I am been following the falsetto thread with great interest. As always,
Lloyd’s posts are excellent and insightful.
I am a tenor (originally trained as a baritone), with a passagio break
around Eflat above middle C. I always had a tight (aka poor!) technique -
being misdiagnosed as a baritone was especially..ummm..unhelpful!
I am currently studying the technique that works with the falsetto,
sometimes called training “from the falsetto, down”. My teacher studied
with Oren Brown, if that is a helpful reference. I am interested in hearing
from male singers, especially tenors who have mastered this technique. I am
struggling with it! I would be interested in corresponding privately, if the
list would not be appropriate ( or people get bored with the topic).
My main question: Above my passagio point, I can’t crescendo from the
falsetto into a full tone on the same note, let’s say a high G (G above
middle c)
If I can’t do that, does that mean that my upper notes will never be “free”?
Related question: What do male singers do to sing above that passagio point,
if not practice starting from light falestto? “Lighten” the chest voice as
you go higher? (I know, I know, this is one of those “how do you sing high
notes" questions to which there is no real answer via email, but I am still
interested in hearing male singer’s experiences with different techniques)
Since this can mean different things to different people, here is the
technique, as I understand it from my teacher, explained succinctly:
1) The Crico-Thyroid (CT) muscles are involved in lengthening the chords.
The CT’s must be active for the high notes. As you go higher, the CT’s are
more active and the TA (thyro-arytenoids) are less active.
2) Falsetto singing involves almost exclusively the CT.
3) Therefore, we should be able to start a note in falsetto, and add “low”
voice to it, that is, add a bit of TA activity, also called “heavier
mechanism”.
In Order to do this transition, you need to
1) Add breath, which might mean add breath “pressure” ( I am a bit confused
here)
2) Make space in the throat, and lower the larynx a bit
I should stress that the technique does not mean we are singing in falsetto.
My teacher is clear that we are NOT singing in falsetto while at the same
time singing in full voice. This is impossible and not the point of the
technique. Falsetto is used as a tool or bridge, especially for higher
notes – if you start with the chords lengthened by CTs, then you will have
true head voice when you add the heavier mechanism (TA’s).
If the “mix” between the light mechanism (CT) and heavier mechanism (TA) is
right, the sound should be full, bright, with lots of ping and overtones.
The approach is supposed to be easier than starting in chest voice (mostly
TA), and gradually adding “light” (CT) voice, that is, gradually lightening
the voice as you go higher. In fact you are supposed to have “aspects” of
the light mechanism, meaning, I think, that the CT’s are active, all the way
through the range.
I like the “lightness” of the technique, especially from singing in such a
“squeezy” way for so long.
Here is what I don’t like or understand:
1) lack of energy – the “light” approach makes me try to sing so light that
the pitches are lacking energy and even go flat.
2) I can no longer sing any note above that eflat passagio. If it is too
“chesty”, my teacher says it sounds strained. Since I haven’t mastered
crescendoing from falsetto, I have no idea how to sing above the passagio. I
end up just making the chords flaccid, in an effort to “lighten” them, which
in turn, blows a tremendous amount of air through the glottis, which in turn
results in a hooty falsetto. It’s an ugly mess.
3) My teacher says that things will improve when the light mechanism
(falsetto, CT’s) strengthen so that they do not “drop out” when I try to
activate the heavier mechanism. This may be, but it seems awfully hard.
4) It makes singing incredibly complicated!
I am eager to hear from other tenors who use this approach or who have tried
to and abandoned it.
-brian
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