Vocal register facts for kids
A register in the human voice is a special way your vocal cords vibrate to make different sounds. Think of it as different "gears" your voice can use. These include your normal speaking voice, called the modal voice, and other unique sounds like vocal fry, falsetto, and the whistle register.
Your vocal cords can vibrate in several different ways. Each way creates a specific range of pitches and has its own unique sound.
Voice teachers might use the term "vocal register" to mean a few things:
- A specific part of your vocal range, like the high, middle, or low parts of your voice.
- An area where sound vibrates, like your chest voice or head voice.
- How your voice produces sound (a phonatory process).
- A certain sound quality or timbre.
- A part of the voice where there are noticeable "breaks" or changes.
The idea of "registers" started in the 1500s. People already knew there were different "voices." When teachers noticed how different the voice sounded on either side of a "break" (called a passaggio), they compared it to the different sets of pipes in a pipe organ. These pipe sets were called registers, so the same word was used for voices.
Contents
How Vocal Cords Vibrate
Vocal registers happen because your vocal cords can vibrate in different ways. Experts who study speech have found that vocal cords can make at least four different types of vibrations. Not everyone can make all of them.
The first type of vibration is your normal, everyday voice. This is also called modal voice. It's the most common way your vocal cords work. The other three types of vibrations are vocal fry, falsetto, and whistle.
Each of these four registers has its own way of vibrating. They also have their own range of pitches, though some ranges can overlap. Each register also has a special sound. When you arrange them by pitch, vocal fry is the lowest. Then comes modal voice, followed by falsetto, and finally the whistle register is the highest.
While speech experts agree on these four registers, voice teachers sometimes have different ideas. This is because the word "register" has been used in many ways. In science, vocal registers are seen simply as how the voice box (larynx) works.
Some voice teachers say there are anywhere from one to seven registers. There's no single agreement among them.
Many voice teachers often divide voices into three registers. For men, these are "chest," "head," and "falsetto." For women, they are "chest," "middle," and "head." However, not everyone agrees with this way of grouping registers.
Many experts argue that it doesn't make sense to say registers are "produced" in the chest or head. This is because all registers start from how the voice box works. The feelings you get in your chest or head are from how the sound vibrates and echoes. These are called resonance phenomena. These experts prefer to use the terms "chest voice" and "head voice" instead of "register." Many voice problems that seem like "register problems" are actually about adjusting how the sound resonates.
When a singer goes from the lowest to the highest pitches in their normal (modal) voice, many things change. The pitch of your voice depends on how long, how tight, and how thick your vocal cords are. As you sing higher, your vocal cords get longer, tighter, and thinner. All three of these things are constantly changing.
If a singer tries to keep any of these things the same, their voice box might get stuck. This can cause breaks in the voice, where the sound quality suddenly changes. These breaks are often called "register boundaries" or "transition areas." A clear change or break between registers is called a passaggio. Voice teachers help singers learn to move smoothly from one register to another. With practice, registers can even overlap while singing.
However, some teachers believe these breaks are actually vocal problems. They think these problems happen when the voice box doesn't adjust properly. This difference in opinion affects how different teachers view vocal registers.
Vocal Fry Register
The vocal fry register is the lowest voice register. It's made when your vocal cords are very loose. Air bubbles through them, making a popping or rattling sound at a very low pitch. Singers sometimes use vocal fry to reach very low notes that are not possible in their normal voice. This register can also be used in voice therapy to improve the lower part of the normal voice. It's not used often in singing, but you might hear it in some male quartet songs or certain folk music styles.
Modal Voice Register
The modal voice is your everyday voice. It's the register you use for most speaking and singing. As you sing higher in this register, your vocal cords get longer, tighter, and thinner at the edges. A well-trained singer or speaker can use their modal voice for two octaves or more. They can do this with a consistent sound, beautiful tone, different loudness levels, and vocal freedom. This is possible only if they let their voice box adjust smoothly as they go from low to high notes.
Falsetto Register
The falsetto register is above the modal voice register. It overlaps with the modal register by about one octave. The falsetto voice sounds like a flute, with fewer extra sounds (overtones). The main difference between modal and falsetto voices is how much and what part of the vocal cords are used.
In falsetto, only the edges of the vocal cords vibrate, or sometimes just a part of them. The main body of the vocal cord is mostly relaxed. In contrast, the modal voice uses the whole vocal cord. The opening between the cords (the glottis) opens from the bottom first, then the top. The falsetto voice also has less variety in loudness and tone quality compared to the modal voice.
Whistle Register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice. It's called the whistle register because the sound of the notes produced in this register is similar to a whistle or the high notes of a flute. The modal register, on the other hand, usually has a warmer, less sharp sound.
See also
- Chest voice
- Head voice
- Human voice
- Register (music)
- Register (phonology)
- Vocal resonation
