What is Head Voice?

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This is part two of a three part series exploring chest voice, head voice, and mix (or mixed) voice.

It can get confusing with so many terms to learn about the voice. Another one to get familiar with is head voice because it is used often and sometimes misunderstood. Let’s learn a little more about how to find it and what you need to know about the role it plays.

That’s your head voice. Head voice is associated with your upper register.

Did you notice where you felt the sympathetic vibrations?

Most people feel them in their head. That’s why it’s called head voice.

How do we produce head voice?

That’s just a fancy way of saying there are muscles that need to activate for us to sing higher.

These muscles are outside the vocal folds, and they stretch and thin the vocal folds allowing us to go up in pitch.

The cricothyroid (CT) muscles are associated with our upper register and are dominant in the production of head voice.

What?! Aren’t they the same? NOPE.

Falsetto is breathy and weak compared to head voice. It can still be a great stylistic choice though. It can be beautiful and haunting like in The Weekend’s Rolling Stone at 1:30 for example, or Billie Eilish’s Everything I Wanted, also at 1:30.

Head voice is stronger than falsetto. An example of head voice is Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved in the chorus at 1:18 where he goes up to a B5 on “be”, or the very first line of Arianna Grande’s no tears left to cry. You can hear these examples have a little more strength and aren’t breathy.

Here is the thing. The muscle coordination between falsetto and head voice is different.

In a balanced chest voice, there is still a little bit of that CT (head voice) muscle activation, especially as we go up in pitch.

Same with a balanced head voice, there is still a little bit of TA (chest voice) muscle activity, more or less depending on how intense of a sound we are getting.

When we are in falsetto, the TA (chest voice) muscle essentially let’s go, and we have no thickening or shortening of the vocal folds happening, so we get a thinner and more breathy sound.

As you sing through your range, at any point, there will be a whole range of choices in terms of how much TA or CT you are activating. This is all a version of mix, which we will talk more about in the next blog.

Let me know if you have any questions! Or, drop in some other examples of head voice and falsetto that you like!

What is Chest Voice?

THIS BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR NEW WEBSITE. GO READ IT HERE.

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This is part one of a three part series exploring chest voice, head voice, and mix (or mixed) voice.

There are a lot of terms in the singing world that can often be misunderstood or are not explained well. Chest voice is one that will come up frequently that you should know when it comes to singing. Let’s go over what part it plays with your voice.

Do you feel the vibrations?

That’s your chest voice. When you sing with it, it will have the same qualities as your speaking voice.

Chest voice is associated with the lower register of your voice. It’s the voice we use when we speak or when we yell.

Most people feel the sympathetic vibrations in the chest, which is why it’s called chest voice.

If the chest voice isn’t strong enough, then your voice will be breathy, and lack power and intensity.

Now, keep in mind, everyone’s voice is different! Tori Kelly has a lighter and brighter sounding chest voice than Adele, for example. One isn’t necessarily better than the other. They are both unique and well-developed.

How do we produce chest voice?

These muscles are inside the vocal folds, and they shorten and thicken vocal folds.

They are primarily associated with our lower register and are dominant in the production of chest voice.

Next week we will explore head voice!

5 Minute Straw in Water Vocal Warm-Up 🗣 ⁠

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If you know me at all, you know I love vocal straw exercises inside and out (of water, that is)⁠. 😜

⁠In this 5 minute video, I'll share with you a really simple and effective "Straw in Water" vocal exercise.

I learned this exercise several years ago from an SLP (Speech and Language Pathologist) at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles. I still use it for myself and my students today.

When to Use the Straw in Water Exercise

The straw in water exercise is great for warming up/cooling down or soothing a tired voice.

Singing with the straw in water is also a great introduction to straw singing, if you've never tried it.

When I tried straw singing for the first time, it was without water, and I will tell you, I personally found it really awkward. I didn’t understand the “feel” I was aiming for, so I didn’t find it very effective.

After getting the hang of vocalizing with the straw in the water, I was able to then transition to using the straw without water as well. Straw singing in and out of the water are both highly beneficial.

Why sing with a straw?

There is so much science behind why straw exercises are such an effective tool in every voice user’s toolbox.

Straw singing exercises help tone and coordinate the muscles used for singing.

Using the straw trains the posturing of the vocal folds (cords) by lengthening and partially closing off the vocal tract, which is the space from your vocal folds to the tip of your lips.

A back-pressure occurs when the vocal tract is partially closed off and energy feeds back to the vocal folds. The back-pressure trains a more effective position of the vocal folds when they close, helping them to square-up better.

This benefit occurs to some degree with all semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTs), for example lip trills, tongue trills, humming, singing on a “V”, “J”, or “Z” etc.

Using the straw is basically making the vocal tract longer because the straw is extending the space where the sound is resonating. The elongation of the vocal tract allows the larynx to lower to a neutral position.  When the larynx is neutral, you can't over-squeeze. 

Straw Size Matters

Using the correct size of straw in length and diameter is very important when doing straw exercises.

The size matters because we want pressure equalization.

When you use the straw in water, you can increase the resistance just by how deep you put the straw into the water.

What straws to use

If you are using a regular drinking straw, try putting it into the water about 2 inches.

If you are using really small cocktail-like straws, you may need to use 3-6, so that you don’t have TOO much resistance. It shouldn’t feel like you can barely get any sound or air out.

If you use a large smoothie type straw you might need to put it deeper into the water to get the right amount of resistance. If the straw is flexible, you can also try squeezing it slightly to adjust the resistance.

It's like a mini gym workout for your voice!

Have fun and let me know how it goes in the comments.

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Singing Pop After Classical Training

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Let’s See Some Tools In Action During A Live Lesson

Meet Lisa.  Lisa was classically trained and had a wonderful opera career on the big stage in Europe for 20 years.  She currently teaches classical singing, and some contemporary styles, so we focused on finding a more contemporary “pop” sound using Adele’s song “Skyfall”.

Lisa is a Mezzo soprano, so she naturally had more depth in her lower register and her chest voice has a little more weight in it. 

Watch me demonstrate some acoustic strategies, vowel adjustments and tools that helped her even out her range, keep more resistance in her mix, and find a more divergent vocal tract shape.

Lisa’s Lesson

0:55 - Lisa’s singing background

2:00 - Beginning of live lesson

3:10 - Adding a "cry" to the high notes

4:15 - Using the Pharyngeal or Twang sound

4:55 - Using a straw to even the range and balance airflow

6:05 - Describing chest voice and where you feel it

6:35 - Why talking the lyrics helps connect chest voice to the high notes

7:20 - Using the Pharyngeal to "NUH" and "NO"

10:10 - Optimizing vowels

13:45 - Final take!

14:25 - Lisa's thoughts

Tools I used with Lisa

Twang or pharyngeal 

You can find this by making witchy, bratty or nasty sound. Often times it’s used in vocalizes by using a bratty NAY.

• Tends to be on a bit of a raised larynx or at least neutral

• Thins out the folds

• Thickens falsetto

• Assists in moderate adduction to smooth out the connection

Ring

In a mezzo soprano it can be common to use an acoustic “Ring” to cut through the orchestra. This is also called “squilo” in Italian.

On a physical level the root of the tongue is pulled back slightly which narrows the opening of the space right above the glottis or vocal folds.  By making this space slightly smaller it resonates higher frequencies and can really carry the sound.

This same strategy can be used in pop, but we want to make sure it’s not too much or it can start to sound classical or manipulated.

Cry

This is just what it sounds like. You add a little cry or pout while you sing.

• Tends to lower the larynx without imposing it and it thins the folds

• Maintains adduction while allowing the larynx to rest

• Thins out too much weight

• Thickens up lighter/breathier vocal production

• Reduce airflow and air “push” 

Straw Exercises

I used the straw to thin Lisa out at the vocal fold level and also find a more consistent vowel, so she would feel more connection between her lower and upper registers.

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Would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment if you have any questions or thoughts you’d like to share!

Working with the Gender Diverse Professional Voice User

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As voice teachers, it’s important to be inclusive of all minority populations in our vocal studios and communities. I’m so excited to introduce Gender Affirming Voice Specialist Heather Gross to you to help us do just that.

Heather Gross is a vocal therapist and singing voice specialist who specializes in helping gender diverse professional voice users find a speaking and/or singing voice that aligns with their true identity.

The voice is such a personal part of all of our identities. Working on it can be a very vulnerable experience for anyone, which is why we as voice teachers have a responsibility to create a safe space for our clients to experiment, fail, try again as they explore and develop their voices.

In this episode

2:35 - What is one tip you would give voice teachers when working with gender diverse students? 

4:05 - What is your process for helping someone find their authentic voice?

7:04 - How do you incorporate tools from your work as a mindfulness and life coach in vocal training?

10:35 - How do you support a students who desires a sound that may not work for their instrument?

12:05 - What practice tips do you give students?

14:10 - How do you support your students through the emotional aspects of vocal training?

15:05 - Do you use a lot of the tools from Speech Pathology as a vocal coach?  

17:20 - 10 question speed round

Shifting our culture

Does this subject make you uncomfortable? Do you feel unsure about how to talk about it? This is most likely a sign that you need to educate yourself more on this topic.

This is a time to question our ideas about what we think gender looks like. Let’s let go of stereotypes, and take the time to look deeply at our own limiting beliefs that prevent us from living in a world where people are seen and treated as equals.

Creating a safe space for gender diverse singers and speakers in our voice studios will not only benefit all singers, but our entire society. By educating ourselves and those around us to be inclusive of underrepresented communities, we are helping to create a more inclusive culture where there is space for everyone to be their authentic selves.

Working with Heather gross

Heather hosts a transgender voice group once a month where she hosts diverse guests who present on topics that are helpful in the transgender community.

Heather is the owner of Live Vocally, which is a virtual voice studio. She is based in Pasadena, CA.

You can learn more about Heather and follow her on all of her social media outlets here:

Heather Gross, M.S. CCC-SLP, Singing Voice Specialist

instagram: @live_vocally

website: livevocally.com

Further resources:

There are many wonderful resources out there. Here a few to get you started.

CREATING GENDER LIBERATORY SINGING SPACES: A TRANSGENDER VOICE TEACHER’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WORKING WITH TRANSGENDER SINGERS by Eli Conley

TRAN 101.  There are 4 videos in this series (each about 4 minutes). Start HERE.

All Your Questions About Gender-Neutral Pronouns Answered From grammar to what to do if you mess it up. http://www.teenvogue.com/story/they-them-questions-answered

Allyship 101 Transvivor is the transgender resource for all, helping trans people go from surviving to thriving.