Dear Lloyd and participants in this discussion,
Thanks for your summary. I basically agree, but there
is one point that still slightly bothers me so I hope
you don't mind me rambling on a bit :)
You state that the male registration event between 'chest'
and 'head' reflect vocal fold function. Almost all literature
on the subject states that as pitch rises, the vocal folds
become longer and thinner as a result of cricothyroid muscle
action (and relative relaxation of the vocalis muscle).
For me there is no doubt that this is true so I guess we
agree there.
However, there is ample evidence that the vibrational pattern of
the folds stays the same as the male voice goes into 'head'.
There is vertical phase difference and a large closed
quotient in male head voice and also the shape of the
electroglottograph signal is the same as in chest voice.
The folds are longer and thinner, but I see no reason to assume a
register event in the vocal folds themselves, nor a mix of two
registers, but simply an extension of the same vocal fold
vibrational pattern seen in chest voice. The registration event in
a well trained male voice takes place exclusively in the resonance
adjustment.
Of course, one could still speak of a mix of f u n c t i o n
(cricothyroid versus vocalis action), but I find it confusing
to speak of a mix of r e g i s t e r s.
Wim Ritzerfeld
- engineer, singer and aspiring voice teacher -
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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