Dual Concept of Singing Registers

Abstract

Much of the confusion that surrounds the definition of registers in the singing voice grows out of the confusion of two completely different sets of phenomena. The voice shows two physiologically distinct registers, using different muscular actions, as shown by high-speed motion pictures. The degree of cooperation between these two actions depends on the skill and natural gifts of the singer. There is also a series of changes in voice quality, sometimes designated as “lifts,” which are purely acoustic in origin. Sound spectrograms show that these result from the enhancement of different harmonics of the voice as the frequency is varied while the formant resonances of throat and mouth are held essentially constant. A similar phenomenon can be demonstrated with electronic organs of the formant type. A bass voice may exhibit five or more such “lifts,” while a soprano will have only two or three. These lifts can be helpful in voice classification and are influenced by the vowel and by modifications to it. An understanding of this dual concept is important in voice teaching.