voice and I'd defend it as I'd have considered head to be screaming pitch. Now I think I understand it's just an extension of a person's natural range.
j800r 1 year ago
@j800r - well yes and no. Head voice is an extension of head resonance but not necessarily one's "natural range". Truly connected head voice has to be cultivated and strengthened, it doesn't come naturally. In fact, connected head voice is counter- productive to the voice. It WANTS to break into falsetto but through training we learn to keep the connection without any strain.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC hmm..That makes more sense, but not when I listen to Geoff's old stuff. He hit the fifth octave which such ease and clarity. It sounded just as natural as his lower octaves. Maybe I'll have to have a closer listen. I mean with the screams from the likes of Halford and Gillen it's a little more obvious, but Tate's just sound like it's part of his natural range.
j800r 1 year ago
@j800r - Geoff has really good training so it sounded effortless. It was part of his natural range he'd still be able to do it today. Sadly he has lost almost all of the power in his upper range.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
I'm pretty sure I get the difference between falsetto and head voice now.
I use head voice quite alot. And when I do I have to kind of look up to get higher, is that normal?
Also, falsettos are hard for me, and I can only do "oohs" and sometimes "ahs" but never sentences, but I see singers doing it all the time. Am I doing something I shouldn't be?
bloodhawkisawesome 1 year ago
@bloodhawkisawesome - if you are looking up to get higher there is tension somewhere in your process of creating sound. You should be able to sing from low to high without moving your head, your eyes, eyebrows, coming off your toes. If you can't sing from low to high while standing like a statue, there is tension somewhere.
Falsetto is the one vocal sound that does not have to be taught. Its instinctive. If you can't do sentences in falsetto, again there is tension in your vocal process.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC yeah but in actuality falsetto and headvoice are one thing. Headvoice is just a tonality of falsetto or vise versa. Its still a dis-connent from your full/chest voice. Its like within your "full voice" you can create different tonalities like raspiness, a clear voice, a deep voice, a high voice. Its the same thing with your "dis connected voice. Headvoice is really just a "clearer tonality of falsetto" thats it . Shall we really distinguish so much between the two??
Bigrobkerr 1 year ago
ok i can go into my head register but when i do it sounds very scratchy it isn't as clear as my chest voice
am i doing something wrong?
993150249 1 year ago
@993150249 - I think you can answer your own question.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC Bottom line. There are 2 voices...Full, and disconnected..(falsetto) with varying tonalities within each.
Bigrobkerr 1 year ago
Ritchard, can you please advise if Brian Johnson is a falsetto or head voice singer?
My understanding is that the old singer bon is singing in chest and brian j is in falsetto with a bit of flapping thrown in (vocal fry)
Thankyou
Ben Anderson
musoben123 1 year ago
@musoben123 - Nonsense. Brian Johnson is singing in his chest & lower head voice ALL with false cord activation. Brian Johnson's voice is one of the most misunderstood of the hard rock singers. Its very unique. He has a slightly raspy speaking voice so its part of his voice. Rod Stewart is another example. Its a natural sound and NOT one easily duplicated by someone w/o a similar voice. Bon Scott had a high male voice so what would be lower head voice for most guys was chest voice for him.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
Yeah but it is still a dis-connect from his full voice. You cant say its chest voice that he sings with unless you are saying chest voice is not part of your full voice. From my understanding chest voice is your full voice. He is certainly dis-connected from his full voice when he sings. Its just a tonality of falsetto..its raspy falsetto.. When you are in your "full voice" your notes can resonate in your chest and as you go higher in your head..and that to me is headvoice.
Bigrobkerr 1 year ago
@Bigrobkerr - you are slightly confused on some terminology. Full Voice is simply connected or adducted vocal cord phonation. Brian Johnson is singing in his chest and lower head voice - all full voice or connected vocal cords. Nothing he does is falsetto. Its false cord vibration. I know people that can imitate Brian Johnson and they are NOT doing falsetto. You can't and achieve the same deep, full sound he gets. Steven Tyler uses raspy falsetto sometimes and he sounds nothing like Brian.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
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Bigrobkerr 1 year ago
@musoben123 its true brian johson is using a technique of falsetto and I am pretty sure most of bon scotts notes where chest/full voice
Bigrobkerr 1 year ago
You mentioned that in the head voice register, many males singers (to reach high notes) close the vocal chords at the bottom but leave them open at the top. Is this the 'zipping' technique? How do I go about training myself to do it. I know the theory, but I don't know any methods to increase my ability to perform it.
MaDMadZ101 1 year ago
@MaDMadZ101 - through a method called "compression" which allows the vocal cords to stay closed but thin out as you blend from chest resonance into head resonance. This is called "zipping" as the movement of the vocal cords is similar to that of a zipper.
Training it takes time, patience and the right techniques based on your voice type.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
cool. That's awesome. Where'd you learn the stuff you know then?
Gordinieo 1 year ago
@Gordinieo - from every book on voice I've read, every article, every video, every vocal course and my own personal experience. Is a never ending learning process.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@chizzlemcdizzle - I don't do comparison viewing for people. If you have legit question about vocal technique in this video please ask it. I'm not here to look at other bands videos and tell you how they are singing. Its not going to help you anyway.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
at around 3:40, are you sure that's not the epiglottis?
futurerocker77 1 year ago
@futurerocker77 - the epiglottis is involved in the action of swallowing but for my example it was best to just mention the vocal cords. People can picture them more easily. Most people don't even know they have an epiglottis.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
Are you estill trained?
Gordinieo 1 year ago
@Gordinieo - I took a couple of Estill classes here in NYC but there's wasn't much there I didn't already know.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
so what does josh groban use in this song /watch?v=sm7rDB2keio at 1:20 ? falsetto right?
musicfool114 1 year ago
@musicfool114 - nope. Its a very light head voice. The sound is connected and non breathy, just very light sounding. He's not powering through it.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC so what use countertenors ? im a bit confused. cause the head voice you present sounds rly pressed and not free..doenst sound right. im a classical trained bariton and i try to discover head voice/falsetto cause normally in classical singing i dont need to use it and i dont know at the moment how to develop this sort if register. any tips? ^^
musicfool114 1 year ago
@musicfool114 - I am using a light head voice here.Singing just with the edges of the vocal cords. It is NOT classical, "Legit" tonality. I'm not doing an "open throat" sound.
Countertenors use light head with an open throat technique.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@musicfool114its just best to try and explore your voice and if its falsetto that develops more power than well and good, heads good too, we are all different and our muscles can be trained to create unique sounds, the key is not to push, let your voice resonate and find a sweet spot that can be controlled by the diaphragm , i.e breath support, just practise 4 - 6 days , listen to the falsetto in the song by this guy, he has it so strong that chest blends, its shook me a night long on my chanel
MultiSnotface 1 year ago
They use to play that Van Halen song you put up in the beginning, before the bands would start at L'amour East. Good stuff
NYBloodyArrow7400 1 year ago
@NYBloodyArrow7400 - L'Amour in Brooklyn started it. I was there A LOT in the 80's.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
I'm so confused...see I can get to an A flat with what I believe is my head voice (sounds very I guess high pitched), but with what I believe to be falsetto (sounds even more high pitched) I can go even higher. Please help!
Acoontey 1 year ago
@Acoontey - full voice head voice notes are harder to train - falsetto is by nature very light on the voice so untrained singers can usually go higher with it than full voice. Its a common thing.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC Yeah, that's what I noticed. With an A flat it's harder to do than what I believe to be my falsetto.
Acoontey 1 year ago
Hey, nice vids dude very informative! thanks!
Here's a question i was just wondering after watching the vid. Is it possible to go from falsetto, e.g. a light high note singing and then transition into a strong head voice while holding the notes? would it be possible or would the way the vocal chords work restrict it? Just curious cos i think it would be cool to hear a singer singing in head voice slip into a high falsetto, and then gradually transition back to head voice and drive more air out?
martyfriedman666 1 year ago
@martyfriedman666 - sure. what you describe is called "transitioning tone". Start with a light falsetto note and gradually turn it into a full voice note. It actually hrlps people understand what it takes to produce full volice tones in head voice.
Steve Perry was a master at singing from falsetto to head voice to falsetto in one phrase.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC Oh cool yeah that makes sense. Im new to all this stuff. chest/head voice etc. had never heard the term head voice until recently! I've been reading about head voice and other singing techniques and its really interesting! Even tho i cant sing at all! lol
Oh cool, steve is a great singer, great tone!
Thanks for the response!
martyfriedman666 1 year ago
Am I right in thinking that the range of falsetto goes higher than that of head voice?
ExNihilMetal 1 year ago
@ExNihilMetal - Nope. Head voice will always go higher because falsetto lacks proper vocal cord closure. With fully closed vocal cords one can slip into whistle voice and achieve notes off the piano.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC
The way I feel it when I sing, which corresponds to the way I've been taught, I have three/four "voices" - chest, head, and falsetto, which goes into "flageolette register" at the higher extreme. I can feel a notable difference when singing in any voice, and the difference between all is audible. Chest can slide into head, but head can't slide into falsetto; falsetto can't slide down to chest, but can go higher than E6 with absolute ease. Are we using different terms, here?
ExNihilMetal 1 year ago
@ExNihilMetal - you have two resonances - chest (which is really throat) and head. Flageolet is an extension of head resonance - not falsetto. Falsetto is a vocal embellishment like vibrato, fry or rasp/distortion and can be applied to low & high notes..
Head & falsetto are two different vocal approximations of the vocal cords - head=closed, falsetto=partially open. They can be blended (called transitioning tone) but its easy.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
You have your full voice. Within your full voice you have chest, and head. Chest being where the notes resonate in your chest and head being where the notes resonate in your head. Then you have a disconnected voice. Within that voice you can make a breathy sound which you are calling falsetto, and then a clear sound which you are referring to as your headvoice, which in my opinion is just a tonality of your dis-connected voice . I would not distinguish this from falsetto.
Bigrobkerr 1 year ago
Hi!
I've been singing for quite some time now and I'm still having difficulties with my head voice. I've heard some people say that if you yawn, you're like singing in head voice by pushing your tongue down. Is that true? Thanks!
iroritz15 1 year ago
@iroritz15 - Singing in head voice in general should have a yawning sensation; "sensation" meaning your throat feels very wide and unrestricted like when you yawn. If you start the yawn on a high note you are, in a sense, creating sound like you would in a light, connected head voice sound.
Pushing the tongue down doesn't initiate head voice but it will keep your throat clear in the back. The tongue is a monster of a muscle to tame. It LOVES to creep backward & snuff out our voice.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
Thank you so much! That was by far the best illustration of the difference between head voice and falsetto. I've looked everywhere on youtube and google on what exactly each one is and have gotten very vague answers. You are a very good mentor. Keep it up with your videos. =)
Evalaena 1 year ago
i am a baratone, and am unclear how to use head voice properly, is it something that will build up in time? i'm not even sure how to train it properly, any tips?
JakeTF2 1 year ago
@JakeTF2 - see my answer to your comment on another video of mine.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC i did, perhaps you could be less blunt? i'm all for recieving 'no bullshit' answers, but it can sound harsh at times, haha
JakeTF2 1 year ago
@JakeTF2 - it can be a harsh reality for some people. Youth tends to breed a "I want it now" attitude and I get a lot of singers who want a great voice in 2 months. Its just not going to happen.
Its hard work. Really long hours of practicing over years. There's no other way to say it.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC oh by no means did i think it'd be a quick thing, far from it, and i do see your point, how old were you when you begun practising full voice?
JakeTF2 1 year ago
@max9365 - huh? not sure what you are asking.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
Quick Q: How can I make my head voice less screechy and a bit rounder in sound? For example, create a sound like Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica. His head voice is one of my favorites, but every time I reach head voice, I feel screechy.
Thanks!
SpyderV 1 year ago
@SpyderV - practice vocal scales with round, narrow vowels like "O" and "U". Narrowing the vowels make the voice sound rounder.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
If I sing in a higher than my chest voice register and it doesn't sound breathy (as you've described falsetto while explaining the differences between it and the head voice) it means that it's head voice and not falsetto?
TiGuitarAn 1 year ago
@TiGuitarAn It depends how much higher than chest voice. One can "pull" chest voice too high. It wont be falsetto but it won't be proper head voice either. If its way higher than chest voice and its not breathy than you are using adduction.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC Thank you. Well, the highest note of my chest voice is G4 and I'm about singing from approximately A4 to G5 (or a bit higher). And also I'd like to know what is adduction?
TiGuitarAn 1 year ago
@TiGuitarAn - Most male chest voices top out at F#4 or G4 naturally. The bridge into head voice G4 and above you have to keep the closure of chest voice but let the resonance thin and go higher into your head.
Look at this video on adduction: watch?v=aVdaRop0E0U
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
Teachers say women don't have falsetto but NOW rumors say they do.
highnote32 1 year ago
@highnote32 - its not a rumor - EVERYONE can do falsetto. We all have the same vocal equipment - if men can falsetto so can women.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
This is a great video describing the difference between the two. I am studying classical vocal pedagogy, and you are absolutely correct! Personally I have always sang with a more contemporary style which allows me to use head voice and falsetto. But teaching classically does require the middle or mixed voice. Great vid!!
jchwomble 1 year ago
@jchwomble - Thanks. Finally someone who is presently studying classical vocal pedagogy who isn't arguing with me that they are the same thing. God I hate that.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
i have a really hard time changing from my highest note to my falsetto like you could hear the change, is there anything i could do to make it resonate better?
waspjerk1 1 year ago
@waspjerk1 - highest note in chest voice to falsetto? not sure what you mean... anyway falsetto, like a scream, should be a choice for notes not a necessity.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@RocktheStageNYC yes like my peak of breaking is where i go into my falsetto but it sounds awkward when it's transitioned to falsetto
waspjerk1 1 year ago
I have accepted that there is a difference between the two, but I spent a lot of time learning to bridge from chest voice to head/falsetto. Every time I try, I can't seem to remove the falsetto from my head voice. Do you have any suggestions how to break up this seemingly automatic coordination?
bigstudwithaguitar 1 year ago
@bigstudwithaguitar - its NOT an automatic coordination. Its takes some finesse and concentration.
Look at the the other videos in my channel, there are tips for that. Or buy my vocal course. Thats what it teaches.
RocktheStageNYC 1 year ago
@bigstudwithaguitar that's your break in your range, if you practice you can increase your vocal range
waspjerk1 1 year ago
Urrrgh, from what I have always understood...it is the same thing. It is what people use to sing higher notes after their natural chest voices have broken up on them. It's called falsetto for men and head voice for women. I'm sorry to disappoint you.