Falsetto is often a misunderstood term. It is often confused with "head voice" in men and some believe that women lack it (although it is likely that they do). It is found towards the top of the vocal range and is generally light and whispery compared to the other “voices”.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Finding your falsetto
Step 1. Make mermaids with the top of your record
The falsetto “register” (although it is more about the placement of the muscle and not a register per se) is located in the upper part of the vocal range. It is a different type of voice that can be found while experimenting with high-pitched sirens, that is, when the sound of fire department or police sirens is imitated.
Do them from the top of your record, not to the top of your record. Start as high as you can - that will be your falsetto. It doesn't matter if it doesn't sound right, it just has to be an identifiable note
Step 2. Make your child's voice
Many singing teachers teach their male students to begin speaking with a boy's voice. Talk like you are 3 or 4 years old: do you hear the difference? Do you feel the difference? You should feel it towards the upper back, in the sinuses of the face.
- If it doesn't work, try imitating a woman. You may have a vague, whispering voice, reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe. This is most likely your falsetto.
- You may change to your head voice, which is different. This type of voice will sound a little louder and a little more Minnie Mouse. If this sound is clear, look for a register that you cannot feel in your throat. Many singers report muscle relief when singing falsetto.
Step 3. Keep it low
Unless you are the next Pavarotti, you may not be able to make a falsetto sound. So when you find it, don't push yourself too hard (and don't use your throat). Keep your falsetto low. You're supposed to be Marilyn Monroe speaking softly, not Miley Cyrus screaming at the top of her lungs.
You may notice that if you try to sing louder, you switch to your head voice. Does the resonance of your voice change? Are you starting to feel it in your body? Then you will have stopped singing falsetto
Step 4. Sing with a long “i” or “u”
Due to the formation of the throat and the vocal cords, the vowels "a" and "e" are not very useful for making falsetto. The "i" and "u" are much more conducive to raising the sound and loosening the vocal cords.
In this vowel, it goes from low to high. Do you hear how the timbre of your voice changes? When it gets very light as you go up in tone and you feel less internal vibrations, that will be falsetto
Part 2 of 3: Placing the Falsetto Correctly
Step 1. Feel the placement in your sinuses and forehead
Imagine that the tone produced is an elevator within the body. When a low note is produced, it will be deep within and will resonate in the center of the body. When a high note is produced, as with falsetto, it resonates in the forehead and comes out through the upper body.
It is also forward. Placing it at the back of your mouth and consequently at the back of your head will make a very dark, muffled sound, which is not good for falsetto. Keep your tongue forward on the tip of your teeth and make sure it is flat, because if it is curved, it will block out the sound
Step 2. Open the head
If you've ever taken singing lessons, you know that many of the recommendations are abstract metaphors that are somehow logical and enhance your voice. One of them is: "Open your head." It only means what it sounds like and is effective, because it forces you to produce a sound up and forward, as in the previous step.
Generally, your entire body should be open. Singing should be a relaxing activity that does not involve any tension. To do a good falsetto, the center of your body, your lungs and your mouth will have to be open
Step 3. Lower the falsetto
When you find this "register", experiment with going down to lower notes. It is the type of voice that is mandatory in the higher part of the vocal range, but optional in the lower part. What kind of bass notes can you make that are a little more whispery and feminine.
This will vary from person to person, singer to singer. If you've used your chest voice or full voice for as long as you can remember, doing so will be difficult for vocal folds, because they are not used for that kind of free vibration. But don't worry: if you keep practicing whatever the sound, it will improve
Step 4. Don't worry about your vibrato for now
For more inexperienced and non-professional singers, it is difficult to vibrato within a falsetto. The reason is that the vocal folds have little contact with each other, which makes it difficult to control the flow of air through the throat. If you can only sing with a flat pitch in this voice, relax, which is normal.
When you get it right, try using your vibrato with this voice, but be prepared, because it will be difficult. You will likely have to switch to your head voice, which is very similar, but different
Step 5. Know the anatomy of falsetto singing
As mentioned above, singing falsetto implies that the vocal folds are barely in contact with each other. At the top of your range, the folds are lengthened by the action of the cricothyroid muscles while the thyroarytenoid muscles remain immobile. Did you like the anatomy class?
Approach someone who knows nothing about singing and they will tell you that it is something that some can do and others cannot. Approach someone who lives by singing and they will tell you that it is a conscious effort of placement and concentration to get the right sound. It is by no means something that comes out right right away. To sing well, you generally have to learn. Everyone can, but not everyone knows how
Part 3 of 3: Solving Common Problems
Step 1. Remember to breathe and relax
When we breathe normally we do not notice it. But when we start to sing, we realize that we have to divide it and sometimes we end up holding it without realizing it in certain tones. Do not do it. Breathe in deeply as far as your lungs can and keep the air flowing. If you stop, you won't make a sound or you won't use your falsetto.
Always, always relax from everything. Let go, shake off and relax. Tension and listening to yourself will only make you hold your breath and you will not emit your best voice. Much of the chanting depends on the mind: you are your only obstacle
Step 2. Don't worry if it sounds weak or sloppy
Many avoid falsetto (or even its head voice), because it is not powerful. It does not have the strength of the chest voice, but do not worry, because it is normal. It can be a great sound, you just have to get used to hearing it.
Take Broadway from recent decades as an example compared to the early years of the 20th century: you'll see a huge turnaround in the strong-chested voice. No voice is better than another, but they are and then they go out of style
Step 3. Remember that breaks are normal
All singers have a break (the "passaggio"), perhaps more than one. By experiencing different types of "voices", it is very likely that you have a break. Until you are very comfortable with the way your vocal folds stretch and vibrate, it is something that will happen to you. Just relax.
Singing over a break requires practice and discipline for many. With time and use, you can strengthen the weaker areas of your vocal folds and correct old habits that cause you to switch from one voice to another without joining them
Step 4. Keep your larynx low
See that part of the throat that rises and falls when you swallow something? Actually, you will be able to control it. Try it now: look in the mirror and put down your Adam's apple. Can you keep it down while you sing?
Doing so opens the throat, allowing air to flow unobstructed. It also flattens the tongue to accomplish the same task. If the larynx is up (try it), it will feel very tight and it will be much more difficult to make sounds in that position
Step 5. Keep practicing
Singing is learned. Of course, many have a natural talent, but it is essentially about controlling the body. First it is involuntary until you train yourself to recognize it and do what you want. So keep practicing - you will be in tune with your habits over time.
We recommend joining a choir or hiring a singing teacher. If for some reason you can't count on any, YouTube videos will be a good start. What's more, there are many singing teachers who teach on the Internet, which can be adapted to your schedules
Advice
- An easy way for you to distinguish which voice you use is to hum the note you want to sing and where your body vibrates the most, that will be the voice you are using. Being able to identify it will allow you to explore your capabilities much more with each vocal position.
- The most important teaching is to always be comfortable with your own vocal style and remember that imitation is the sincerest form of admiration.
- Good breathing technique is essential for singing falsetto, some people are born with it, but don't let it put you off. Learning to breathe with your belly, that is, with your diaphragm, will allow you to hold the notes for much longer and even control your volume and power.