Falsetto singing

NickInMesa · #1 09-14-2010, 09:20 AM

Does your voice end up opening when singing in falsetto?

Have been taking singing lessons and I always thought my falsetto was horrible and hopeless but I am starting to see some changes.

I'm not sure if there is any hope at all, I am really only taking this seriously late in life.

Thanks!

Richland123 · #2 09-14-2010, 11:28 AM

I have always been known for singing the top harmonies and higher lead vocals in my bands but 9 years ago I tore my vocal cords during the flu. After I started to heal, I was told that my singing voice would not be the same. I lost some mid-range control but now I can sing higher than ever before. I can sing really high parts easily with no stress and without a falsetto or pushing in full voice. When I do have to go into a falsetto, it is even higher and very clear. Interestingly, I also sing the very low vocals such as La Grange.

NickInMesa · #3 09-14-2010, 12:22 PM

Does falsetto become usable after a while?

For me it's just plain weird. What comes out does not sound like a type of voice anybody would like to hear.

My teacher keeps claiming to keep working and that it will get better and that I will build a voice, but I wonder if he is just not saying this to keep me as his client.

I did get it to open a bit a couple times but I have decided to give it a break for a few days.

tekhedd · #4 09-14-2010, 12:36 PM

It does get better, but that's true of singing in general: the more you do it the better it gets. If you push hard, I find falsetto is the first thing to go.

And, yeah, it never sounds completely natural, but it gets the job done.

Chrisk-K · #5 09-14-2010, 12:39 PM

I wish my falsetto is 10% as good as Barry Gibb's.

NickInMesa · #6 09-14-2010, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tekhedd

It does get better, but that's true of singing in general: the more you do it the better it gets. If you push hard, I find falsetto is the first thing to go.

And, yeah, it never sounds completely natural, but it gets the job done.

I am not looking to compete with the likes of Steve Perry or Geoff Tate but if it ends up being usable, it would be cool.

Richland123 · #7 09-14-2010, 12:49 PM

Don't give up. Keep working at it. You might find that you can start to hit the high parts without falsetto or full voice. Sort of half way in between but with a fuller sound. A bass player who can sing high harmonies would be in demand and add more to the vocals of a band. I can sing the high parts in The Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles), The Outfield Your Love, Blue Oyster Cult Don't Fear The Reaper, The Beatles Please, Please Me and other songs with little effort and no strain and it sure adds to the songs. It does take work though to get comfortable with doing it all night live.

Bevo1995 · #8 09-14-2010, 06:45 PM

What you hear when you are singing falsetto is not what your audience hears. I've taken years of voice lessons and it took me a long time to get used to singing even in pure head voice (I'm a lyric tenor). To me it sounded wimpy, but my voice teacher kept incouraging me. Now that I understand the correlation between what I hear and what the audience hears I'm much more confident in my highest range. I can't sing a high C in full voice, but very few men can. The mistake I was making was thinking I should be able to sing above a G in full voice. It's awesome to hear someone who can do it well, but that's not me. Unless you are singing opera it isn't even necessary.

skwee · #9 09-14-2010, 07:00 PM

training the falsetto is a good thing to do. Yodeling is also a good exercise to keep your voice flexible.

dannster · #10 09-14-2010, 07:10 PM

I'm a bartender by trade so I get to sing all day long if I want. My falsetto and singing in general has improved greatly over the years. I get a few Holy #$%#'s every once in awhile when I'm going up high.
I still don't think I can sing my way out of a wet paper bag but others seem to think I can so maybe you aren't as bad as you think. If you can, record yourself and listen back.

clclark · #11 09-14-2010, 07:21 PM

Falsetto is actually very manly as well. Women don't have a falsetto, so keep it up. Generally, if it hurts or isn't comfortable, then something is wrong. As long as nothing is physically bothering you, it can only get better the more comfortable you get singing up there. My falsetto has a rather small range and isn't very loud. Some people just have a naturally better falsetto than others.

A vocalise that really helped me is singing the first five notes of a major scale starting on the fifth and going down. You start in your falsetto and then move the pattern down by a half step and so on. Try keeping it light and then mixing your falsetto and chest voice once you are low enough so it becomes natural to transition between the two.