TEACHING HEAD VOICE TO YOUNG MEN

("Voice-building concepts for the young adolescent male")

Presented by Dr. Z. Randall Stroope

Director of Choral and Vocal Studies
Oklahoma State University
randallstroope@aol.com
www.zrstroope.com

Overview:The struggle for young male voices to comfortably find a way to access high
Notes (without using falsetto) is always a challenge. This session offers clear
solutions and vocal exercises to assist the men in your ensembles with this very

m
important taskl
Often Asked Questions ...
Welcome demonstration
Is falsetto synonymous
with head voice?
Singers! :_ ~

Will head voice develop THE MALE VOICE

naturally with age and
physical maturity? C
B HEAD VOICE

t
Will falsetto, if A
G
strengthened, gradually PASSAGGIO Secondo (2nd)
F
turn into head voice? E
D
Do basses and baritones MC PASSAGGIO PRIMO (1st)
need head voice, or is this
a tenor thing?
F B
A

A CHEST VOICE
G
When should a teacher
begin developing head L F
voice in their male
singers? S E

What are some exercises E D

that contribute to the C

development of head T
B
voice?
T A
o G

f F

Repertoire Demonstration Examples

Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) TBB/piano Alliance Music Pub'. 0616
She's Like the Swallow TB/piano Alliance Music Pub'. 0509

I
Falsetto
The vocal folds vibrate only at the borders, and the rest of the vocal folds
remain relatively stiff, thin, and non-vibratory.

The term "falsetto" should not be confused with "head voice." According
to Richard Miller, "falsetto should not be called head voice." They sound
entirely different.
Falsetto is generally stronger in basses or baritones, than in tenors.

Falsetto will never turn into head voice, no matter how much practice. It
WILL gain some focus and clarity with time, but will never be "operatic" in
character.' Falsetto and head voice are two different voices.

Falsetto actually can extend quite low and high.

VOCAL REGISTERS/TRANSITIONS

CHEST VOICE

~ Men sing a lot more in chest voice than do women. Baritones and basses have
well over an octave in chest voice. Women do have chest voice, of
course, but most of their range is in mixed voice.
~ If composers are not cognizant of this, there can be balance and production
issues between male and female voices - ESPECIALLY in SAB or "3-part mixed"
music where the male voices are stronger and, unfortunately, often more abrasive
and "pushy" in their upper chest voice, making blend and tonal work as a group very
difficult. As a result, this seemingly easier music is actually more costly in rehearsal
time than SATB and doesn't yield good results.
+ We, as choral directors, should be clear and concise about chest voice, and
teach the students how to produce it healthily. The WILL be in broadway musicals
and other singing activities, and is we don't teach it, then the young singers will
formulate their own way of doing it.

PASSAGGIO or MIDDLE REGISTER

(First stage of "Head Voice")

~ PASSAGGIO means "passage" and this is a transition area between the head
and chest voice.

~ When untrained, adolescent males approach the termination of "the comfortable

speech" zone, they begin to raise the chin and push up the larynx, which of course,
strains the voice.

~ The lower or first point of transition (primo) into the student's passaggio needs
to take place at this point (near middle C)
~ See the chart below: Although these transition points are fairly consistent with
most singers, good teachers are aware of individual variations

FIRST TRANSITION (shift below middle C)

G-A Bass
Bb-B Baritone
CoD Tenor

$> Keeping the chest voice "light" in this range may not ultimately yield good
results - it "masks" the problem and students often translate "light" as "airy."

+ The need to determine whether a student is a "dramatic baritone" or "lyric

baritone" at age 16 is both inappropriate and impossible. Such EARLY
determinations often prove negative to the student later. However, assisting them
find the general points of transition, and making sure they, in fact, DO transition, is
the key.

+ The key to a student moving into his passaggio is that he becomes aware of
THE SENSE THAT THE CHEST VOICE HAS BECOME SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE,
AND THE VOICE IS NEEDING TO SHIFT.

SECOND TRANSITION (shift on or above middle C)

CoD Bass
E-F Baritone
F-G Tenor

The second transition will not occur easily if the first (lower transition)
is unstable and not working we". Patience may be in order.

+ The second transition is always a

as it gives the teacher some "bearings."
4th above the first. This is important to know,

~ Male singers cannot operate at their full potential if they have no facility in head
voice. This concept is crucial to begin teaching after the male voice changes.

DRILLS TO MOVE THROUGH THE PASSAGGIO (next page)

 HEAD VOICE - ra/tt~EPOSSIBILITIES
No matter the style of music in their future, head voice is an asset to
every young man in your choir. Take the lead!

LET'S GET STARTED! "Awareness" is always first step in learning ENGAGE

Relate head voice to "another voice" that they have already
your young singers.
experienced.

VOCALISE: Falsetto slides into chest voice, aware of the shift (transition) point in the middle
PURPOSE: Singer must get a sense of what a "register shift "feels like before they can attenpt
to do it successfully. Even though falsetto is not "head voice," it IS IN THE RANGE
of head voice, IT IS RELAXED (unstrained), and IT IS IN THERESONANCE SPACE
b ~
5i;~
"r c:

~
:"-----
ti Falsetto should resonate in mask
"ee" _ etc. _

ti Invite singers to gently shift between falsetto/chest as they

descend on the slide - then, smooth out the transition.

FIRST ONE MUST ESTABLISH THE FIRST TRANSITION, THEN BUILD ON IT.

VOCALISE: Shorten interval (from the octave above), reverse direction (ascending) and lower range
PURPOSE: Once singers have identified what a transition point feels like, AND the "room" that head
voice resides, they can begin gently shifting upward into their FIRST (primo passaggio) transition

ij' F F be r
"0011 _
"0011

tiFeel the shift from chest to head ti Ask the singer to indicate where they feel a shift.
Remember, this will vary per singer,
fiut generally around A or Bb

VOCALISE: Interval of 4th works very well- ascending/descending (keep in limited range)
PURPOSE: Puts the transition into more practical use (melodic, quicker pace (and allows singer
t

ti PRIMO shift will occur on Bb ti Hand gestures can be helpful = see-saw effect
for most men (tenors higher)

VOCALISE: Shorten interval - rapid shifting, and shifting in different key centers
PURPOSE: shorter, rapid intervals more difficult to execute - rock back and forth between transitions

~~I~~

-- -- -----, ""'---IiIIIIP.IIIIII9'-----!!!!!!!!f'r-
 EXERCISES TO ESTABLISH HEAD VOICE

VOCALISE: Scale-wise - 6 notes, 9 notes

~~~

SECOND TRANSITION (REMEMBER - 4th HIGHER THAN FIRST TRANSITION

VOCALISE: 4th interval drill extends higher (than previous drill for first transition) and
encompasses BOTH first and second transitions. This takes some time - be patient (firmly
establish FIRST transition for a few weeks before beginning this set of exercises.
PURPOSE: To establish "existence" of the second transition, and successfully move between CHEST,
FIRST and SECOND TRANSlTIONS

VOCALISE: Rapidly move between various arpeggiated patterns to SMOOTIf the transitions