Getting rid of Falsetto

[MDEW]

I was hoping someone else who knows better would chime in. But I think it is natural. I am not a teacher but do not let this hinder your training. We all have or have had the same problem area as you. It can and will be overcome.

[D.Starr]

I was hoping someone else who knows better would chime in. But I think it is natural. I am not a teacher but do not let this hinder your training. We all have or have had the same problem area as you. It can and will be overcome.

Yeah be nice for another opinion.

[Steven Fraser]

OK so is this hindering my singing or natural?

D.Starr: Depends on the singing you want to do. The motions in your video, if taken further, will close off your throat from your mouth entirely.

When I watched it, I saw side-to-side contraction, narrowing of the throat opening. This may be indicative of a general pharyngeal narrowing that is occurring at the same time you are twanging.

That your voice works when you do this confirms what my ear hears, which is that the twang is present, through a slightly narrowed pharynx. I don't think this is going to hurt you, but that is up to you to decide. However, this pharyngeal narrowing is going to keep your resonances from being deep, if you desire a deeper tone quality.

I hope this is helpful.

[D.Starr]

D.Starr: Depends on the singing you want to do. The motions in your video, if taken further, will close off your throat from your mouth entirely.

When I watched it, I saw side-to-side contraction, narrowing of the throat opening. This may be indicative of a general pharyngeal narrowing that is occurring at the same time you are twanging.

That your voice works when you do this confirms what my ear hears, which is that the twang is present, through a slightly narrowed pharynx. I don't think this is going to hurt you, but that is up to you to decide. However, this pharyngeal narrowing is going to keep your resonances from being deep, if you desire a deeper tone quality.

I hope this is helpful.

I just want a bright connected tone. I think my voice suites the R&B style I'm after very well.

Maybe this is why I feel the stretch and tension on the soft palate as I get up higher in the scale.

Could this be why I'm finding hard to sing higher up? In a sense it's stopping the pharyngeal resonance right?

Could also be why I find getting higher with NG.

[D.Starr]

If this is eventually going to cut off my sound as I go higher, would a lowered soft palate relieve this?

Finding it hard to darken the sound higher up there.

[VideoHere]

that's because darkening your sound up high is harder.....a lot harder...because to darken up high requires a lower larynx and greater support.

[D.Starr]

that's because darkening your sound up high is harder.....a lot harder...because to darken up high requires a lower larynx and greater support.

Understood. To be honest I don't really want a darker sound, just don't want the "formant" to cut off the higher part of my voice.

Really surprised myself today. Woke up, had a cup of tea, did some quick buzzy humming. Went out and bought Bad 25th anniversary of MJ's tour and sang along with each song. Obviously my range is not as high bt I can hit a few of the notes. I can do the hoo's and hee's on pitch and fine. I lowered a few songs, but my voice didn't need a full warm up.

I've been singing all day at full throttle, not felt any strain and my tone sounded great. Finally feel I'm getting a hold on this singing business.

The sound I'm aiming for and in no means wish to imitate is like Chris Brown, Usher, Trey Songz. They have a nice bright sound up high, rather than dark.

[James P.]

Tony O'Hora has some great videos on this as well

This. Take my advice with a grain of salt though, I'm still working on developing my voice, but my biggest breakthroughs to date resulted from watching, practicing and understanding Tony O'Hora's videos and

If I was ever trying to teach someone to sing, these are the only videos I've found that I'd have them watch.

[D.Starr]

Yeah I've already watched those. Have them saved to my PC. I naturally cry when I sing higher, always have.

There's a post further up of me trying out the maw maw maw if you can find it.

[VideoHere]

if you want to sing bright up high you have to strenghen your head voice musculature and develop your mix.

[D.Starr]

OK so I was messing around with a few scales and a few vowel sounds.

Think I have found that my voice leans more towards this whiney sound and I'm simply trying to pull it away from that sound and my voice is just not agreeing.

So why push and pull my voice when I should just go with the sound it naturally makes. I do feel it needs a little more strength to it and obviously my registers need to blend a little more.

Check out the on the fly recording I did.

https://www.box.com/s/xy1qq1vfftib69fa2h0t

I'm sure some of the top notes I'm singing are above C5. Correct me if I'm wrong.

ALSO if I were to do these sort of scales with the sound I'm producing would it strengthen it more and produce a better connected tone? Say 15-30 mins a day. Obviously taking breaks so I don't wear myself out and bring in bad habits.

[MDEW]

You have a killer high tone. Someone else may correct me but the high tones you were doing does not sound like falsetto. It sounded like true head voice. Yes it sounds tight and focused. Do not confuse that with a week or thin voice. Can you send something in a lower range?

The reason I ask is some people naturally use their head voice when singing and haven't learned to utilize the lower area. your starting note sounded right around my 1st passagio.

I am not a teacher please do not let me confuse you or lead you down the wrong path.

[D.Starr]

You think?

I'd like to explore this area more, clean it up and pu tit to good use. Blend my registers and run with it.

I'll try and get a clip up of some lower stuff tomorrow. I work for GAME in the UK and have a midnight launch to sort out so it's a little difficult today.

My lowest note is around C2. So it's pretty deep. I'll see what I can through together.

[MDEW]

C2 is pretty deep. We may have a different idea of what C2 is. I am in US. My lowest is D2. That is using vocal fry but it is somewhat solid. E4-G4 is my first passagio. That would be smallest sting on a 6 string guitar. C2 would be below thickest string on a 6 string guitar.

[D.Starr]

Im from the UK and I go by C4 being middle C. The notes below are barely usable Ill admit but I can still sing as low as C2. My first break/bridge/passagio region is around E4/F4 as well. My voice is strange. I talk with quite a deep voice but my singing voice slightly lightens up and sounds extremely different.

Again Ill post another longish clip tomorrow.

[MDEW]

Can somebody chime in here? Was most of what DStarr did on the "On the fly recording" between B below middle C and the C two octaves above? Wouldn't that be D3 to C6?( I am in US using it's notation)

And if so, Would it be that he is starting in Mix(I know we hate that word) or head to start with?

[abajab]

D.Starr,

I've been listening to your recordings of your scales and slides. You deffinently have found your head voice. You have a solid A-6. Good work.

Jeff

[ronws]

A6? Holy bat signal !

[MDEW]

Seriously! listen to his "on the fly recording" The passagio he is having trouble with is between D5 and F5.

He soars above that.

[D.Starr]

It's bugging me I can straighten out this tone. Sounds really cackly but it's connected but it's also feeling like a "MODE" rather than one voice.

Maybe I just need to practice more and blend it into my register.

My problem area still feels like E4-F4. The notes do become pulled still around that area. It's slowly being worked on though.

Oh this is the file if no one can find it.

https://www.box.com/s/xy1qq1vfftib69fa2h0t

This is also the video I've been using to get into that placement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGTQzcbv7Cs&feature=share&list=PL1E564CEECD72EA75

[Guest]

D.Star this is the exercise for you and it seems to have helped me a lot. Start the note IN the closed position. For example huh-oh.... huh (lower-voice) (cords close) - OOOOOH (head voice). You can try this exercsie on any vowel the key is to be GENTLE and BREATH into the head voice not push into it. This exercise has worked wonder for me because it almost totally eliminates falsetto just make sure not to push!! Eventually you won't need to go "huh" before the exercise because you will no what it feels like to have the cords closed in the upper register.

D.star I also have one last piece of advice for you, I'm still working on my higher register but one thing I realized is to NEVER underestimate it. My headvoice can at times make my ENTIRE chest vibrate, why? The head-voice is simply a more thinned co-ordination but just like you can pull chest up you can pull head voice DOWN. I never realized this until I was trying to explain to my little brother that head voice resonates up and back and chest feels like its resonating down and below. I sang a regular note in full head voice and he said "hey your chest vibrated then too!". You'd be surprised at what the true head voice can do especially if you are a male singer! Try mooum mooum and mum mum in the lower head voice area , make it DEEPER instead of higher then try singing higher!

Good luck to you my friend :D

[D.Starr]

D.Star this is the exercise for you and it seems to have helped me a lot. Start the note IN the closed position. For example huh-oh.... huh (lower-voice) (cords close) - OOOOOH (head voice). You can try this exercsie on any vowel the key is to be GENTLE and BREATH into the head voice not push into it. This exercise has worked wonder for me because it almost totally eliminates falsetto just make sure not to push!! Eventually you won't need to go "huh" before the exercise because you will no what it feels like to have the cords closed in the upper register. Good luck to you my friend

So the huh is kind of like the CVT grip they talk about for curbing right?

Is it OH as in GO?

[Guest]

Yes, huh-OH (as in go) but you can also change up the vowels to whatever you feel works better for you. Try it in the lower register and you'll feel the cords gently close! However your still using the same "closed" cords in your higher register just LESS not more! Try making your whole chest vibrate in the head register, try for that dopey MUM MUM MUM , try and SOUND diva-ish and you will feel the true power of the head register.

Try huh-eee and bring that EE lower and lower.... feel for your CHEST vibrating then bring it back up into the sinuses.. It's quite fun once you realize how much of your voice you haven't tapped into yet Head voice is just a COLOR you haven't learned to fully use yet, thats the way I look at it. Although it may feel different than a lower chest voice, its the same cords just a different amount of cord being used Thats what the huh-oh exercise has taught me.

[D.Starr]

Yes, huh-OH (as in go) but you can also change up the vowels to whatever you feel works better for you. Try it in the lower register and you'll feel the cords gently close! However your still using the same "closed" cords in your higher register just LESS not more! Try making your whole chest vibrate in the head register, try for that dopey MUM MUM MUM , try and SOUND diva-ish and you will feel the true power of the head register.

Try huh-eee and bring that EE lower and lower.... feel for your CHEST vibrating then bring it back up into the sinuses.. It's quite fun once you realize how much of your voice you haven't tapped into yet Head voice is just a COLOR you haven't learned to fully use yet, thats the way I look at it. Although it may feel different than a lower chest voice, its the same cords just a different amount of cord being used Thats what the huh-oh exercise has taught me.

Awesome. Well I'm free all day tomorrow so I'll thoroughly warm my voice up and record some of these scales see how it goes.

[MDEW]

D I would love to hear your low stuff. Something from C3 to A4. What you are doing in that clip sounds between C4 and C6. Over all I do not hear any difference in tone. It sounds awesome.

In another thread you say you are a baratone. I want to hear you go from a baratone range into the tenor area.

To see how you make that passage and to see if you are in head voice throughout that entire clip.