Here begins the second part of our article on the vocal apparatus and its relationship with singing. If you haven't read the first part, You can do it here.
Vocal apparatus and singing: all you need to know as a singer
While this is its main work tool, It is especially important that the professional singer knows how operate the complex mechanisms of the voice. The aspects of basic anatomy of which we speak in this and in the previous post will help you understand better what happens to the muscles when you sing, how the emission and modulation of sound is possible and, what is more important, in what way you can to improve your vocal technique.
You must not only learn to sing taking advantage of all your physical potential, but you should do it properly and with all the guarantees of safety. And, that being said, how to know that you are doing well? Simply, because you have so internalized throughout the process, that it is going to develop in a natural way and without you feeling that you are forcing your anatomy to reach the higher notes or the lowest. This, among other aspects, is what you learn in Espai Coriveu.
Thus operate the main voice registers
During your training as a professional singer you have to familiarize you with a specific terminology referring to those voice registers. Now that you already know a little better how the vocal apparatus works, It will be easier to recognize and execute these registers with some useful tips:
Head voice: It is used for high notes and is so named because the vibration is felt in the head. During the execution, the vocal cords become thinner, they stretch and stay together. The most important thing is to balance the tension of the vocal cords with the amount of air exhaled, always slightly lower that in the rest of registers, so that notes emerge clean and with proper strength.
Chest voice: the lower notes of a singer's register are given through this technique using chest as soundboard. It is a process that occurs in men more naturally, but can also be implemented by women. Not to be confused the vibration in the chest with a real chest voice note, since this part of the body also vibrates by solidarity. Differentiate this type of tremor and learn to control it is the key to start handling this record.
Mixed voice: as its own name indicates, is a combination of the two previous techniques with the aim of high notes have more power. It initially feels like a chest voice, but as the tone grows, the resonance is moved to the mouth and the soft palate. This technique is used widely in bridge notes or passagio and means less mass than chordal chest voice but greater than the head, which it is what provides power to the high notes without breaking the tone and reaching falsetto.
Falsetto: It is the voice that moves away from our natural tone and manifests itself weak and with plenty of air. It is not a singing mistake, but a very practical alternative in certain situations. Even there are styles that are characterized primarily by the constant use of falsetto. In these cases, you have to be very careful because falsetto abuse accelerates the dehydration of the vocal cords and that serious problems can occur. The ideal is to find a balanced way to move from head voice to falsetto, something that in occasions, Some singers make naturally and instinctive.