Head Voice Vs. Falsetto

In this article we will discuss the somewhat "elusive" head voice against the widely know "falsetto". There is much debate in the vocal sphere about how to go about these two voices because there are so many differing opinions on them¹. However, most will agree that head voice or falsetto is the upper part of the voice where your resonance begins to shift from your chest cavity to your head cavity. This is only a loose definition - getting more technical than this sparks heated debate between different schools of vocal thought.

Now, definition aside, let's talk about the technical aspects of head voice and falsetto. I come from the school of thought that makes a distinction between head voice and falsetto. There are so many people that misunderstand this concept and wrongly apply head voice to falsetto and vice versa (or they will just call them one in the same). I want to make a distinction between the two below, starting with falsetto.

Falsetto is an airy and light connection of the vocal cords that has no bottom connection and is generally devoid of color and tone. With regards to connection, falsetto does not properly connect to the chest register, which is why you commonly hear the term "flipping into falsetto". Your voice makes a noticeable shift lacking connection when going from chest voice to falsetto.

Head voice, on the other hand, is a solid connection of the vocal cords that connects with chest voice and has color and tone. With regards to connection, head voice can seamlessly connect to the chest register because it does not suffer from a loss of vocal cord closure or vocal compression. When trained properly, there is no distinction between chest voice and head voice - it all begins to mix into one voice.

So many people want to fuse the two together, but falsetto and head voice cannot be mixed because they both sound and feel very different from each other. Now, I would like to introduce one sort of caveat, and that is this: when one has properly trained the head voice, his or her falsetto will begin to sound like the head voice. However, remember to take note that the one who has trained his or her head voice understands, and more importantly, feels the difference between the two.

For the most part, it takes time and training to "discover" and unleash your head voice. If you have never had any sort of vocal training, you most likely flip into falsetto. The head voice is accessible once a proper technical foundation has been established for the vocal cords.

I hope this article has enlightened you some on the differences between head voice and falsetto. If you have found this article helpful, you may find some of these articles helpful too!

How To Sing Better

Finding Your Head Voice

Developing Your Head Voice

1. "What does is mean to sing in your 'head voice'?" Answer Bag