Vocalist.org archive


From:  Greypins@a...
Greypins@a...
Date:  Mon Jul 16, 2001  1:11 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Re: falsetto (was lower register)


In a message dated 7/15/2001 2:19:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
w.ritzerfeld@c... writes:

<<
The female 'pop' voice indeed seems to be close to the (use of the)
male voice in that it involves either a lighter extension of chest
voice (again I personally would't call it a mix), similar to that of
a light tenor OR a raising of the larynx, which inevitably leads to
belting (and which by the way can be a legitimate choice IMO).
>>

wim,

i agree that it does seem odd to call it a 'mix'. i would perceive it
as an extension of my 'chest' voice by stretching rather than stiffening.
when i sing in falsetto, that does feel to me as if i am doing something
completely different and, if i try to make a seamless transition into chest
voice, it does seem as if i have to make a change from one system to another
rather than just extending the one i'm in as in the former.

in singing the same pitch in my 'regular' voice and then in falsetto,
the perception of placement seems to be different (less so than it once
seemed). i have often had my students do this. then i would have them
sing in their 'regular' voice while imagining an echo in the place they heard
their falsetto. it can be effective in getting rid of breaks in female
voices and making male voices more resonant. obviously, this appears to be
a 'mix' and, to most people, that might be a sensible description.

in doing the above exercise, i never tell a singer where they will sense
the placement of either of the voices. when i have asked where people feel
the falsetto, i have gotten all sorts of answers. the usual one is 'in the
mask' though,some say at the top of the back of their heads, some say 'in
their ears', others will say 'falsetto at the top of their throats and chest
at the bottom of their throats. some sense the falsetto below the chest
voice (i, for one) and some hear the two pronouncing words differently. one
girl said she heard her 'regular' voice in her left ear and her falsetto in
her right ear. i told her to sing in both ears and the desired effect was
achieved (i did warn her, if she ever became a voice teacher, not to run
around telling everyone to 'sing in both ears').

this current discussion and the one we all had at the end of 2000 on the
same topic, seems to point up the dilemna of what we perceive as happening
vs. what is actually happening. working on our voices based on what we
perceive to be happening seems to be unsatisfactory as everyone seems to
perceive everything differently yet, going on what is actually happening
seems also unsatisfactory as there is so much that is unknown, especially to
most people and, more importantly, it seems so difficult to have a real feel
for what is actually happening.

mike


  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
13199 Re: falsetto (was lower register) Wim Ritzerfeld   Mon  7/16/2001   2 KB
13351 Re: falsetto (was lower register) John Link   Sun  7/29/2001   2 KB

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