Singing Class Week 3

We continued with the exercises as per her cd. Essentially the cd IS the class.

I've made a point to interject questions...and try to get feedback whenever possible...because that seems to be the real value here. Otherwise I could just listen to the cd and not come to class.

Yesterday one of the people who sang was the girl who has a theatre voice...like Broadway musical type stuff. She's been talking alot about "head voice" versus "belting voice" and the "break" between the two...and I've only been vaguely sure what she's been talking about. Yesterday was great because the instructor had the girl sing a song first in her "head voice" and then in her "belting voice." So I could see the difference. And then I asked...which is better? Do you use both? Etc.

Essentially...the "head voice" is what I think people like RS call "falcetto"...it's higher in your range. "Belting voice" is lower in the range. I've always assumed the "belting voice" was more desireable...but apparently this is counter to classical teaching. Classical voice instructors WANT you in your head voice. Which seems weird to me. The "belting voice"...that which is more in your natural speaking range and is more powerful seems like it would be better. And there's the whole issue of the part of your range that falls between these two places...the transition...or "break"...and how to navigate that.

So the real life example for me is "Levitate Me".

Live version 1988:


From album:


At 0:30 in the live video (0:32 in recorded version)...where he sings "If all and all is true"...that's a place that RS has struggled with. It's too high for his "belting voice" and he hasn't wanted to sing it in his "head voice" ("falcetto to him). I would argue that Black Francis actually DOES sing this part in falcetto in the live version above. But from the discussion about it I figured out that I naturally drifted to my "head voice" for this bit. I then forced myself to do it in my "belting voice" instead and found I was able to do it. And in this illustration...yeah the head voice sounds sweeter and more classical and the belting voice is a little nastier and more rock and roll. But both work. Both are in pitch. And, yeah, the belting voice is more Pixies-esque. But that said...he (Black Francis) never sings this song live anymore as far as I can tell. So he could belt it maybe in his 20s...but not so much in his 40s. So RS, who's pushing 40, shouldn't feel too bad.

My personal issues continue to be with difficulty in feeling how to breathe properly. But I think it is just practice. Which I'm not doing enough of.