Table of Contents
Introduction
“What’s the basic difference between falsetto and chest voice?” Head, chest, and falsetto all have very different tone qualities. It’s important for singers to be able to master singing with all three vocal tones. Keep reading to learn more.
The Basic Difference Between Falsetto and Chest Voice: Time Warp
Let’s start with a time warp:
- When I was in chorus in college in the 1990s, the chest voice referred to the tone quality you had in the lower part of your range.
- The upper vocal range for women was called the head voice, while men’s upper vocal range was called the falsetto.
- The upper and lower ranges have very different tone qualities and are separated by the break.
When you learned to have a consistent tone quality across your entire range, that was called mixed voice.
However, in the new millennium, the terms have changed:
- The chest voice is the same as above.
- The falsetto is the un-mixed tone quality in the upper range. The term now gets applied to both men and women.
- The head voice is what we used to call the mixed voice and also gets applied to both men and women.
Video: Fool in the Rain
In the above video, you can hear Robert Plant singing:
- At the timestamp 0:13 Plant sings the first verse mostly in his chest voice.
- At the timestamp 2:44 he starts singing the vowel oo, which gives you an example of his head voice.
- However, he sings less mixed than what you’d get with classically trained vocalists.
The Basic Difference Between Falsetto and Chest Voice: What is the Chest Voice?
Your chest voice sounds sort of like you do when you’re talking:
- When talking, the sound will resonate in your body near the lower neck area.
- If you want to feel the resonance in your body, put your palm on your sternum and sing the vowel Ah.
- The vibration you feel is your chest voice.
You’ll sing the lower notes of your vocal range in the chest voice.
- This gives you a strong, resonant tone.
- As you go higher in your vocal range you’ll switch to the falsetto sound.
- This rarely gets used in classical music. However, you do find it used a lot in different pop genres (e.g., Just My Imagination by The Temptations).
In this post, we’ll use the contemporary terms.
The Basic Difference Between Falsetto and Chest Voice: What is Falsetto Voice?
When you sing in falsetto, you get a delicate, airy tone:
- To achieve this vocal tone, pretend you’re Mickey Mouse.
- It doesn’t have the full, rich sound you get when you sing lower, making for a stark contrast between the two.
- For most styles of music, you’d shoot for a mixed sound.
In other words, you’ll try to get a consistent tone starting in your lower range, across the break, and into your upper range.
Video: Mickey Mouse Voice
The Basic Difference Between Falsetto and Chest Voice: What is Head Voice?
The head voice has a consistent tone across the full range of notes.
- First, try singing up and down the scale while focusing on maintaining a consistent vocal tone. Don’t push too hard through your break.
- Next, have your voice jump up an octave then sing through the descending scale. Once again, your focus should be on your tone.
- Finally, try sliding smoothly up and down the scale across the break.
Video: Head vs Falsetto Voice
The Basic Difference Between Falsetto and Chest Voice: Final Thoughts
Here’s a summary:
- The chest voice resonates in your torso and can be heard in your lower singing range.
- The falsetto has a light tone quality and can be heard in your upper singing range.
- Your head voice mixes the qualities of the other two voices.
Have fun singing!
Relate Posts:
- 10 Elements that Impact Performing in Tune
- Where Do I Start if I Want to Be Able to Do A Cappella?
- Perfect Pitch – Discover the Secrets [Plus Absolute Pitch Test]
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
How to Use Archetypes in Songwriting
Do you want to add depth to the characters in your songs? Writing about a celebrity or historical figure can be a great way to get the lyric crafting juices going. Read more to learn how to use archetypes in songwriting. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
Measuring a Song’s Success
Why does one person say a song is great and another says it stinks? In the “Art vs Commerce” post, we looked at two versions of the song “32 Flavors” and how the Boston Songwriters Workshop members reacted to it. Then, we looked at how and when the art vs commerce question arose. Finally, we asked, "How do you measure a song’s success?" Read more to learn the answer. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
Color Code Key Signatures for LD Students
What are sharps and flats, where did they come from, and how can we make it easier to read them? Read more to learn how to color code key signatures. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
Advanced Heterophony Concepts – Part 1
Do you want to understand advanced heterophony concepts? How does timbre affect heterophony in the ma’luf ensembles? Many cultures organize their music by using heterophony which forms the music in essentially different ways than harmony-based music. Keep reading to understand the relationship between heterophony and timbre. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More