Monthly Archives: February 2012

What’s the difference between falcetto and head voice?

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As a singer, we all seem to want to know what is the difference between head voice and falcetto. Do we really need to know exactly when it switches from one to the other?  I have had numerous singers ask me this question, so this is how I try to explain it.

The difference between head voice and falcetto can be recognized by the singer as a feeling or sensation, and a difference in effort level.

If you are in head voice, it will feel like you have good control over the volume and vibrato of your high notes. This is because the cords have the ability to hold back your breath, increasing and decreasing the amount of breath that you send through your cords as you desire. I classify this as head voice being “connected” or “mixed” with the rest of the singer’s voice. In other words, the singer would be able to descend in pitch and be able to keep the same “feeling” of vocal cord connection.

Falcetto, on the other hand, is the inability of the vocal cords to hold back enough air, that would otherwise be called head voice! Falcetto has a breathier quality by default, and feels totally different from the rest of your voice. It is hard to control the volume, and you run out of breath quickly. It usually follows a sensation of singing with control while ascending in pitch, and then being unable to maintain the same degree of control. The vocal cords suddenly feel like they “blow apart” or “let go.”

The reason it is hard to differeniate between head voice and falcetto at times, is because a singer can have a light head voice. Is light head voice the same as falcetto? IMHO, no. Falcetto will always feel like a loss of control of the higher register, and disconnected from the rest of the voice. Whereas, a light (mixed) head voice will be able to siren down and back up again, and feel the same throughout.

What is interesting is that singers like the Bee Gees, Aaron Neville and Leanne Rimes use their head voice and falcetto qualities to varying degrees in their singing all the time. Do we really need to label who is doing what?

Here’s my analysis anyway, ha ha, because I enjoy trying to “figure it out” and also hope some you readers will send me your thoughts and feedback.

The Bee Gees are using head voice (but not a mixed quality). They have a clear (although twangy), non-breathy, well established vocal musculature that they have total control of. It is disconnected from their chest register. Could this be considered falcetto? I’m sure many readers might consider their singing falcetto. In order to prove any such status, we would need to see their vocal cords in action, as well as have a pre-determined “picture” of what falcetto always looks like in the vocal cords. The entire professional vocal community would need to agree on these parameters. This hasn’t happened yet, so until the singing teachers and coaches of the world come together and agree on terminology and function, we will need to rely on other parameters. For me, it’s my ears!

Leanne Rimes, in the song “Blue,” has a yodel that some would classify as falcetto. However, she has the same quality in the low notes as the high notes. Sure, there is a defined flip, but her ability to engage her vocal cords in her head register the way she does, tells me this is definitely head voice quality, but not in a mix. It is disconnected from the chest register. In fact, that is what yodelling is. The ability to go back and forth from chest register to head register, with a flip, but with the same vocal quality in each register. One register is not breathier than the other.

Aaron Neville’s voice, is an interesting analysis. He has a beautiful mix of mostly head voice in his singing. When he flips to only head voice, he is simply releasing his chest register in the mix. Even though it has a breath-like quality, you will notice it is the same breath-like quality as his lower notes. Therefore, this is not falcetto. This is a defined flip between a mixed voice (mostly head voice) and his true head voice.

Do you have any questions about your head voice or falcetto voice? Can you tell the difference in your voice? Let me know!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I did writing it!

 

Does the “key” choice for your song really matter?

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OMGosh, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard a singer say something like, “I usually sing in the key of G,” or “I usually sing best in the key of D.” I cringe when I hear this because the singer doesn’t really understand the full extent of what they are saying. As a musician, I know that the key of G (for example) could have a melody weaving in and out of G, B, and D, and the key of D would be D, F# and A. We, the singer, can’t predict what the notes are from the key signature…therefore, how can any singer state they sing best in a certain key. We can’t even assume the root (first note) is the highest note.

Plain and simple, it’s not reasonable for any singer to assume what “key” they sing best in.

All singers should try to learn the language of music so they can truly understand the statements they are making about the keys they are singing in. It will undoubtly stop you, the singer, from making any of the above statements.

However, there are many reasons, in my opinion, why the key choice is a very important consideration for your song, and I’ll try to shed some light on them here. If you are one of those who can’t stand to hear a song sung in any other key than the original artist’s, then you are not going to appreciate my recommendations!

1. Obviously, first, you need to be able to sing the highest note and the lowest note of the song comfortably. The best way to find this out is by trying the song in a few different keys. You might be very surprised to find out that the best key for your voice is not the one you think!

2. My recommendation for the best key is to first determine where the most important part of the song is, and go from there. This is usually the chorus, but quite often there will be a bridge that requires a certain range, so you need to watch out for these sections.

3. Usually what happens is the song feels good except for a few notes or phrase. The big question is do you sacrifice the great comfort you have in the majority of the song, for the accomodation of one phrase or a few notes. Sometimes, with my students, we simply change the melody slightly to suit the voice. However, you need to keep in mind that if these few notes are the highlight of the song (such as in a build-up in a chorus), then sacrificing this melody would not be a good idea. In this case you would need to lower the key.

4. The reason you need to play around with the key choice is because the voice quality can change dramatically in the chest register, versus the head register. Also, the area in the middle of the voice is one of the trickiest areas for most singers to handle. That’s why if you move it up or down a tone, you will sometimes find yourself saying “Wow, I’m singing in a higher key, but it’s actually more comfortable!” Yes, this can be absolutely true!

5. It’s a good idea to get someone else’s opinion.

6. Make sure you are being “you” when you sing. Don’t try and imitate the original artist’s tone or inflections. Your voice is unique enough. Let it shine.

7. Learn good vocal technique so you know how to keep your cords together as you ascend into your high register. The ability to do this will allow you sing almost any song you want (in many different keys!!).

How to sing with a low larynx…

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I can still remember having trouble pronouncing the word “larynx” when I first started SLS training. Even though I had studied the voice for years, other teachers hardly ever talked about that funny little bump in the middle of my throat. Once I started studying Speech Level Singing and other modern vocal techniques, the larynx was one of the many topics I began to understand in better detail.

If your current voice teacher can’t or doesn’t explain to you why you are doing certain exercises, then there is a good chance he/she doesn’t actually know. I did exercises for years, without being told why or understanding why. Now, I always explain to my students why and what we are working on.

Keeping your larynx (your voice box which encases your vocal cords) stable and reasonably low is highly recommended when singing. It ensures a healthy and relaxed mode for the voice, especially as you sing higher.  I love this video…you can watch Brett Manning from Singing Success manipulate his larynx here with different sounds. http://www.youtube.com/user/SingingSuccess?ob=0

The yawn works wonders. I like to use woo, woo, woo on a 1 1/2 octave scale with the low larynx. The student keeps a finger on the Adam’s apple to feel the changes as the notes get higher. There are a few things to watch for as you progress from the exaggerated low larynx to a more-neutral position. This is why it’s so important to have a trained coach watch you do the exercises.

If you can relax and sing freely with a low larynx with the woo woo woo exercise, then you should notice that your jaw feels very loose (even as you get higher). It should be able to bounce (move up and down) slightly as you pronounce the word “woo”. If you feel your jaw fighting you and wanting to stay still, then you are not truly free. Lessen your volume, don’t worry about your sound, and simply say “woo” in that yawny-feeling. Keep a pouty, relaxed, mouth. Visualize the word “woo” as tall and thin. Remember, your job is not to “sound good” during the exercise. Your job is to understand and remember the feeling (assuming you are doing it correct!).

Once you can sing this with a relaxed jaw, you can then switch to goo goo goo to ensure the cords are staying connected through your bridges. Notice, the narrow oooo vowel should make the transition to your high register fairly easy. Then try switching to “go, go, go” and finally “gee, gee, gee”. Keep the same easy feeling that “woo, woo, woo” established, and go back to this if you’re having trouble. If you find these easy, then move on to “ba, ba, ba” and “na, na, na”.

Give these a try and let me know what you think. How does it feel to you? Can you sing through your songs any easier after vocalizing with a low larynx?

 

Betty Buckley takes on American Idol

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Did you hear about Betty Buckley’s recent rant about Randy Jackson of American Idol? She states on twitter, “I just have to say this: I am sick & tired of Randy Jackson bashing what they think is Broadway singing!” You can read her full commentary here http://broadwayworld.com/article/Twitter-Watch-Betty-Buckley-Sick-Tired-of-Broadway-Critique-on-AMERICAN-IDOL-20120202_page1.

Way to go Betty! There is no doubt she is correct when she states that American Idol is continually sending signals to the young kids of America that a Broadway voice is inferior. I’ve noticed this for years. Simon Cowell has done this continuously.

IMHO, the show producers do need to nip this in the bud, and I truly hope Betty Buckley’s rant will change some of this type of dialog. The judges simply need to leave the word “Broadway” or “trained voice” out of the sentence. We all know, for a fact, that the reason the singer isn’t making it through, isn’t because they are trained or not-trained, Broadway or not Broadway. It’s because the singer doesn’t have the sound quality or “package” these judges are looking for….period. There have been many trained singers make it in the recording industry. Adam Lambert, himself, was accused of having a “Broadway” voice while on AI. Lucky for him, he was so fabulous it didn’t matter, and he went on to win anyway.

Indeed, there is a difference between a Broadway voice and an American Idol voice. Let’s face it, there are great singers in both. Is one better than the other? Well, that’s for you to decide. As for me, “absolutely not! They can both be down-right fabulous!”