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From: Takeshi Oda
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: Speaking/Singing voice ( ranting about countertenors)
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

reply to "CAIO ROSSI DE OLIVEIRA" :

My take on registers is similar to yours. My guess is that what you call
"basal" is what I've heard described as "strohbass". I've heard that
falsetto and whistle are different mechanisms, but I cannot vouch for it
personally, as I cannot seem to produce a real falsetto, and have not
used whistle in several years...

You talk about the "modal" register as one phonation mechanism that can
resonate in the chest or the head. My understanding is a little
different: what you call "modal" I think of as two distinct mechanical
"modes". The lower is the one where the cords get stretched lengthwise
to raise pitch. The higher is the one where they can no longer stretch
lengthwise and must be stretched laterally. I feel a distinct change
when I switch, even if I can't hear it. It's possible you can't feel the
change, as the change is probably not as jarring for someone with
shorter vocal cords (many women can't feel it either).

Best of luck in your speech therapy and singing!

Tako Oda
Graduate Student in Composition
Mills College Music Department
http://www.mills.edu/PEOPLE/gr.pages/toda.public.html/music/singer.html