How to Sing Better: Vocal Registers

Every human being is born with two vocal registers; we all have a lower register and an upper register.

The lower register is often referred to (imprecisely) as the chest voice. It's the voice most of us speak with (unless you talk like Julia Child or Michael Jackson).

The lower register is where we sing lower pitches.

We are using the chest voice or lower register when we loudly call out to our neighbor across the street. If you place your hand on your chest and call HEY! you will feel vibrations in the chest cavity. 

That is why the lower register historically has been known as the chest voice. In later chapters, we will discover that these vibrations do not actually originate in the chest; they are known as sympathetic resonance.

We also have an upper register, which has traditionally been called the head voice or falsetto. 

This is the voice we use to sing higher pitches.

The term head voice evolved because when people sing higher pitches they experience vibrations in the head. The head voice does not originate in the head; these vibrations are also the result of sympathetic resonance.

The voice actually originates in the larynx, or Adam's apple- the bump in your throat. The larynx contains the vocal folds, which open and close rapidly, first preventing airflow, and then releasing air with each vibrational cycle.

If you would like to learn more about your voice AND learn to sing from home- or how to be a successful voice teacher- for less than you probably spend on lattes every month, check out our amazing YOU can Sing Like a Star online subscription courses for singers and voice teachers.

You can learn to sing with a self-study method- IF it's the right method.  The ONLY method that can take you from beginner to professional is the  YOU can Sing Like a Star online subscription course with over 600 recorded exercises AND an extensive science-based manual that teaches you all about the singing voice.

This is the best method available and the ONLY method that takes you all the way from beginner to professional singer- for far less than the cost of in-person voice lessons!

If you are a singer, check out the  YOU can Sing Like a Star online subscription course.

If you are a voice teacher who wants to up your game, check out the YOU can be a Successful Voice Teacher online subscription course

With over 600 recorded exercises, including Riffs and Runs- Style, you don't need to be a great pianist or vocal stylist to be a great teacher!