Falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part. Commonly cited in the context of singing, falsetto, a characteristic of phonation by both men and women, is also on speech pathology.
The falsetto voice—with its characteristic breathy, flute-like sound relatively free of overtones—is more limited than its modal counterpart in both dynamic variation and tone quality. The term falsetto is most often used in the context of singing to refer to a type of vocal phonation that enables the singer to sing notes beyond the vocal range of the normal or modal voice
Physiological process
The modal register, or normal voice, and falsetto register differ primarily in the action of the vocal cords. Production of the normal voice involves vibration of the entire vocal cord, with the glottis opening first at the bottom and then at the top. Production of falsetto, on the other hand, vibrates only the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds while leaving each fold's body relatively relaxed. Transition from modal voice to falsetto occurs when each vocal cord's main body, or vocalis muscle, relaxes, enabling the cricothyroid muscles to stretch the vocal ligaments. William Vennard describes this process as follows:
“With the vocalis muscles relaxed it is possible for the cricothyroids to place great longitudinal tension upon the vocal ligaments. The tension can be increased in order to raise the pitch even after the maximum length of the cords has been reached. This makes the vocal folds thin so that there is negligible vertical phase difference. The vocalis muscles fall to the sides of the larynx and the vibration take place almost entirely in the ligaments.”
In the modal register, the vocal folds (when viewed with a stroboscope) are seen to contact with each other completely during each vibration, closing the gap between them fully, if just for a very short time. This closure cuts off the escaping air. When the air pressure in the trachea rises as a result of this closure, the folds are blown apart, while the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages remain in apposition. This creates an oval-shaped gap between the folds and some air escapes, lowering the pressure inside the trachea. Rhythmic repetition of this movement, a certain number of times a second, creates a pitched note.
In falsetto, however, the vocal folds are seen to be blown apart and in untrained falsetto singers a permanent oval orifice is left in the middle between the edges of the two folds through which a certain volume of air escapes continuously as long as the register is engaged (the singer is singing using the voice). In skilled countertenors, however, the mucous membrane of the vocal folds contact with each other completely during each vibration cycle. The arytenoid cartilages are held in firm apposition in this voice register also. The length or size of the oval orifice or separation between the folds can vary, but it is known to get bigger in size as the pressure of air pushed out is increased.
The folds are made up of elastic and fatty tissue. The folds are covered on the surface by laryngeal mucous membrane which is supported deeper down underneath by the innermost fibres of the thyroarytenoid muscle. In falsetto the extreme membranous edges, i.e. the edges furthest away from the middle of the gap between the folds, appear to be the only parts vibrating. The mass corresponding to the innermost part of the thyro-arytenoid muscle remains still and motionless.
Some singers feel a sense of muscular relief when they change from the modal register to the falsetto register.
Research has revealed that not all speakers and singers produce falsetto in exactly the same way. Some speakers and singers leave the cartilaginous portion of the glottis open (sometimes called mutational chink), and only the front two-thirds of the vocal ligaments enter the vibration. The resulting sound, which is typical of many adolescents, may be pure and flutelike, but is usually soft and anemic in quality. In others, the full length of the glottis opens and closes in each cycle. In still others, a phenomenon known as damping appears, with the amount of glottal opening becoming less and less as the pitch rises, until only a tiny slit appears on the highest pitches. The mutational chink type of falsetto is considered inefficient and weak, but there is little information available about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the other two types
Female falsetto
The issue of the female falsetto voice has been met with some controversy, especially among vocal pedagogists. Many books on the art of singing completely ignore this issue, simply gloss over it, or insist that women do not have falsetto. This controversy, however, does not exist within the speech pathology community and arguments against the existence of female falsetto do not align with current physiological evidence. Motion picture and video studies of laryngeal action reveal that women can and do produce falsetto, and electromyographic studies by several leading speech pathologists and vocal pedagogists provide further confirmation.One possible explanation for this failure to recognize the female falsetto is the fact that the difference in timbre and dynamic level between the modal and falsetto registers often is not as pronounced in female voices as it is in male voices. This is due in part to the difference in the length and mass of the vocal folds and to the difference in frequency ranges.It is an established fact that women have a falsetto register and that many young female singers substitute falsetto for the upper portion of the modal voice. Some vocal pedagogists believe that this failure to recognize the female falsetto voice has led to the misidentification of young contraltos and mezzo-sopranos as sopranos, as it is easier for these lower voice types to sing in the soprano tessitura using their falsetto register. Female singers of popular music noted for possessing a falsetto register are Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera and Whitney Houston.
Use in singing
Falsetto is more limited in dynamic variation and tone quality than the modal voice. Falsetto does not connect to modal voice except at very low volumes, leading to vocal breaks when transitioning from modal voice. Most trained singers have at least an octave of range that they can sing in either modal voice or falsetto. In the absence of modern vocal training to hold back the volume of modal voice, in this overlapping area a given pitch in modal voice will be louder than the same pitch sung in falsetto. The type of vocal cord vibration that produces the falsetto voice precludes loud singing except in the highest tones of that register; it also limits the available tone colors because of the simplicity of its waveform. Modal voice is capable of producing much more complex waveforms and infinite varieties of tone color. Falsetto, however, does involve less physical effort by the singer than the modal voice and, when properly used, can make possible some desirable tonal effects.
The falsetto voice has a number of highly specialized uses within a musical context. The following list includes the most common ones:
· in a male choir, to enable the first tenor to maintain the very demanding tessitura.
· in yodeling
· in Barbershop music for the Tenor voice (not always necessary) and occasionally with the Lead and Baritone voices in certain arrangements.
· for comic effect in both operas and musicals
· by some lyric (Irish) tenors, folk singers, and so forth
· by falsettists or countertenors
· for pitches which are above the range of the modal register
· for pianissimo tones that would be difficult to execute in the modal register
· for vocal development
Singing in falsetto is a vocal technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singer's normal range. In boys or men, it can sound a little artificial. In females it sounds more 'normal'. It's other name is 'Head Voice', although some people refer to Head Voice as a stronger version of falsetto where the voice has been trained to withstand more air pressure underneath the vocal chords. The voice tone of falsetto has is breathy because the length of the vocal chords are not coming together properly, so air is escaping, much like a gas leak. It is not 'wrong' to sing in falsetto or even use it from time to time. In more and more popular music singing styles, artists are using falsetto to portray moments of tenderness, sexyness or vulnerubility. Some people, consider it a vocal weakness to flip over into falsetto while others consider it a vocal feature. It all depends on what you are trying to get the audience to feel. Falsetto singing is sometimes said to be the healing part of the voice. Males find falsetto a little harder to access than females and should not ignore this part of their voice training during singing lessons. During singing lessons falsetto should always be accessed by a singing teacher so as to give the student a more thourough voice training session.
'Isn't 'head voice' the same as 'falsetto'?'
If you've ever wondered that, you'll want to read this 'vocal tips' issue.
Here's the short answer: Head voice and falsetto are not the same, but so many people (including MANY vocal teachers) think they are the same that the terms have become confused and are commonly used interchangably. BUT THEY SHOULDN'T BE.
I know that's a long 'short answer.'
The easiest way to understand the difference of course is to simply HEAR examples of both. Clear head voice doesn't sound like falsetto.
But since I can't sing in this email to show you the difference, you'll need to go to Brett's free online lesson (which is an excerpt from his 'Brett Manning Live!' DVD) to hear with your own ears.
This issue will deal with what happens physically to make these two very different vocal sounds. What's In A Name?
Falsetto means literally 'false voice.' To identify whether the sound you are making is falsetto or not, listen for a very 'airy' sound. If up high, your tone changes from firm and clear to airy, that's falsetto.
The airy sound comes from all the air that escapes through the space left between the cords.
**If you have Brett's program, in the workbook, you can actually see photos of Brett's vocal cords doing these different vocal coordinations.
You'll notice a tiny space between the cords when he's doing his falsetto voice. But with head voice something completely different happens.
To understand what Head Voice is, we first must look at another voice.
"a coordination where the outer layer of the vocal cord (mucosa, i.e. internal skin or muscular covering) is vibrating, creating sound, but without engaging the actual musculature of the cord. Also, there exists no medial compression. In other words, during the vibratory cycle, the cords never fully approximate. In head voice, the cords approximate, but the vibration of the cord moves away from the full depth of the vocal cord (chest voice) to a pattern that involves less and less depth of vocal cord as you ascend toward the top of your range. The highest notes of your range involve only the vocal ligament. However, there is no consensus among experts on the official definition of vocal registers."
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