Head Voice Vs Falsetto: What’s the Difference?
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Should I use Falsetto or Head Voice?
Head Voice and Falsetto are two terms that can cause a lot of discussion among singers and vocal coaches alike. What do they mean? Is there a difference? Who can use them?
I want to start off by saying, that as with many things in the world of singing, the answers you get to these questions are going to vary depending on genre and training. Different methodologies, and approaches to vocal technique will give you different answers.
The key thing, whatever avenue you go down, is that you can create the sound that you want to make and have the control to make the choices that suit you, your voice and the song you’re singing.
What is Head Voice?
You might have read my blog post a couple of weeks ago about my favourite singing exercises to strengthen your head voice – but if not here’s a quick recap on what head voice is.
Head Voice is a term often used to describe the upper part of our vocal range. It’s sometimes called upper register, M2, loft or thin folds.
Head voice produces, a light, brighter sound with a floaty quality, but also has a rich, fullness to it. Check out the link below to see the wonderful Audra McDonald singing “Summertime” from Porgy & Bess for an example of what I mean.
What is Falsetto?
What is Falsetto?
Falsetto is a vocal quality produced by the voice in the upper register. Although it’s produced in the same pitch range as head voice, falsetto is characterised by a breathier sound and lacks the resonant, full quality of head voice.
See Justin Bieber singing using the link below for an example of falsetto! His falsetto starts around the 0:07 second mark until 0:19
Can you hear the difference? If you listen closely to Justin’s clip, do you hear the slight texture to his tone? That ever so slight hiss of excess air? That’s the characteristic that differentiates falsetto from head voice.
The Physiology of Falsetto
So, what’s going on?
Essentially, at the vocal fold level. It has to do with the amount of contact or closure the vocal folds are achieving. In falsetto, this is fairly little - just the very edges of the vocal folds are coming together in this coordination.
The lack of vocal fold closure also means true falsetto doesn’t connect with chest voice or the lower register, which is also why you’ll hear a “flip” or more abrupt change from a “connected” sound into that breathier sound of falsetto.
We also need to consider the amount of time the vocal folds spend when they open or closed during each vibratory cycle. This is called the open or closed quotient. In falsetto, the vocal folds spend less time together, or in the closed phase of each cycle.
Basically, it means the soundwave will have less energy in it. When the vocal folds close and stay together, a pressure is built beneath the vocal folds. This is called subglottic pressure. The longer they stay together, the more subglottic pressure builds. When the vocal folds then open, and that pressure is released, which results in a more intense sound.
In falsetto, because there’s less vocal fold contact, and the folds spend less time in the “closed position” of each vibration, there’s not very much pressure - therefore the end result is a weaker, less intense tone.
In head voice, our vocal folds are still thin and stretched, but we have more contact of the vocal folds, and they remain closed longer than they do during falsetto, which gives us that more robust, resonant tone.
Should I use Head voice or Falsetto?
That one is up to you as the singer! I’m not here to say one is better than the other, Falsetto can be a great stylistic tool and add a different flavour to your singing. The key here is to think about what is more appropriate? Stylistically, falsetto works great for certain genres like pop or R&B. Not so much in Musical Theatre or Classical.
The important thing is that you as the singer have the control over your voice to choose which coordination you want to sing in. If you’re flipping into falsetto every time you try and move from your lower register into your upper register when in reality you’re looking for a more connected, fuller sound, I’d suggest working on technique and developing head voice first. If you’re only option is falsetto because it’s all your voice knows how to do in that range - that’s something to work on.
Ultimately, we want to be at a place where we have the vocal technique and the skill to move between them as needed, that is going to give us more options as a singer.
Who can Use Falsetto?
I wanted to cover this because there’s sometimes an idea that headvoice describes the female upper register, while falsetto describes the male upper register.
I disagree with this.
I’m very much of the opinion that regardless of sex, we all have access to BOTH Headvoice and Falsetto.
Why? Because if we think about Falsetto in terms of the level of vocal fold contact or closure, the amount of time spent in the open and closed phases of the vibratory cycle and the energy boost to the soundwave, that occurs in any healthy voice regardless of sex. It’s not unique to either the male or female voice. So I am very much of the belief that any singer can access both headvoice and falsetto.
At the end of the day though, as I’ve said before, as long as you can achieve the sound you want, and are able to communicate effectively with other teachers, singers or voice professionals, there’s no need to get too hung up on terminology.
I hope this post was helpful, and answered some of the questions you might have surrounding Headvoice and Falsetto. Do you have anything to add? Leave a comment below and let’s chat!
If you’d like to work with me one on one, I offer individual singing lessons online via Zoom. An consultation call is available for FREE and new clients receive their first lesson at a discounted price.
Until next time,
Happy singing!