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Stretching chest and mixed voice
felipemp
Pro Posts: 15
Hey Ken, first I'd like to say I'm really enjoying your course, still on volume one but working on it with pleasure.
I have a bit of doubt on what is the meaning of stretching chest voice. I don't have prior experience with chest stretching, so the concept what it really is has been eluding me a bit. My break is about G4, and I noticed that to reach G#4 and above I have been putting too much air and raising the volume (not to the point of yelling, but I try to do the exercises softly). I have noticed that sometimes on these higher notes my voice sounds "headier", less forced and the notes are easier. Also on your article on belting you state :
"Research on belted voicing disproves the
hypothesis that chest voice function is always carried up much higher in
belted phonation than is recommended in classical singing, (although
belting by new, misguided or untrained singers is often mistakenly
produced through this kind of dangerous register abuse). This current
research does, in contrast, support the theory that ‘correct’ belt is
not purely ‘chest voice’ singing, which is seen to have a low laryngeal
position, wide pharynx, elongated mouth position and sympathetic chest
vibration."
So, is chest stretching in fact training a mix between chest and head (that is, thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid) where chest is dominant and getting a headier sound as you go higher is normal? If that is true does it mean going up to the passagio in chest requires somewhat different technique than going up after the passagio in chest? Or am I confusing the concepts here?
Thank you very much Ken.
I have a bit of doubt on what is the meaning of stretching chest voice. I don't have prior experience with chest stretching, so the concept what it really is has been eluding me a bit. My break is about G4, and I noticed that to reach G#4 and above I have been putting too much air and raising the volume (not to the point of yelling, but I try to do the exercises softly). I have noticed that sometimes on these higher notes my voice sounds "headier", less forced and the notes are easier. Also on your article on belting you state :
"Research on belted voicing disproves the
hypothesis that chest voice function is always carried up much higher in
belted phonation than is recommended in classical singing, (although
belting by new, misguided or untrained singers is often mistakenly
produced through this kind of dangerous register abuse). This current
research does, in contrast, support the theory that ‘correct’ belt is
not purely ‘chest voice’ singing, which is seen to have a low laryngeal
position, wide pharynx, elongated mouth position and sympathetic chest
vibration."
So, is chest stretching in fact training a mix between chest and head (that is, thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid) where chest is dominant and getting a headier sound as you go higher is normal? If that is true does it mean going up to the passagio in chest requires somewhat different technique than going up after the passagio in chest? Or am I confusing the concepts here?
Thank you very much Ken.