Falsetto or head voice issues (1,283 views)

[Steingrim]

I've discovered that I have much more natural power in falsetto in octave 5 than in octaves 4 and 3. 

My passaggi in chest voice are at C#4 and F#4, which means that it should be very natural to sing in falsetto from F#4 and up. But there's also an accoustic shift happening inside the falsetto register itself, at C5. Passaggi for female singers typically include that one instead of the secondo passaggio in chest voice.

It's not just that I have more power somewhere in octave 5 than somewhere in octave 4, the change is abrupt from B4 to C5. I can make F#4-B4 sound allright, but I would have to force those notes before I could call them powerful.

Is this common ?

My falsetto range isn't super high. It's comfortable at D5, sounds ok at F5, a bit ugly at G5 and maxes out at Bb5.

[SubjectAlpha]

"What I read online isn't the reality for myself. How do I fix this?"

Just work on your voice and care less about range. Having a lot more power in the fifth octave is very, very common. The flip from mix/head/falsetto really doesn't matter that much if you can make your passagio breaks seem less "obvious"

[Steingrim]

I have a useful B4 in chest voice, so it isn't a huge problem. But octave 4 falsetto notes can be very useful, so I would like to figure out how to cultivate more power there. Mixed voice (in the falsetto register) isn't something that I've tried yet.

Sopranos sing powerfully in head voice in octave 4 all the time, so it is possible.

[SubjectAlpha]

Are you a soprano? If not, it is not applicable to you.

Do vocal slides from your mixed voice to head/falsetto until your break becomes less noticeable.
Ngl, I think you are confusing various aspects together

[Steingrim]

Apr 27, 2023 9:57:18 GMT SubjectAlpha said:

Are you a soprano? If not, it is not applicable to you.

Do vocal slides from your mixed voice to head/falsetto until your break becomes less noticeable.
Ngl, I think you are confusing various aspects together

No, I'm not a soprano. But a soprano has much higher break points, and they are still able to sing powerfully in head voice as low as at least mid octave 4.

I'm not confusing aspects together, but I may be using terminology in a different way than you do, this is common with discussions on singing and the human voice. 

I can sing in (a gradually thinner) chest voice up to B4 (and certainly higher than that) and then switch to falsetto at C5 and then take it from there. Luckily for me, there isn't a gap where I'm stranded with singing in a weak falsetto. But I would still like to know if power can be cultivated for those octave 4 falsetto notes. Does anyone know ?

[SubjectAlpha]

So you are using a completely unrelated vocal type to justify what you -should- be able to do, even though there are major biological factors involved.
I feel like you are focusing a bit too much on written definitions for vocal types, when vocals in general, are not just black and white.

Use your diaphragm more and focus on breathing as you descend in your vocal register from the 5th octave down to the 4th. There is not a magical answer to "how I can git gud"
Practice.

[Steingrim]

Apr 27, 2023 10:21:32 GMT SubjectAlpha said:

So you are using a completely unrelated vocal type to justify what you -should- be able to do, even though there are major biological factors involved.
I feel like you are focusing a bit too much on written definitions for vocal types, when vocals in general, are not just black and white.

The main difference between me and a soprano is that a soprano's entire range is placed higher, all of it. So logically, it should be easier for me to sing a low note in head voice powerfully, than it is for a soprano.

It helps to practice ? Yeah, I think so.

[SubjectAlpha]

In theory, you'd be correct, but the issue is that biology is different from any person. It's just like if you take two baritones, they might be in the same vocal placement, but their strengths and weaknesses are different. One might be able to project a strong E2, while the other starts to fade out at F2.

The only real way of gaining what you seek, is by practicing and playing around your vocal breaks until you have a decent amount of control in that area. Rome wasn't built in one day either

[Steingrim]

Apr 27, 2023 10:41:29 GMT SubjectAlpha said:

In theory, you'd be correct, but the issue is that biology is different from any person. It's just like if you take two baritones, they might be in the same vocal placement, but their strengths and weaknesses are different. One might be able to project a strong E2, while the other starts to fade out at F2.

The only real way of gaining what you seek, is by practicing and playing around your vocal breaks until you have a decent amount of control in that area. Rome wasn't built in one day either

Like is the case with most baritones, my power fades very gradually going down octave 2. It's kind of abrupt at the falsetto break point that I mentioned. But like you said, it could be mostly a matter of not having bothered to practice much in that area yet.

[SubjectAlpha]

Just keep practicing that area. Making siren sounds that ascend to a certain pitch before descending, is a good way of "loosening" up and working out those parts. Use your diaphragm and focus on your breathing and mouth shape.

[Steingrim]

A bit of focused practice made things better. Hollowing out the falsetto note produces more power, but it's no good for singing, it's more like a howl. Thanks for the advice.

[SubjectAlpha]

You've been at it for half a day. Imagine what you can do if you practice somewhat daily over time. You'll be a screeching banshee in no time

[Steingrim]

Apr 27, 2023 20:18:44 GMT SubjectAlpha said:

You've been at it for half a day. Imagine what you can do if you practice somewhat daily over time. You'll be a screeching banshee in no time

Yeah, I want to sound like any and every singer, at will. Only when I'm singing better than all of them put together, will people realize that this is in fact my own style. At this pace, I should achieve my goal within 17 months.