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From:  "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
Date:  Tue Sep 5, 2000  6:00 am
Subject:  Re: Source of frequencies was:Falsetto Recognition



Hello Tako

The male head voice is that voice which occurs above the top notes of the
male chest voice. There is a transition area between these two registers
which is usually called the male passaggio. For the high tenor this
passaggio occurs in the approximate range between D4 and G4. The head
voice is characterized by a strong ring, a brilliant color and, if sung
softly (mezzo voce) an very intimate quality. All of its colors display an
overtone series that is absent in falsetto. The fact that some singers
have more ring and brilliance in head voice than others is attributed more
to innate vocal differences than to functional differences. In any case,
if the voice is under pressure and the full length of the vocal folds is
used it is head voice. It cannot be chest voice or any form of chest voice
because that would require that the folds be shorter and thicker which is
not possible in that range of the male voice.

The female equivalent to the tenor passaggio (which is usually about a
fourth in range) is the female middle range which us often an octave or
more in range. Below this is the female chest voice, above it the female
head voice or, if you prefer, high voice. Above the female high voice is
the flageolet and whistle voice. Even if females sing in their high range
or in the upper part of their middle voice with a breathy tone which
requires closure rates that are open more than closed, they are not singing
in falsetto. They cannot because their vocal folds are too short to obtain
the falsetto position of the male voice. The tone may imitate the male
falsetto but it is not the same functionally.


Regards
--
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Vocal Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011



  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date Size
4002 Re: Source of frequencies was:Falsetto Recognitio Tako Oda   Tue  9/5/2000   3 KB

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