Head voice not falsetto

[splent]

I hate it that when I sing, I get like "You're OK, but sing in your real voice and not your falsetto."  I AM SINGING IN MY HEAD VOICE AND IF YOU REALLY LISTENED YOU WOULD REALIZE THAT!!!  I'm still developing more power in my head voice... 

How many of you singers have this issue as well?

[bosk1]

Well, I think one problem is that most people, including a lot of singers, don't know or simply can't tell the difference between the two.

[Adami]

Luckily I never sing in front of anyone, so I never have that problem.


But I used to have a singer that had a low voice, but could easily go into falsetto, and thought it was his natural range. We tried to explain the difference to him, but his ego kind of got in the way of it.

[splent]

Well, I think one problem is that most people, including a lot of singers, don't know or simply can't tell the difference between the two.

Here's an easy way for me to show...

Me singing F# on Learning to Live = Head Voice
Me singing Habanera from Carmen = Falsetto

[jsem]

Me singing F# on Learning to Live = Head Voice

Really? I applaud your range then.

[Durg]

I'm not sure.  I took some voice lessons in college and my instructor would say that I'm singing in a head voice but I wouldn't know it.  When helping a friend with his jury one time by singing high tenor (alto) in a gospel quartet.  My voice instructor was one of the observers.  When I asked him what he thought about it he said nice things and called it my head voice.   

When I'm vocalizing with scales I can hear a switch happen right around the F or F# area (above middle C).  But the tone is basically the same.  Perhaps that is my switch to head voice.  As far as falsetto, it's strange but I can't sing falsetto very well.  It's never been a part of my vocal training.  I can only go a little higher in falsetto then my head voice.  I get depressed when I listen to "Take On Me" by A-Ha and can't sing the low notes and can't sing the falsetto notes.  But then again that guys voice is amazing.

[jsem]

I can hit the G above the middle C w/o falsetto. I can hit the Bb5 with falsetto.

I sing terribly though... but it's fun to imitate King Diamond with that falsetto lmao

[jonny108]

Well, I think one problem is that most people, including a lot of singers, don't know or simply can't tell the difference between the two.

Me singing F# on Learning to Live = Head Voice

Video now please! 

[splent]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlnEKdi9SOc&feature=channel_video_title

This is from 2 years ago, but I can sing it (the whole song, not just the F#) better now with a lot more control.  Being in a band has kind of helped me gain a lot of vocal confidence that has helped me to improve my head voice.  I'm still working on it, as well as vocal stamina.

Teaching where I taught last year totally made me take a step back since I was misusing my voice daily (because the kids were obnoxious, and because I had no administrative support, I felt I had to yell when I normally wouldn't.  It sucked).  Singing this summer in choir is helping me rejuvinate my vocal stamina, and singing in the band (different band, mainly same people) is helping me develop my head voice to where it is stronger.

I'm not sure.  I took some voice lessons in college and my instructor would say that I'm singing in a head voice but I wouldn't know it.  When helping a friend with his jury one time by singing high tenor (alto) in a gospel quartet.  My voice instructor was one of the observers.  When I asked him what he thought about it he said nice things and called it my head voice.  

When I'm vocalizing with scales I can hear a switch happen right around the F or F# area (above middle C).  But the tone is basically the same.  Perhaps that is my switch to head voice.  As far as falsetto, it's strange but I can't sing falsetto very well.  It's never been a part of my vocal training.  I can only go a little higher in falsetto then my head voice.  I get depressed when I listen to "Take On Me" by A-Ha and can't sing the low notes and can't sing the falsetto notes.  But then again that guys voice is amazing.

When my voice was changing, I sang through my change.  When it was developing I had a distinctive break, and throughout high school and college my voice teachers would help me develop my head voice to where it was almost indistinct.  My falsetto overlaps a lot of my head voice, but there is a recognizable change in tone color when I sing in my head voice and in my falsetto.  It feels different in my voice as well.

[Gadough]

I can hit the G above the middle C w/o falsetto. I can hit the Bb5 with falsetto.

I sing terribly though... but it's fun to imitate King Diamond with that falsetto lmao

Step 1: Record yourself imitating King Diamond
Step 2: Upload to Youtube, post link here
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit!

[Durg]

When my voice was changing, I sang through my change.  When it was developing I had a distinctive break, and throughout high school and college my voice teachers would help me develop my head voice to where it was almost indistinct.  My falsetto overlaps a lot of my head voice, but there is a recognizable change in tone color when I sing in my head voice and in my falsetto.  It feels different in my voice as well.

You know I sang the high tenor parts in a gospel quartet all through my change and into college and it really caused me to have a lot of problems with my voice until my early 20's.  Most of the time I strained too much.  In college I developed worse problems with my voice due to my constant trumpet playing in the marching band and basketball band.  I was playing 1st trumpet and always closing my throat to get the fastest airflow possible.  A lot of times I would catch myself grunting while playing.  I can't remember why I was doing it and I'm sure it was fundamentally wrong but I was doing it and it would really wipe my voice out.  I would often sound like Joe Cocker after homecoming weekends when I'd be playing a super C and higher 100 times.  It wasn't until I was your age that things settled down.  My voice is better now at 41 than it ever has been in my life because of all the singing I've been doing in the praise team at church.  The guys from Mercy Me, Newsboys, and Casting Crowns sing really high stuff sometimes.  However, I can't sing those really high notes in Learning to Live.  I ain't to proud to admit it.  

[jsem]

Step 1: Record yourself imitating King Diamond
Step 2: Upload to Youtube, post link here
Step 3:
Step 4: Profit!

I sing terribly though

But maybe I will... lol. I'm more about the though

[ClairvoyantCat]

I sing in my school chorus as a bass and in a band.  For the whole band thing, the other members always want to do songs where the vocals are really high and I simply can't do it right.  I can do the whole falsetto thing but it just ends up sounding silly and I begrudgingly take it down an octave, which subjects me to bitching from other members as in "you're not doing it right" or something of that nature, and it's always like "fuck you, dude, not every bass is going to be able to go Daniel Gildenlow and do the high parts with a natural lower voice" and the general resolve is that we just cut the song entirely.  I've tried the whole "mixed voice" thing and gotten absolutely nowhere with it (that is through youtube videos and the likes of which) so basically we're still shit out of luck whenever we want to do a song that calls on anything above a D4.  And I don't think I'm going to be making use of falsetto anytime soon unless we change our modus operandi completely and become a Tiny Tim cover band.   

[Orbert]

I think it's because in both cases (falsetto and head voice), your voice takes on a different quality to it.  The timbre changes and your range is clearly extended.  In the case of a trained vocal musician not being able to tell the difference (such as judging an audition or performance) I would think it's mostly due to them not being familiar enough with your voices to know the difference.

To me, head voice usually sounds more powerful, like something on top has been opened up and that extra range can come through, full voice.  Falsetto sounds "weaker" to me.  There's no way it can be mistaken for full voice if you're familiar with the singer.  But I would also think that a trained vocal musician would also be able to tell pretty easily as well.

As for non-musicians, they just don't know the difference.

[Jamesman42]

I need to learn about this kind of thing more. It's probably very easy, but I've always just sang what is natural and I seem to do fine. I know I CAN hit the F# sometimes, but I feel I do need to train myself in what voice to use and then practice it.

Like, I didn't know to use the air in my stomach to sing until not even 2 years ago...and what a difference that made. It opened up my range from a very bassy tone to being able to sing really high.

[sneakyblueberry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlnEKdi9SOc&feature=channel_video_title

 

No offense, but I'd take that video down if I were you.  Especially if your voice has gotten better. 

[MykeHavoc]

Indeed, it bugs me when singers themselves don't know the difference. Simple put, head voice has balls where as falsetto doesn't.

[carl320]

To me, head voice usually sounds more powerful, like something on top has been opened up and that extra range can come through, full voice.  Falsetto sounds "weaker" to me.  There's no way it can be mistaken for full voice if you're familiar with the singer.  But I would also think that a trained vocal musician would also be able to tell pretty easily as well.

Isn't falsetto also harder to control, pitch-wise?

[Adami]

To me, head voice usually sounds more powerful, like something on top has been opened up and that extra range can come through, full voice.  Falsetto sounds "weaker" to me.  There's no way it can be mistaken for full voice if you're familiar with the singer.  But I would also think that a trained vocal musician would also be able to tell pretty easily as well.

Isn't falsetto also harder to control, pitch-wise?

Not for me, in my regular voice I have some pitch issues, when I do falsetto I'm almost always spot on.

[splent]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlnEKdi9SOc&feature=channel_video_title

 

No offense, but I'd take that video down if I were you.  Especially if your voice has gotten better. 

I agree, i just watched it and it sucks.  I have an mp3 I recorded last year that sounds way better.

[Orbert]

To me, head voice usually sounds more powerful, like something on top has been opened up and that extra range can come through, full voice.  Falsetto sounds "weaker" to me.  There's no way it can be mistaken for full voice if you're familiar with the singer.  But I would also think that a trained vocal musician would also be able to tell pretty easily as well.

Isn't falsetto also harder to control, pitch-wise?

Maybe for some, but I've never had real issues.  It might be a little harder to control, but I've always figured that was a byproduct of being up so high where it's gonna be harder to control anyway.  It just takes practice.

[sirbradford117]

Bump.  SP, you should shoot an e-mail to Dr. Carberg from Millikin.  His disseration was on this topic.

[sneakyblueberry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlnEKdi9SOc&feature=channel_video_title

 

No offense, but I'd take that video down if I were you.  Especially if your voice has gotten better. 

I agree, i just watched it and it sucks.  I have an mp3 I recorded last year that sounds way better.

Sweet.  Sorry if that sounded harsh.  I think your F# is pretty dang impressive though

[Dr. DTVT]

Bump.  SP, you should shoot an e-mail to Dr. Carberg from Millikin.  His disseration was on this topic.

If Splent wasn't aware of this I'm going to lol...seeing it's his alma mater and all.