Music Sound

Human voice consists of sound made by a person using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, screaming or crying. The vocal folds in combination with the teeth, the tongue, and the lips, are capable of producing highly intricate arrays of sound, and vast differences in meaning can often be achieved through highly subtle manipulation of the sounds produced (especially in the expression of language). These differences can be in the individual noises produced, or in the overall tone in which they are uttered.

The tone of voice may suggest that a sentence is a question, even if it grammatically is not, and can display emotions such as anger, surprise, happiness. In a request, the tone can reveal much about how much one wants something, and whether it is asking a favor or more like an order. The tone of saying, for example, "I am sorry" can change the phrase's meaning dramatically: it may vary from a sincere request for forgiveness to implying something like, "I have the right to do this even if you do not like it".

Singers use the human voice as an instrument for creating music.

Contents 1 Voice registers 1.1 Chest voice 1.2 Middle voice 1.3 Head voice 1.4 Falsetto 2 External links 3 See also

Voice registers

The human voice is a complex instrument. Humans have vocal cords which can loosen or tighten or change their thickness and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of chest and neck, the position of the tongue, and the tightness of otherwise unrelated muscles can be altered. Any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced.

One important categorization that can be applied to the sounds singers make relates to the register or the "voice" that is used. Singers refer to these registers according to the part of the body in which the sound most generally resonates, and which have correspondingly different tonal qualities. There are widely differing opinions and theories about what a register is, how they are produced and how many there are. The following definitions refer to the different ranges of the voice.

Chest voice

The chest voice is the register typically used in everyday speech. It is so called because it can produce the sensation of the sound coming from the upper chest. This is because lower frequency sounds have longer wavelengths, and resonate mostly in the larger cavity of the chest. A person uses the chest voice when singing at the bottom of his or her range.

The tonal qualities of the chest voice are usually described as being rich or full, but can also be pushed or belted. Trained singers can usually control this register, but some untrained singers may experience vocal problems if they sing excessively in this register without proper training.

Middle voice

The middle voice, also known as the "blend", is the term used to describe the range of notes which marks the crossover between the chest and head voices. It may be a distinct change (a passaggio) or a more gradual blending. With training, many singers can choose whether to sing notes in this range in the head or chest voice.

Head voice

The head voice is often used when a person shouts or is highly excited. In these situations people tend to produce higher pitches, and these resonate in the mouth and in the bones of the skull, producing the sensation of the sound coming from the head. A person uses the head voice when singing notes at the upper end of his or her vocal range.

The tonal qualities of the head voice are usually described as being sweet, balladic, lilting, lyrical, or pure. On the negative side, this register may sound light, unsupported, or breathy, and may not be as loud as the chest voice.

Falsetto

Falsetto is a higher range than the head voice; it relies on completely relaxed vocal folds and may sound breathy. The sound of the falsetto voice can be exemplified by the Bee Gees singing "Stayin' Alive", or Terry Jones playing an old woman in Monty Python. It is generally more obvious when men use it, but women, in the higher voices, usually use falsetto voice adjustments. It is a difficult register to sing accurately in, and it tends to be rather soft, except when there is amplification through resonance by a well-tuned vocal tract. It is a quite distinct range from the head voice, and generally when singers describe their range they exclude the falsetto voice. A male singer who routinely sings using the falsetto is called a countertenor.

Another very popular singer and group that virtually made it their exclusive mode of singing is Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. In their song "Lighting Striking Again" one gets to hear the rare instance where Frankie Valli actually sings in normal lower vocal registers, and then transits to his more usual falsetto.

External links

• http://www.vocalist.org.uk/voice_registers.html