John and Fellow Vocalisters:
I have not yet read the other responses to your post on the terms "falsetto", "head voice" and "chest voice".
The most common use of the term "head voice" by singers and teachers of singing for the past 300 years is quite clear. It is that voice found at the top of the male voice and female voice. It is very rich in partials and has more resemblance to "chest voice" in males and middle voice in females than to any other kind of vocal sound. It is defined at its lower limits by an "in between" vocal passage of either 6-7 semitones (male passaggio) or about an octave (female middle voice). The basic function of the vocal folds in chest, middle and head voice is more similar than different. The folds thin and become longer as the pitch rises but the closure of the folds is much the same in all of these registers.
The goal of the classical singer is to have this "passaggio" area and the head voice appear to be an integral part of the whole voice from the lowest to the highest tones. This is accomplished by exercises which develop the skill of gradually releasing tension in the thyroarytenoids (chest voice) while increasing tension in the cricothyroids (head voice) as one ascends the scale. This process lengthens and thins the vocal folds while increasing the longitudinal tension of the folds without significantly changing closure time. It is the necessary, learned procedure to move from chest voice to head voice.
This is not possible with falsetto because falsetto uses a significantly different configuration of the vocal folds. In falsetto the folds are lengthened with little tension longitudinally along the folds and with an opening between the folds in many cases.
The source of the confusion between the meaning of the terms "head voice" and "falsetto" can be traced to the use of these terms by speech therapists and researchers. In speech work, any voice use that is above the normal speaking range is labeled 'falsetto'. As speech voice research moved into singing voice research the same terms were used and with this use, a major confusion. The result has been a generation or two of voice teachers and singers who no longer are aware of the traditional meaning of the terms and even tend to consider true head voice as if it were falsetto.
For example, Pavarotti uses only head voice above about G5. The fact that his high notes have such "ring" is proof of this use. His vocal folds are no longer thick and short as in chest voice but instead they are thin, long, and sustain substantial longitudinal tension with a full closure of the folds in every oscillation cycle. The same is true for every operatic tenor who has a ringing high voice. The fact that some tenors are brighter sounding than others has more to do with the amount of resonance adjustment they choose to use and not with the function of their vocal folds (phonation). The very same is true for baritones and basses.
Women may more easily extend their middle voice into the area that should be sung with their high voice. This overlapping of the middle and head voice allows women's voices a greater palette of colors when singing in the C5 to A5 range. But women are not singing in falsetto even if they choose to produce a more breathy tone in this range and above. Because of their shorter vocal folds they are not as able to prevent the vocal folds from closing on each oscillation cycle. The much longer vocal folds of a bass allows a vocal production in which the folds seldom close or touch each other. It is for this reason that basses and baritones usually can more easily produce a falsetto tone, while not all tenors are able to achieve this vocal function.
These are not my ideas but a restatement of what I have learned and are consistent with the research and most common scientific writings on vocal production and teaching. There are many vocal technique books which are primarily empirical in nature, that is, they are the visualizations and opinions of the writers based on years of personal teaching. They are of value, but they often contradict each other because they more closely reflect personal experience rather than a concern for a commonality of experience. Research can avoid this trap if it is conducted with as little preconceived personal solutions as possible. Of greatest interest to me is the fact that most research corroborates the teachings of the early master of the Italian school of singing, that school which Miller chooses to call the International School of Singing.
-- Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA Professor of Voice, Pedagogy School of Performing Arts Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 86011
|