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EXERCISE REQUEST FOR MAKING FALSETTO SOUND MORE RICH AND RESONANT

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folks, can you please recommend a few intermediate or advanced vocal exercises to make falsetto or head voice sound more chestlike? thanks in advance.

an example of what i'm looking to accomplish vocally is in the song "the search is over" by survivor.

the part "when i look into your eyes, the "eyes" note (i'm assuming was sung in falsetto) see link beginning around 57 seconds.

i can hit the note full voice but it's a tough reach. so i guess if i can do it like he does, with a chestlike falsetto i'll have less strain.

what exercises would help to make this more chestlike?

thanks in advance bob

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folks, can you please recommend a few intermediate or advanced vocal exercises to make falsetto or head voice sound more chestlike? thanks in advance.

an example of what i'm looking to accomplish vocally is in the song "the search is over" by survivor.

the part "when i look into your eyes, the "eyes" note (i'm assuming was sung in falsetto) see link beginning around 57 seconds.

i can hit the note full voice but it's a tough reach. so i guess if i can do it like he does, with a chestlike falsetto i'll have less strain.

what exercises would help to make this more chestlike?

Bob: Its not falsetto. Its a fairly robust head voice. That robustness comes from balanced registration, appropriate adduction, no overpressure, and by selecting vowels that ring.

One of the very best exercises for developing, and assessing this capability is the 2-octave (bottom-up & back down) arpeggio. Start on the lowest note you can make clearly. Sing it clearly and easily on the ee vowel for a moment, and then go up the notes without crescendoing or pushing air. If anything, do a little decrescendo on the way up. Dwell on the top note for a moment, and then go back down. The goal of the exercise is for the voice to be of consistent quality on all the notes.

Transpose up 1/2 step, and repeat. Continue until you reach the 1st time that you feel a tug or strain. Notice what note that is, and do not go to that level for the remainder of the practice session.

Once you have done it on ee, repeat from the original key on ah, and shade all the vowels from middle C upward just a little toward oh. This will feel differently, but should be comfortable. Transpose as before.

I hope others in the Forum will write about their favorite exercises for this purpose.

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Falsetto is a timbre in head resonance. Falsetto is accomplished by abducting the vocal folds. Falsetto has an airy, whispy, flutetie qualities. Falsetto should be used (sparingly in my opinion) as a style choice and not out of necessity. An artist that uses Falsetto is James Blunt. The example you gave is sang in a full voiced head tone. My best guess, based on your description, of what you are experiencing is referred to as 'pulling chest'. Belting is a technique used to sing higher pitches in chest resonance; however, 'pulling chest' is not healthy nor pleasing to listen to. What you need is to 'Bridge and Connect'. Bridge the passaggio and adduct or connect the vocal folds to produce a full voiced tone in head resonance. Learning to 'Bridge and Connect' will add octave(s) to your range. The words I used are TVS talk track. Speech Level Singing / Singing Success terms for this are 'managing the break' and using 'compression' or compressing the air (support). Here are some videos that help demonstrate pulling chest, bridging and connecting, and an exercise to practice bridging and connecting.

Don't Pull Chest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSytGRk6o7E

Lift Up Pull Back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8zroG9QWNc&feature=related

Bridging and Connecting 2 exercise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcbtxOoGpJM&feature=related

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Start on the lowest note you can make clearly. Sing it clearly and easily on the ee vowel for a moment, and then go up the notes without crescendoing or pushing air. If anything, do a little decrescendo on the way up. Dwell on the top note for a moment, and then go back down. The goal of the exercise is for the voice to be of consistent quality on all the notes.

This explanation of the subtleties and the why is insightful and is of great value. Thank you Steven!

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folks, thanks

i have as steve calls it "a robust" voice.

is this note "eyes" ("look into your eyes") head voice to you? i'm feeling it in my cheeks and way in the back on the soft palate.

it's powerful .....i don't think head voice is supposed to be powerful? right?

the power always came pretty naturally to me.

..could i have developed a strong head voice (if it is head voice) just buy singing all these years?

http://www.box.net/shared/3xday7te62

please comment honestly...i can take it (lol).

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Hey Bob,

you know whenever i listen to you David Lee Roth always springs to mind! anyway i digress......

the quality that the survivor singer uses is going more towards a "belt" sound i would say. belt sounds have a more shout like quality to them that a lot of rock singers use. its a different set up in the larynx than head voice as the vocal folds actually get shorter and fatter for belt as supposed to head voice where they stretch longer and thin out. head voice can be extremely powerful if developed (just listen to some good opera singers top notes!) but it has a more "refined" less raucous quality than belt.

i would say what your doing in the clip would be considered pulling up chest voice which in a nutshell means your trying to hang on to the same vocal fold coordination as the lower notes without changing set up to either a belt voice or a head voice. i suggest that if you are looking to master belt voice techniques that you look into Estill Voice Training or Complete Vocal Technique methods as they both teach how to sing like this.

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Is this note "eyes" ("look into your eyes") head voice to you? i'm feeling it in my cheeks and way in the back on the soft palate.

It's powerful .....i don't think head voice is supposed to be powerful? right?

..could i have developed a strong head voice (if it is head voice) just buy singing all these years?

http://www.box.net/shared/3xday7te62

please comment honestly...i can take it (lol).

Videohere: Sounds to me that's the high end of your chest voice, done very energetically. Your head voice is going to have a different timbre.

Since you have a high chest voice, your passaggio transition may be better accessed by a vowel modification exercise. story: I have a friend from Amarillo that I would have called a baritenor 20 years ago. Then, while taking a lesson, his robust head voice suddenly showed up. Wham! Ringy, loud, easy.

The vowel that did the trick for him was oh. You remember the 2-octave arpeggio exercise I described? Start on the Ab in the 2nd octave below middle C, and as you come up past the Ab below middle c... rather than shading the vowel to oh, actually change it to oh (including the rounding of your lips) , and do a little decrescendo as you ascend to the top. I think you will find something different happening.

The reason I suggest this is that 'ah' has the highest passaggio point. Oh has a lower one, and i'd like to see if your headvoice will show up given a little help from the vowel.

if you would, go ahead and record the arpeggio a few times, and post them. I'll listen, and let you know what I hear. i'm sure others will enjoy hearing it as well.

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folks,

first off "thank you" for your time...second i'm afraid to say this, but i don't read music to know what the notes are....i know the terminology, but that's it.

is there anyone who can throw me a link or demonstrate vocally what i need to do? if i'm asking too much, don't worry about it. i'm just glad you're nice enough to help.

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folks,

first off "thank you" for your time...second i'm afraid to say this, but i don't read music to know what the notes are....i know the terminology, but that's it.

is there anyone who can throw me a link or demonstrate vocally what i need to do? if i'm asking too much, don't worry about it. i'm just glad you're nice enough to help.

Videohere: I will record something and post in the next couple days. Do you have access to a keyboard?

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center, which product from "estill" would be the one to buy?

to be honest im not entirely sure. as far as i know there is no specific training program available ( as in like a CD/book package )though there are Estill books or books that have been written by Estillians

http://209.85.135.132/search?q=cache:LaeZjHE_gKoJ:www.reevemoller.com/en/about/estill/references+the+actor+and+the+voice+estill&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

there are various teachers and master classes going on around the world so maybe that would be the route to go down if your interested.

http://www.trainmyvoice.com/

in terms of CVT there is a training program available that you can get.

http://www.completevocaltechnique.com/

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I own most of Estill's materials (software and books) and CVT. Both Estill and Complete Vocal Institute are sources of accurate and wonderful academic information. You may find the translation from academic knowledge to practical application more challenging than offerings from The Vocalist Studio, Vocal Asylum (James Lugo), Raise Your Voice (Jaime Vendera), Ken Tamplin's Vocal Academy (KTVA), or many of the other subject experts offerings. That is not to say it isn't possible to train using these materials or that they are second to another. Both Estill and CVT are heavily researched and are Creme de la Creme.

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okay steve, i've got one.

VIDEOHERE: Ok, for a bit of orientation, lets find middle C. Roughly in the middle, left-to-right, is a pair of black keys. The white key just to the left of that pair of note is middle C. Play it, and sing it. It should feel like it is in your middle voice, perhaps toward the upper middle.

now, lets find Ab. Count down 2 black keys from that middle C. This will be the middle black key in a group of 3. This is the Ab below middle C.

The way a keyboard is layed out, all the notes of a name are in the same relative position. So, if you play the middle note of the next lower group of 3, it will be Ab as well, in the 2nd octave below middle C. Similarly, if you go to the middle black key above middle C, that will be the Ab above middle C.

So, now to the exercise I suggested, in slightly modified form. Sing the Ab in the 2nd octave below middle C on Ah vowel. Slide up to the Ab below middle C on that same vowel, change to OH and slide up to the next higher Ab, above middle C.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Bob, contact me and Ill show you several techniques over the internet and I can show you how in about 15 minutes... you need to learn to produce isolated twang-like contractions in the head voice. If you dont know how to twang, you need someone to show you how... I suggest you consider doing some internet lessons so I can help you... this is the kind of thing that is really difficult to nail down in writing.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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