Randy, (and everyone else who is enduring this mess)
I've been talking about my personal experience. I am a mezzo -- one with a
very low natural voice. I've been listening to a recording of Dawn Upshaw
where she is singing lots of musical theatre stuff. I remembered hearing her
use a lot of chest voice, and I wanted to listen again because of this
debate. I notice that she generally doesn't take the chest above an F or G
above middle C at the highest. She then has a nice blend into her head
voice, which is very clear, focused, and natural, so the sounds really match
well. HERE"S THE DEAL -- Dawn Upshaw is a very high soprano. Her voice lies
naturally at least a fifth higher than mine. Perhaps more. SO, wouldn't it
be reasonable to say that her chest voice would go up easily about a fifth
higher than mine as well? I thought about this and realized that this is
exactly the case. I don't take my chest voice higher than a B or so.
There's the fifth.
So, as my lovely friend Mr. Mike GreyPins pointed out to me: "some of us
assumed the range to be relative while others assumed it to be actual". If
the range of the entire instrument is relative, shouldn't the range of the
chest voice be as well????
Sorry to make everything so heated. Let's just all realize that we cannot
properly talk about technique online. There are no vocal examples being
performed, no sensations felt. Here is where the real truths lie. It is not
in words. If we continue doing this, we will all collapse in exhaustion
eventually, and will get weird psychosomatic symptoms (thanks, Frank
Loesser!) the next time we all sing!!!!
Your online friend,
Lauren
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