Female Chest Voice
The paper contains responses to some
questions raised by performers and teachers in sessions aimed at a systematic
voice technique. There are two responses in the article, one by
Freda begins by expressing her opinion
that any song without the chest voice is unappealing, unsupported and
uncommitted both to the singer and the listener. She asserts that there are
many contradicting opinions concerning the chest voice. She says the chest
voice has applied by women when they want to show authority, or want to sound
more mature. She says women who use the chest voice have a higher likelihood of
suffering from vocal fatigue and injury. Speaking with chest voice also limits
their breath flow, speaking compass and resonance. She warns that for young singers
who are not yet mature, they should avoid emphasizing on chest voice,
irrespective of whether they are comfortable or not. In her conclusion, she says
that chest voice exists in the female voice too, although not like in the men.
She says the chest mixtures should only be used when the character of music is
appropriate.
I really like the importance of coordination of resonance, breathing, and phonation. So much of singing is balancing, and failing to do so effectively can be damaging and unpleasant to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI used to use primarily chest voice when I was younger and had incorrect head position. Once these habits were fixed (which took years) and sometimes creep up on me still, that brilliant sound was now a closer reach for me. Xu basically described all the bad habits I had before I started taking voice lessons.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I used to have a pretty intense head voice that has pretty much disappeared after taking lessons. This is good information for voice teachers, since a lot of girls probably will want to use their chest voice a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting! I've always wondered how some singers can sing in their chest voices for so long, especially since simply accessing my chest voice is something i'm struggling with right now. Very helpful, thank you
ReplyDeleteI like what the author said about the different chest mixtures should be used when the character of music is appropriate. I might go into pure chest voice on a low Bflat in a scary part of The Medium, but I would probably use a more mixed registration on the same note of a Handel da capo aria. It's important to use it when appropriate.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting article. A lot of great information regarding the chest voice in my opinion. As someone who doesn't experience the chest voice as a female, I find it tricky to try and explain to people of the women variety. This has cleared up some questions I've had, which is awesome!
ReplyDeleteAs with most things in life, moderation is key. Obviously singing in chest voice all the time is unhealthy, but using it as a tool for tone quality in the lower register I think is totally acceptable. As long as the singer is transitioning smoothly between registers and only using the chest voice in the lower end of the range I think the chest voice is very effective.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I can use this with one of my students, who hasn't learned to blend her registers and has a very breathy head voice. So glad I learned this.
ReplyDeleteIntriguing. It's always interesting to read about how other people view a specific part of the voice, and how they think it plays into the large scheme of vocal use/health. In this case, the use of the chest voice with female singers is strongly emphasized. I think it's important that singers learn about all of the functioning parts of the voice, and though I don't think all of them should be used, it's important to understand how they work.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the reality is, for a performer in this day and age you will be working with people who want different things out of you all the time. That means that the more flexible you can be with how you can alter your technique to sing with different mixes and tone qualities the more directors will like you and call you for more performances. This should be tempered of course with an absolute focus on singing in a healthy way as much as possible. I don't know too much about the female voice and this dichotomy between "chest" and "head" registers yet, but I think that being aware of your registrations and how you can mix them together is important for being a flexible singer.
ReplyDeleteBlend between head and chest voice is a balancing act, as someone who is working on my balance and registration, this is very helpful!
ReplyDeleteNot being a female vocalist, I don't have a lot in the way of input for this but those were some rather interesting points. It's definitely interesting to learn about the differences between male and female voice mechanisms.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be worth my time to sit in on a number of female voice lessons. I think Mason has a good perspective on the demand of the modern singer, and how that can lead to a need of understanding of this registration issue.
ReplyDelete