caio,
lots of exercises can trigger 'head voice'. i would even say, for some people, using nasal sounds can trigger 'head voice'. especially in the case of those who become overly mechanical about a particular activity, reminding them of the target and not the method, is useful in triggering the desired result. and, for those who stumble across 'head voice' using nasals, i am beside myself with joy.
however, there are just as many people who are led away from 'head voice' by the use of nasals. in addition to just sounding nasal, that action that would trigger them into 'head voice', is avoided. for example: let's take the singer for whom a yawn might neurologically trigger 'head voice'. as the velar port is closed during a yawn, this experience is least likely to resemble the nasal sensation you are so fond of. so, for this singer, nasals would take them away from that very trigger they need.
in the case of both trigger examples, while both might trigger 'head voice', they create a problem at the next level when encountering words that are formed by the opposing configuration. obviously, if the use of a trigger is necessary for a singer to find 'head voice', the work must continue in abstracting that which is 'head voice' away from its trigger so that 'head voice' may be used without a trigger and may be applied in situations that are opposite to the trigger.
the initial problem that generated this discussion, had the singer looking for sensations peculiar to the trigger, not 'head voice'. the problem arose from her teacher using the teacher's own personal perceptions as a description of how it should 'feel' to this student, as if these perceptions are universal. they are not. in tasting the same batch of caviar, one taster might describe it as salty, another as fishy and a third as both. until the fourth person tastes this same batch, it is hard to predict how they will react. until a singer accomplishes a feat, it is hard to say if their description will match the teacher's or, be completely different.
mike
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