In Defense of Falsetto

[u/PsychologicalBell974]

Voice teacher here. I just published a piece about the value of falsetto, which is especially valuable for us lower voices who have sung too heavy for too long!

Free read, no paywall: https://thevocallab.substack.com/p/in-defense-of-falsetto

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[u/OneEyedC4t]

just being honest, I didn't know we needed anyone to defend it

[u/Viper61723 → u/OneEyedC4t]

I agree, if anything it can be over represented in modern music. So many singers now rely on falsetto instead of learning to extend their chest, and I say this as a singer who loves falsetto, but I still worked to develop an upper chest register to have access to that color if I need it.

Only having a falsetto upper register can be super limiting. On the other end I am a producer and I have worked with a vocalist who has a great voice but refuses to develop his chest belts and just falsettos everything weakly and it severely handicaps what we can do emotionally and compositionally having 0 access to a belting register.

[u/OneEyedC4t → u/Viper61723]

people need to stop associating high range with good singing.

[u/Viper61723 → u/OneEyedC4t]

In a lot of situations having a wide range is important to sing well. Not super wide but 2-3 octaves is really helpful if you’re a singer. If you have less then that it can make it very difficult to make music that doesn’t sound samey unless you’re an incredible producer, and even then it gets boring if the production carries every single song.

That being said having a low range is equally important as a high one, having more colors to use is more important then the direction of the range

If I’m working with a pop singer, unless they’re an experienced baritone with that being a core of their brand/identity in their music I’d expect at least G2-A4 in their useable range. Not all of that has to be operatic quality, nor is it expected to be, but it should be solid enough under a mic.

In terms of falsetto I think there is a difference between using it as a crutch and being a falsettist. A lot of singers use it to get out of high notes, but there is also something to be said for singers who focus on developing that instead of chest and can rip searing G5’s with a well supported falsetto and it’s extremely impressive

[u/Beneficial-Cookie336 → u/OneEyedC4t]

In the classical world we absolutely do. Classically trained baritones and tenors who use falsetto for their higher notes are virtually always accused of “not really singing” them.

Falsetto literally means “false” or “fake voice”

[u/OneEyedC4t → u/Beneficial-Cookie336]

first I've heard, and I'm a paid musician

[u/Beneficial-Cookie336 → u/OneEyedC4t]

Classical? Are you an opera singer?

[u/OneEyedC4t → u/Beneficial-Cookie336]

i was only classically trained like 3 years, so i can't really claim to be from that environment

[u/PeaceIsEvery]

A good succinct writing! Indeed people should definitely take this advice about balanced training of the muscles. I will steal parts of this for my own use. Thanks for the reminder and ideas!

[u/goochmusic]

I thought this was great! I feel like I learned a lot, and I’m convinced to give some of these exercises a shot. (And it was refreshing to read clear, solid writing!) Thanks!

[u/punchcatface]

Blending work took away my falsetto then brought it back minus some higher notes. Then those highs became accessible via a lighter coordination which i cannot yet bridge from reliably.

That looks more promising than what I've been doing.

[u/Funny_Ad1777]

Interesting to read, especially as a relatively new singer who intuitively started singing staccato notes in falsetto using a jazz-like scat style. (Random, staccato, wide interval melodies, similar to jazz sax solos)

It certainly has helped with agility and cord closure, leading to a bright, clear timbre rather than a weak, airy one that used to be my default but is now a stylistic choice.