When am I in Head Voice and When am I in Falsetto?

When am I in Head Voice and When am I in Falsetto?

This is a question I receive almost everyday.

Inside this video I’ll define both head
voice and falsetto and show you how you can

know whether you’re in falsetto or whether
you’re in head voice when you sing.

Hi, I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing.

I ‘ll define falsetto as a disconnected
tone.

You can be in falsetto on high, medium and
some low notes.

And you can be connected on low notes and
break into falsetto.

However, the pitch will change to a higher
pitch when you do.

However, you can only bring falsetto down
from high pitches to somewhere around A3 (Thats

the A below Middle C) before it must transition
back into chest voice.

If you do it loud or hard it’s not a smooth
transition.

It’s a real clunk or break-like feeling
back into chest voice.

When you’re in falsetto the vocal cords
come together with just the outer edges.

They barely touch together as you sing.

As a result more air escapes through the vocal
cords.

Please watch theses videos, for more about
falsetto and head voice.

In contrast, head voice is a connected tone.

The vocal cords are coming together with more
of the edges touching deeper into each other.

The result is that the tone, being already
a connected tone, does not have to reconnect

into chest.

Since it’s already connected it blends smoothly
into chest voice.

Proper embouchure which allows brass players
to play their instrument could be compared

to head voice.

Without the proper embouchure too much air
escapes and it’s difficult to generate sound

waves.

With too little vocal cord making vibration,
there’s too much air passing through the

vocal cords which causes an imbalance between
the air and vocal cord muscle.

The results is a breathy, airy tone which
can get louder to a certain point, but lacks

deeper overtones.

If we are unable to bridge and transition
into head voice, we pull the chest voice higher

and higher until it breaks into falsetto.

Why is it often hard to tell just by listening
to the sound whether you’re in falsetto

or head voice?

It’s hard because head voice and falsetto
resonate in the same place...in the head cavities.

However, falsetto is a disconnected tone with
very little cord participating in the sound

making.

Whereas head voice is a connected tone with
more of the vocal cord making sound but less

air flow balancing with the vocal cords enables
me to do it softly.

Also, Head voice and falsetto can both feel
very released without tension or reach.

It can be confusing to us at first, because
they actually feel similarly easy and light.

Through the years I’ve learned to feel the
difference between the connected tone with

more vocal cord versus the disconnected tone
with very little vocal cord.

For example if I yodel, first my cords are
connected then I disconnect them into falsetto.

I’ll try it on different pitches.

It’s easy for me to demonstrate a yodel
in chest voice.

You can really hear the disconnection.

It’s harder for me to demonstrate a yodel
in mix and head voice.

I have a hard time doing it loud enough for
you to hear.

But I can feel it disconnect into falsetto.

(I don’t know if I can disconnect and get
back into mix.

I can disconnect but you can’t tell)

We’ve already touched on this, but if you
are still confused, sustain the note above

your first bridge in question and bring it
down into chest firmly on “oh” until it

either blends into chest or it clunks as it
reconnects into chest.

If it blended smoothly, you were in connected
head voice.

If it clunked or broke back into chest, you
were in falsetto.

Keep in mind it is possible to break but reconnect
into head voice.

However, if you’re experiencing this, it’s
likely the larynx is rising which causes the

cords to slip into falsetto and the tone disconnect.

Do you know your vocal type?

Your vocal type tells you what you tend to
do as you sing through the first bridge of

your voice.

If you pull chest or flip into falsetto or
are too light, you will always be dealing

with breaking into falsetto and struggling
to develop a strong head voice.

Go to PowerToSing.com and take the vocal test,
which I call the PowerTest.

Take the quiz and discover your vocal type.

Then visit the Knowledge Center and watch
the videos about your vocal type.

Download the free exercises and start practicing
them.

They’re designed to help you learn to bridge,
which will enable you to sing into your head

voice without using falsetto.

If you liked this video, give it a thumbs
up, subscribe and share it with a friend.

In the comment section below, I’d love to
hear how you’ve learned to tell the difference

between falsetto and head voice.

Also, be sure to follow Power To Sing on Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter.

Links are also included on Power To Sing’s
Youtube Homepage and at PowerToSing.com.

I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing.

You can sing higher with beauty, confidence
and power.

I’ll see you inside the next video.