Falsetto

Speaking of R&B, what about Marvin Gaye? Have you heard his vocal on "Why Did I Choose You" from Vulnerable? His vocal on "I saw the heart... whoa that you hide" is just ridiculous. If someone told me it was his regular singing voice, I'd believe it. I'd also believe it was falsetto. It sounds like what thos refers to, a blending of both at the same time. I would think that wasn't possible, but many of Marvin's vocals sound that way.

 

Marvin Gaye's falsetto is awesome, so is Al Green's.

Mick Jagger's got a damn good one, too.

Not exactly in the same vein, but Rob Halford does too.

 

"Sweet Thing"...

 

Some of my favorite male falsetto singers:

Prince
Russell Thompkins, Jr.(The Stylistics)
Bobby DeBarge(Switch)
El DeBarge(DeBarge)
Barry Gibb(Bee Gees)

 

The Band: I Shall Be Released...falsetto by Richard Manuel.

 

The way it was always explained to me is that females sing soprano, males sing falsetto.

 

Think of it as the only way I can sing along to Yes albums.

 

I didn't think of Marvin because he had such a range, like Sam Cooke had a range, but beautiful upper register stuff.

When I think of Marvin and falsetto, I think of "Got To Give It Up" since he uses it to interesting effect there for pretty much the whole song. I can't get the level of volume he gets out of that.

 

This is how the Webster dictionary defines the term:

1fal·set·to
Pronunciation: fȯl-'se-(ˌ)tō
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -tos
Etymology: Italian, from diminutive of falso false, from Latin falsus
Date: 1721

1 : an artificially high voice especially : an artificially produced singing voice that overlaps and extends above the range of the full voice especially of a tenor
2 : a singer who uses falsetto

 

The 'full' falsetto is dependant on the harmonics the singer can produce when singing it.

 

I can't believe no one has mentioned Earth, Wind and Fire here yet.

 

This is a very interesting discussion and thread.

I can't feed it much but by dropping two names that really impress me in the field:

Gino Vanelli - when he goes into falsetto, it is STILL powerfull!

Bob Harris (from the '80 Zappa group) - INCREDIBLY powerfull and compliant (>Fine Girl<)!

 

Actually, soprano refers to the pitch of the voice. In other words, a soprano is a female singer who possesses the highest pitched natural female voice. Conversely, an alto is a female possessing the lowest pitched female voice (ala Anne Murray, Karen Carpenter).

For males, there are three main categories--bass, baritone and tenor--with subdivisions within baritone and tenor.

Examples of true bass voices are rare. One would be that guy from The Oakridge Boys who sings the real low notes on the tune Elvira.

As for baritones, most males fall into this category--though again, there is variation. For instance, Frank Sinatra was considered a bass/baritone because his voice tended toward the lower end of the baritone scale and stepped into bass range somewhat. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Billy Idol could also be considered bass/baritones.

As far as true baritones go, Gino Vanelli comes immediately to mind as does Paul Rodgers. Also, David Lee Roth, Todd Rundgren, Ian Gillan, Johnny Cash and David Bowie are baritones of one stripe or another (lyric baritone vs. dramatic baritone vs. bass baritone).

Then you have the tenor range--which is the highest pitched male voice. And again, you have the sub-genres (dramatic tenor, helden tenor, lyric tenor) within the tenor category.

Examples of lyric tenors are Jon Anderson, Rik Emmett, a young Robert Plant, Mickey Thomas, Roger Taylor and Sting. In other words, guys with really high voices.

Dramatic tenors are slightly lower pitched with more power ala Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant (circa Physical Grafitti/Presence), Ronnie James Dio and maybe Steven Tyler. (The distinction between a dramatic tenor and a lyric baritone is pretty thin.)

As for falsetto, that term refers to a singing style or approach. Everyone--both male and female--has a falsetto range which extends above the range of one's normal (non-falsetto) voice. So yes, those notes only dogs can hear from Mariah Carey are her falsetto.

Also, falsetto need not be soft and whispery. Falsetto can be very powerful too. If you doubt that listen to the opening of Deep Purple's Highway Star where Ian Gillan lets fly with some real vocal firepower.

Go to Wikipedia. It explains all of this better than I just did.

 

In any case, male falsetto would usually correspond more closely to the female alto than soprano.

 

That's interesting that you use that example. I do the same thing when I sing that song. I'm in a Beach Boys tribute band and I sing mostly the Carl stuff but I also sing some Brian songs. My falsetto is not very strong so I tend to sing all these songs in full voice, but every once in a while a vocal will fall into a certain part of my range where I can combine the two and it makes for a nice strong vocal sound. Here is a good example:

All Summer Long - I Can Hear Music

 

Richard Manuel's falsetto singing on The Band's "Whispering Pines" is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Here's a female singer with some good use of falsetto:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mNObXJvcO_4

 

To this great list I'll add Curtis Mayfield, Eddie Kendricks, Aaron Neville, and Philip Bailey. I'll also add Tiny Tim! One example of male falsetto that I never liked was Eddie Holman's Hey There Lonely Girl.

 

Thank you for mentioning Philip Bailey. I don't know how I could have forgotten to mention him.

 

This should pretty much cover it:

Falsetto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the song by The-Dream, see Falsetto (song).
Vocal registers
From highest register to lowest register
Whistle
Falsetto
Modal
Vocal fry
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The term falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false) refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords, in whole or in part. Though frequently used in reference to a particular type of vocal production in singing, falsetto vocal production also occurs within speech and is one of the four main vocal registers identified within speech pathology. The characteristic sound of falsetto is inherently breathy and flute-like, with few overtones present. The falsetto voice is more limited in dynamic variation and tone quality than the modal voice in both speaking and singing. Both men and women can phonate in the falsetto register.[1] The term falsetto is most often used in the context of singing to refer to a vocal technique that enables the singer to sing notes beyond the vocal range of the normal or modal voice.[2]

Contents [hide]
1 Physiological process of the falsetto register
2 The falsetto register in women
3 Musical history
4 The falsetto voice in singing
5 Falsetto voice in speech
6 References
7 Further reading
8 See also
9 External links



[edit] Physiological process of the falsetto register
The essential difference between the modal register or normal voice and falsetto register lies in the amount and type of vocal cord involvement: in falsetto, only the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds enter into vibration-the main body of each fold is more or less relaxed; in modal voice, the wavelike motion involves the whole vocal cord, with the glottis opening at the bottom first and then at the top.[3] When the transition from modal voice to falsetto takes place, the main body of each vocal cord or the vocalis muscle relaxes its resistance to the pull of the cricothyroid muscles enough for the vocal ligaments to be stretched still further.[1] Vennard describes this process as follows:

“With the vocalis muscles relaxed it is possible for the cricothyroids to place great longitudinal tension upon the vocal ligaments. The tension can be increased in order to raise the pitch even after the maximum length of the cords has been reached. This makes the vocal fold thin so that there is negligible vertical phase difference. The vocalis muscles fall to the sides of the larynx and the vibration take place almost entirely in the ligaments.”[4]

In the modal register, the vocal folds (when viewed with a stroboscope) are seen to contact with each other completely during each vibration, closing the gap between them fully, if just for a very short time. This closure cuts off the escaping air. When the air pressure in the trachea rises as a result of this closure, the folds are blown apart, while the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages remain in apposition. This creates an oval shaped gap between the folds and some air escapes, lowering the pressure inside the trachea. Rhythmic repetition of this movement, a certain number of times a second, creates a pitched note. [2]


Vocal fold, scheme
Glottal cycle, falsettoIn falsetto, however, the vocal folds are seen to be blown apart and in untrained falsetto singers a permanent oval orifice is left in the middle between the edges of the two folds through which a certain volume of air escapes continuously as long as the register is engaged (the singer is singing using the voice). In skilled countertenors, however, the mucous membrane of the vocal folds contact with each other completely during each vibration cycle. The arytenoid cartilages are held in firm apposition in this voice register also. The length or size of the oval orifice or separation between the folds can vary, but it is known to get bigger in size as the pressure of air pushed out is increased. [2]

The folds are made up of elastic and fatty tissue. The folds are covered on the surface by laryngeal mucous membrane which is supported deeper down underneath by the innermost fibres of the thyro-arytenoid muscle. In falsetto the extreme membranous edges, i.e. the edges furthest away from the middle of the gap between the folds, appear to be the only parts vibrating. The mass corresponding to the innermost part of the thyro-arytenoid musscle remains still and motionless.[2]

Some singers feel a sense of muscular relief when they change from the modal register to the falsetto register.[2]

Research has revealed that not all speakers and singers produce falsetto in exactly the same way. Some speakers and singers leave the cartilaginous portion of the glottis open (sometimes called mutational chink), and only the front two-thirds of the vocal ligaments enter the vibration. The resulting sound, which is typical of many adolescents, may be pure and flutelike, but is usually soft and anemic in quality. In others, the full length of the glottis opens and closes in each cycle. In still others, a phenomenon known as damping appears, with the amount of glottal opening becoming less and less as the pitch rises, until only a tiny slit appears on the highest pitches. The mutational chink type of falsetto is considered inefficient and weak, but there is little information available about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the other two types.[1]


[edit] The falsetto register in women
The issue of the female falsetto voice has been met with some controversy, especially among vocal pedagogists. Many books on the art of singing completely ignore this issue, simply gloss over it, or insist that women do not have falsetto. This controversy, however, does not exist within the speech pathology community and arguments against the existence of female falsetto do not align with current physiological evidence. Motion picture and video studies of laryngeal action reveal that women can and do produce falsetto, and electromyographic studies by several leading speech pathologists and vocal pedagogists provide further confirmation.[4]

One possible explanation for this failure to recognize the female falsetto is the fact that the difference in timbre and dynamic level between the modal and falsetto registers often is not as pronounced in female voices as it is in male voices. This is due in part to the difference in the length and mass of the vocal folds and to the difference in frequency ranges.[5] It is an established fact that women have a falsetto register and that many young female singers substitute falsetto for the upper portion of the modal voice. Some vocal pedagogists believe that this failure to recognize the female falsetto voice has led to the misidentification of young contraltos and mezzo-sopranos as sopranos, as it is easier for these lower voice types to sing in the soprano tessitura using their falsetto register.[1]


[edit] Musical history
Use of falsetto voice in western music is very old. Its origins are difficult to trace because of ambiguities in terminology. In a book by GB Mancini, called Pensieri e riflessioni written in 1774, falsetto is equated with 'voce di testa' (translated as 'head voice'). Possibly when 13th century writers distinguished between chest, throat and head registers (pectoris, guttoris, capitis) they meant capitis to refer to what would be later called falsetto.[2]

By the 16th century the term falsetto was common in Italy. The physician Giovanni Camillo Maffei in his book Discorso della voce e del modo d'apparare di cantar di garganta in 1562 explained that when a bass singer sang in the soprano range, the voice was called 'falsetto'.[2]

The falsetto register is used by male countertenors to sing in the alto and occasionally the soprano range, and was before women sang in choirs. Falsetto is occasionally used by early music specialists today, and regularly in British cathedral choirs by men who sing the alto line.

In Opera it is believed that the chest voice, middle voice and head voice occur in women.[6] The head voice of a man is, according to David A. Clippinger most likely equivalent to the middle voice of a woman.[7] This may mean the head voice of a woman is a man's falsetto equivalent. Although, in contemporary teaching, some teachers no longer talk of the middle voice, choosing to call it the head voice as with men. Falsetto is not generally counted by classical purists as a part of the vocal range of anyone except countertenors. There are exceptions, however, such as the Bariton-Martin which uses falsetto (see baritone article).[8]

In Hawai'i, many Hawaiian songs feature falsetto, called "leo ki'eki'e", a term coined in Hawaiian in 1973.[citation needed] Falsetto singing, most often used by men, extends the singer's range to notes above their ordinary vocal range. The voice makes a characteristic break during the transition from the ordinary vocal register to the falsetto register. In Western falsetto singing, the singer tries to make the transition between registers as smooth as possible. In Hawaiian-style falsetto, the singer emphasizes the break between registers. Sometimes the singer exaggerates the break through repetition, as a yodel. As with other aspects of Hawaiian music, falsetto developed from a combination of sources, including pre-European Hawaiian chanting, early Christian hymn singing and the songs and yodeling of immigrant cowboys during the Kamehameha Reign in the 1800s when cowboys were brought from Mexico to teach Hawaiians how to care for cattle. Falsetto may have been a natural and comfortable vocal technique for early Hawaiians, since a similar break between registers called "ha'iha'i", is used as an ornament in some traditional chanting styles.[citation needed]

There is a difference between the modern usage of the "head voice" term and its previous meaning in the renaissance as a type of falsetto, according to many singing professionals. The falsetto can be coloured or changed to sound different. It can be given classical styling to sound as male classical countertenors make it sound, or more contemporary as is the case in modern R&B music([9]Ronald Isley for example). It can be made in different tonalities as is often the case of its use in progressive rock (for example, Roger Meddows-Taylor, Matt Bellamy of the band Muse), heavy metal (for example, King Diamond of Mercyful Fate), and especially power metal (for example, Michael Kiske of Helloween). Raine Maida of the post-grunge band Our Lady Peace, also uses falsetto.





[edit] The falsetto voice in singing
Falsetto is more limited in dynamic variation and tone quality than the modal voice. Most trained singers have at least an octave of range that they can sing in either modal voice or falsetto. In this overlapping area a given pitch in modal voice will always be louder than the same pitch sung in falsetto.[10] The type of vocal cord vibration that produces the falsetto voice precludes loud singing except in the highest tones of that register; it also limits the available tone colors because of the simplicity of its waveform. Modal voice is capable of producing much more complex waveforms and infinite varieties of tone color. Falsetto, however, does involve less physical effort by the singer than the modal voice and, when properly used, can make possible some lovely tonal effects.[1]

That being said, the falsetto voice has a number of highly specialized uses within a musical context. The following list includes the most common ones[1]:

in male choirs, to enable the first tenors to maintain the very demanding tessitura.
in yodeling
for comic effect in both operas and musicals
by some lyric (Irish) tenors, folk singers, and so forth
by falsettists or countertenors
for pitches which are above the range of the modal register
for pianissimo tones that would be difficult to execute in the modal register
for vocal development

[edit] Falsetto voice in speech
The ability to speak within the falsetto register is possible for almost all men and women. The use of such speech, however, is uncommon, and is usually employed within the context of humor[11], as in the Saturday Night Live sketch "Barry Gibb Talk Show". One notable exception, however, concerns those cultures in which falsetto is consciously or unconsciously maintained as a form of social distinction amongst women, notably in the bourgeois French speech patterns of the beaux-quartiers of Paris and provincial cities of central France.[citation needed] Some people, however, speak frequently or entirely in the falsetto register. This behavior is identified by speech pathologists as a type of functional dysphonia.[11] The term is also used to describe a slightly artificially-raised sounding pitch that often occurs momentarily, if repeatedly, in boys during puberty as their voice changes.

 

I think that falsetto singing is less "technical", so it's harder to keep it in shape, as opposed to "regular" singing voice that you can practice thrugh various singing and breathing exercises.

One example of falsetto I love is Van Morrison's. He doesn't use it that often, but on "Who was that masked man", it's just so beautiful...

 

I think that one of the greatest falsetto rock singers has not been mentioned yet - Freddie Mercury. His falsetto, especially in the early days, was so strong that I think a lot of folks don't even realize that he singing falsetto a lot of the time.

 

I agree. A lost of Freddies early vocals have quite a pure feminine sort of tone to them and a lot of this were due to him singing in falsetto. As the years progressed and he got more into projecting and his voice became more 'macho' sounding, a lot of the falsetto was replaced by projected chest voice. There are exceptions though like 'Cool Cat', 'Pain is so close to Pleasure' and later on 'Don't try so hard' (which is sung in falsetto early on and then later in full voice).
Personally I prefer his earlier singing, but the difference between how he sounds from the early 70s to the mid 80s is staggering (not better or worse, just like a different singer) though this is rarely mentioned.

 

There are at least two distinct types of falsetto. One is the "thin" sounding "head voice" heard in "Stayin' Alive". The other is what Robert plant uses in songs like "Black Dog", where it sounds like a high chest voice, but is actually a combination of falsetto and chest voice; to achieve this the singer constricts the larynx with his throat muscles while pushing air out from his diaphragm, as he would with his normal chest voice. I am a singer and I use this technique a lot.