On Mon, 19 Mar 2001 Greypins@a... wrote on vocalist:
> the other questions all deal with technique and you may want to post
> your answers publicly.
> did you find it easier to work on your break (you did have one, didn't
> you?) from above rather than below? i assume that area requires more
> adjustment when going from 'modal' voice to 'falsetto' than going from
> chest to mix.
Depends. I take more tenor up into my countertenor than most. When I'm
doing that, switching on the upswing is easy. If I'm doing the British
thing (a head voice centric approach), it's easier on the downswing.
Another helpful method for "working on the break" for me has not up or
down, but practicing static changes on one note. Honestly, though, not
thinking about it and having implicit trust is the surest way to avoid an
ugly blip. My brain will trip me up everytime.
> at which pitch do you generally find to be the mid-point of your
> transition? or, does that change relative to volume, direction of
> line, tessitura, etc.? also, i assume the second sample is more along
> the lines of what you call falsetto. can you go from that to the other
> without a break?
It is very much dependent on context (and style). I have switched anywhere
from A3 to A4. The typical classical countertenor sort of stuff makes
changing around C4 to E4 most practical for me. The higher I change, the
lower my overall range. Something like the Orff would be the extreme in
chestiness, which is fine, since it only goes up to D5.
It is possible to go from that falsettoey tone to that "mixy" head tone.
It's actually easier than "mixy" head to chest, depending on the range. Who
knows, those two "falsettos" might even be the exact same mechanism, I've
never had stroboscopy done... I don't believe it is possible for me to
produce what Lloyd Hanson calls true falsetto (long, slack folds)
> do you find that female teachers (who use their chest voices some) have
> a better understanding of what you do than male teachers who are not
> c-ts? if this is so, learning some of the 'ways of the counter-tenor'
> might make me a better teacher of women.
Yes, though one male teacher who believed in the inherent coherence of the
voice did pretty well with me too. Male teachers often have a block about
the CT voice, since the word "falsetto" screams "unnatural!" or
"irreconcilable register!". (It might also "threatened masculinity!", but
let's not get into that right now... ;-) They usually have no experience
with bridging the first CT passagio (actually, they see a similar
phenomenon in their women students, but refuse to see it as like phenomena
at least experientially).
The women with whom I have studied seemed to assume that my registrational
experiences would be comparable to theirs - and they were right, at least
phenotypically. There is the understanding that the 1st and 2nd passagio
are different. Mind you, I'm not saying the registrational events between
CTs and women are actually mechanically similar - I have no idea if they
are. I'm just saying it helps to teach a CT like a woman.
> have you ever heard sherrill milnes on ozawa's recording of 'carmina
> burana'? there is a baritone solo that is very chant-like (and i think it
> may reach the A above middle C). i'm not sure if he is singing in
> 'falsetto' or a very soft mix. he does the same thing in 'o tod...' from
> the 'vier ernste gesange'.
Yes, I have that recording. I believe it is what you call falsetto.
Breathy, but basically the same mechanism as a countertenor. He has a very
high chest voice too, and there's no way those soft notes are just
pianissimo version of his ringing "hook" tones.
> what drew minter sings in (voice wise) is different from what you do, i
> think. from what little i've heard of both of you, i'm intrigued by what i
> think you may be doing and i think he sucks (i'm sure he is good, it's just
> that i think he sounds like a young julia child. that julia child sound is
> the same reason i don't like most operatic women's voices).
Definitely different strategy, but everything above A4 is the same basic
physical mechanism. He uses mostly "falsetto" throughout his range. It
sounds different with me because I bring so much chest quality up, that
even above the switchpoint, I continue to have more "ringiness", since I
modify my resonance at the top to match the more pointed middle range.
> in closing (how relieved you must be), with my obvious like for people
> like harket and jeff buckley and having heard your clip, i am intrigued by
> the possibilities of using the modal-falsetto switch. my regular singing
> extends to F# above mid. C. when i vocalize though, i can get to the F
> above tenor high C but, it sounds like robert plant's 'weird' uncle harry so,
> that extension, so far, is useless. any suggestions for experimentation you
> might have would be most welcome.
It's a little harder to do for a baritone (since the lower range doesn't
match the upper as closely in timbre), though it is possible. I'm convinced
Geoff Tate (Queensryche) is a lyric baritone, and he does it seamlessly. If
you match the "witchiness" at the top and bring it to your chest, while
lightening the basic tone (modifying the resonance to emphasize the higher
partials and absorbing the more baritonal ones).
The key is to let go of traditionally masculine notions of carrying up the
"macho" weight of your lower voice above A3. *But*, you still have to
provide full breath support, or your sound will stop as you cross the
passagio. It's a totally different strategy and somewhat non-intuitive. The
instinct is to pull back on support through the passagio. (Support, mind
you... not pushing!) It requires a leap of faith that your body can make
the transition automatically (and elegantly) even at higher breath
pressures.
Thanks for the questions! I'm posting this to TheCountertenors list too,
hope you don't mind...
Tako Oda
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