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One of the biggest points of confusion in the world of singing technique

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is the erroneous belief that the terms “Falsetto” and “Head Voice” mean
the same thing. Sadly, far too many voice teachers also refer to the head voice

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as “Falsetto” and in doing so, are contributing to the confusion for their
students. Falsetto is a physical vocal mode that characterizes one of 8 physical

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configurations that the larynx can produce, to affect the stability and sound color

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of singing. “Head voice” is metaphor that is used often to describe the higher

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register for singing, typically above E4 for men and Bb. The term “head voice”
is also ubiquitous and used so often, that this is a big part of the continuance

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and propagation of this erroneous notion. The problem is, if students of singing
conclude that Falsetto vocal mode is the ONLY kind of sound color they can

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make in the head voice, then they will never do the training or personal

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experimentation required to develop vocal twang in the head voice, another of T
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the 8 physical vocal modes, which is required to sing with ‘connectivity’ in the

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head voice. That is to say, if you want to stop sounding weak and windy in
the head voice, the solution is not to avoid the head voice register, but
learn how to train vocal twang in the head voice. Because Falsetto is the

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“primitive” vocal mode the body intuitively wants to produce in the head voice,
people erroneously draw the conclusion that this is the only kind of sound they

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can make in their upper registers for singing. This makes students of

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singing avoid the head voice strengthening and coordination work that needs
to be done to develop the upper registers or, “head voice” to sound like the

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chest voice, full, connected, belt-like and pleasing to the listener.

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