Unlearning Flageolot / Raised Plane Singing Below Male High C

[IndrasNet]

Greetings! Wondering if anyone has insight on dealing with the habit of engaging flageolet / raised plane folds below male high c (g4-b4) in neutral / head voice. Any exercises/tips/tricks to get my voice flageolet-free up to the high c consistently? Thanks!

[Steven Fraser]

Greetings! Wondering if anyone has insight on dealing with the habit of engaging flageolet / raised plane folds below male high c (g4-b4) in neutral / head voice. Any exercises/tips/tricks to get my voice flageolet-free up to the high c consistently? Thanks!

IndrasNet: Maintain twang (or singing formant) configuration, and do 2nd formant tuning to the 3rd and 4th harmonic, depending on the vowel.

[IndrasNet]

Hi Steven -

Appreciate you chiming in - your posts are one of the main reasons I lurk on this forum! So I feel like I can add twang to flageolet, in fact when I slip into this coordination around g-a4 I maintain twang but there is a sudden loss of weight in my tone, it is still non breathy (i can pronounce all vowels) but the timbre goes feminine and the need for support disappears. As I siren up and slip into the coordination and descend I find myself going breathy if I ride the vowel down (oo or ee). This is in opposition to the feeling I have when I ascend with s more even timbre in neutral - more support as i ascend - folds thin evenly, twang resonance feels more consistent - and descent is smooth to the bottom. I'm trying to pin down how to consistently access that coordination. This seems to correspond to where i can mesa di voce successfully (~g4/a4). If I try and sing for example a b4 in neutral i always seem to engage flagelot- can't seem to get the onset correct...

[Steven Fraser]

Hi Steven -

Appreciate you chiming in - your posts are one of the main reasons I lurk on this forum! So I feel like I can add twang to flageolet, in fact when I slip into this coordination around g-a4 I maintain twang but there is a sudden loss of weight in my tone, it is still non breathy (i can pronounce all vowels) but the timbre goes feminine and the need for support disappears. As I siren up and slip into the coordination and descend I find myself going breathy if I ride the vowel down (oo or ee). This is in opposition to the feeling I have when I ascend with s more even timbre in neutral - more support as i ascend - folds thin evenly, twang resonance feels more consistent - and descent is smooth to the bottom. I'm trying to pin down how to consistently access that coordination. This seems to correspond to where i can mesa di voce successfully (~g4/a4). If I try and sing for example a b4 in neutral i always seem to engage flagelot- can't seem to get the onset correct...

IndrasNet: thanks for the additional details.

Sounds like the issue is keeping registration and adduction consistent above the passagio. I think your description of when it is working... is a clue as to the kinds of exercises that will be of help.

The ability to maintain vocal weight up there is partially about the resonance adjustment. Specifically, the shading of the vowels being sung can be a big help. Of all the vowels, /e/ (ay), /o/ (oh), /E/ (eh) and oe (as in foot) are particularly good in the G-B pitch region, especially if you let the jaw down As you go above that, vowels migrate toward uh.

As to exercises, I recommend a combination of bottom-up and onsets. For example, an ascending major triad (G-B-D) followed by a whole step (E) (up and down) on the above mentioned vowels should be pretty easily done in your voice, and should transpose upward well for you. After you have done a few of them, go back to the original pitch, and sing the same pattern up to the E, release it, and onset it with the same tone quality and sensation, following with the downward part of the arpeggio.

Try those patterns out on each of the vowels.