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From:  "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
Date:  Thu Apr 4, 2002  6:03 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Male/Female registers (was: how do you define 'head voice'?)

Dear Randy and Vocalisters:

I am very confused by your comments about classical singing's
extended middle voice, if that is what it is. Your idea that
classical female singers drop off the chest voice too early and carry
high voice down too far does not appear to be common to me in the
best of the classical singers. I hear none of it the likes of
Leontyne Price, Renata Tebaldi, Te Kanewa, Flagstad, Sutherland, to
name just a few but much varied group. I do hear it in the kind of
female tone often required by choral directors. But in well trained
singers and properly trained classical singers I hear a middle voice
that is very capable of changes of vocal color and capable of great
dynamic changes in the middle voice range.

I would also add that the vocal quality I hear in most male pops
singer when they sing high is not a quality that I can even imagine
could be crescendoed into a ff from a pp. One of the qualities of
the male head voice is its potential for great dynamic change
without the need to make major phonational adjustments or switches
from one form of phonation to another as is typical of most
supported falsetto singing.

I am well aware of the blindisms of which you speak. My wife taught
music for many years in a school for the blind. it was one of her
fondest teaching experiences. I find the raised chin/head position a
most common one when I watch pops or rock singers. In fact, it is
such a common singing position that most singers who come into the
voice department to study have it as a "singing position" without
knowing they are doing it. 25 years ago I seldom came across this
odd singing position.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson






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