Greypins@a... wrote: > would you make a distinction between the voice daniels uses and the one > philip bailey (earth wind & fire) uses? or, is it the same voice, treated > very differently? and, if they are the same used differently, isn't the > 'chalky anglo-choral sound' yet just another treatment of the same?
Dear Mike,
That's an awfully good question!
I think the spectrum from tenor to countertenor is defined primarily by the switch-point between modal voice and what you'd call falsetto. Light lyric tenors switch high (circa Bb4), whereas most countertenors switch by E4. The haute-contre, naturally, changes somewhere in between, around G4. There is generally an inverse relationship between the height of the switch-point and the height of the top notes.
For the most part, Bailey does the tenor thing, and uses falsetto sparingly at the top (I'm not all that familiar with his music, though). Daniels uses mostly falsetto. I do believe the coordination necessary to move convincingly from tenor to Bailey's reinforced falsetto is different from the transition Daniels makes around middle C. Daniels skips the entire 'mix' range (E4-Bb4) most tenors must learn to negotiate.
All the same, I think that above Bb4, both men are using the same kind of production... Daniels just brings it down into his middle range.
You've heard me do the "tenor on speed" thing. The notes above A4 sound more or less like my lower voice, but my experience with that register is that it is precisely the same as the what I use singing countertenor. If I simply lighten the sound, I can sing the usual CT repertoire with it.
As for "chalky" choristers, it's more than just saying it's a breathy version of what Daniels does, IMO. I think most men simply have lost the ability to produce those notes with complete closure of the folds. Maybe it's related to the phenomenon with some teenaged girls who cannot get complete closure during puberty?
Perhaps the basic mechanics is the same, but the ability to utilize it effectively is the difference. Maybe it's hormonal/neurological...
Tako
|
| |