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On different types of falsetto (or head voice)


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I figured since I'm one of the few vocal proponents of falsetto, I'd put down some of my types of falsetto. I just recorded them, as they are less painful for me to do than speaking and my throat is not currently in spasm.

http://soundcloud.com/killerku/falsettoexamples

I start off 0-4 with a breathy falsetto. Then I added more body at 4-10 and finally I add more twang at 10-12 into a very metallic sound.

For my music, if my voice was healthy, I'd like to polish the middle section off into a kind of Eddie Kendricks sound as that was kind of the falsetto I was going for pre injury. I'd like to know what people think of this and the difference between these and head voice.

For the record, these notes are A#4 and B4, and anything above A4 (where I hit a full voice road block pre injury by pushing chest) would likely be produced in some kind of head voice for me (or deep mix). I just have a feeling what I would have wanted in my upper range was a polished falsetto rather than what people call head voice on this forum?

Ok, thinking back, I think what I wanted was a strong chest voice like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4EEfCKqKcc

That could also have elements of this kind of falsetto:

Is this mix voice, head voice, or just falsetto? Hmmm...

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That Eddie Kendricks guy is singing straight up falsetto all the way through.

That's what I'm thinking.

I think the majority of my favorite singers used falsetto in place of the head voice people talk about here. If I had just used falsetto I would have spared myself a lot of trouble!

What about this clip here, it sounds like Kendricks is bridging into his modal voice with cry to me:

Listen here: No Longer riding on the merry go 'round.' 1:44

I think if I can get my voice back, I'll make sure I don't hesitate to use falsetto in melodies. I think whatever problem singers have with it, I don't share. It actually sounds good to me.

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Let me use some CVT Terminology here ( just to give different spot. I found Falseto term. confusing by many and many times).

What, for example, Eddie Kendricks uses here is a Soft Closure Neutral/Neutral With Air. It is often confused with a Vocal Flageolet below high C where it do couses problems (this now in SS, SLS terminology is a falsetto) and it should be avoided.

Here I found nice comparison by Hummaller (from CVI forum) between Soft Neutral and Flageolet --> http://www.box.com/shared/xn7gsmr6ug

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Let me use some CVT Terminology here ( just to give different spot. I found Falseto term. confusing by many and many times).

What, for example, Eddie Kendricks uses here is a Soft Closure Neutral/Neutral With Air. It is often confused with a Vocal Flageolet below high C where it do couses problems (this now in SS, SLS terminology is a falsetto) and it should be avoided.

Here I found nice comparison by Hummaller (from CVI forum) between Soft Neutral and Flageolet --> http://www.box.com/shared/xn7gsmr6ug

Very interesting and useful to know, Daug. I agree CVT has more clarity in it's terms, but my voice isn't healthy enough to fully explore it and even then I don't honestly know what kinds of sounds I'm making by myself for absolute certainty. Like even in my clip, I have at least 3 different sounds, but I don't know for sure what they are, other than breathy, meatier (maybe cry), and metallic (maybe twang). I dunno.

On that clip you got there, my ears can't really tell a difference between the two aside from the really interesting 'flip,' that must be a very interesting exercise to know how to do.

So yes, what I would probably want is some form of neutral (soft, closed, metal) rather than flageolet (falsetto), but I don't know how to tell the difference between the two. I agree, I'm quite confused, but I really like this sound they are getting.

I might hop over to the CVT forums sometime and ask some questions. It sadly seems dead. Being someone with a voice problem, I wouldn't be able to do much to revive it, but I really like the clarity in their vantage point on voice.

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...

On that clip you got there, my ears can't really tell a difference between the two aside from the really interesting 'flip,' that must be a very interesting exercise to know how to do.

So yes, what I would probably want is some form of neutral (soft, closed, metal) rather than flageolet (falsetto), but I don't know how to tell the difference between the two. I agree, I'm quite confused, but I really like this sound they are getting.

I might hop over to the CVT forums sometime and ask some questions. It sadly seems dead. Being someone with a voice problem, I wouldn't be able to do much to revive it, but I really like the clarity in their vantage point on voice.

The true differance betwen these two [soft closure neutral( there is no metal) and flageolet below High C ] is really on what you can feel. With Flageolet below high C it is very hard to control the note and also there is some lack of resonanse and it just feels wrong. And Soft Closure Neutral is what you can call light and soft Head Voice and it feels like normal Head Voice only it is more hushed down, just like you wonna sing lullaby for a baby.

Yep. Pity that CVI is quite dead now. I really wish I could help you with your problem.

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I honestly don't know what it is, Ron, I can carry it up further if I want. What I'm wondering is if it's maybe adducted flageolet.

This difference between falsetto and flageolet blows my mind currently, I wish I had a physiological explanation or a tutorial in how to achieve each.

And Daug, yeah I appreciate it. I think it's nuts the kinds of painful things I can do with my voice still. I wish I could have all of these bells and whistles without the voice problem.

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KellerKu.

Can you describe the placement of your pain?

Isn't that feels like you have some kind of string atached to your vocal cords and when yo began to sing it sort of "pulling them down to your throat cousing pain like you have needle in throat???

I remember I had something like that fiew times when i was startied to recovery from "bad SS". It was closed CT-space.

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KellerKu.

Can you describe the placement of your pain?

Isn't that feels like you have some kind of string atached to your vocal cords and when yo began to sing it sort of "pulling them down to your throat cousing pain like you have needle in throat???

I remember I had something like that fiew times when i was startied to recovery from "bad SS". It was closed CT-space.

This is about the hardest thing for me to describe, Daug. I'll try.

Above the hyoid bone: I get muscular tension, spasm, and pain.

Below the hyoid bone: I have an area that feels injured when I tried to stretch it.

Overall: When speaking and eating, I get sharp pain, and tensions. When my spasms go full bore it feels like my larynx is yanked up against my hyoid bone and crushed.

I actually had the doctor inject my CT space with something, to release it? But that didn't work to solve the pain or problems.

My theory is I either have an injured ligament/tendon/etc which the supporting muscles are trying to to support in vain (resulting in spasm and instability), or I simply have malfunctioning muscular skeletal functions from either neurological or habits formed.

I've been doing yawn sigh technique daily, trying to combat these problems. I think it 'might' work a little to control the intensity, but definitely doesn't work to stop the problems.

My brother is back in school and working constantly now, but when he gets time, I'm going to try to setup an appointment with the best speech therapist I can find that does Aronsen's Technique. Or circumlaryngeal massage.

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Deamn. :(

KillerKu it's looke much more like some tongue root problem. I was hoping that maybe it's simpler.

Doctor would not have to inject anything to your CT space if was closed. I had something like that just fiew short times and the case was to loose heavy hold/"cry" from voice. But unfortunetly it seems that in your case it is something more.

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About the kinds of falsetto. It depends on which terminology.

What I learned as head voice is the same as modal but adding covering. From there we start to carefully ajust support compression and shifting the feeling of resonance up little by little. A F# on chest or on head should sound almost the same for example. Everything that is done without compression is falsetto.

From what I heard on your samples, all falsetto, but the first vowel on the last phrase seems to get a little bit of body. That is closer to what head voice would be. Its really hard to know, and kinda pointless also, there is nothing wrong in using one or the other, its important that YOU know so that you know exactly how you will use your voice, but for the audience... doesnt matter.

This guy for example, uses both during his phrases, can you tell it appart?

I get confused. On a few lower notes I can hear a little bit of body comming along, but on others I really cant tell. So balanced and connected that it doesnt matter.

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