Excerpt from Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Registration
Few aspects of voice pedagogy are as perennially controversial as registers. Theories and opin-
ions abound as to their number, names, impact on the voice, and even to their very existence.
The entire issue is also a semantic minefield, requiring one to tiptoe through diverse, competing
terminology ranging from chest voice and falsetto to modal voice and flageolet. Anyone who has
been around singers for very long has almost certainly been exposed to registration concerns.
How many of the following terms are familiar to you?

Lowest tones Middle tones Highest tones

Fry register Mixed register Falsetto
Pulse register Head voice Bell register
Click mode Transition area Whistle register

Lower tones High tones

Chest voice Falsetto
Modal register Head voice
Heavy mechanism Light mechanism
Belt voice Loft mechanism
Speech range Feigned voice

The above list is far from comprehensive and deliberately excludes many common terms bor-
rowed from other languages, such as flageolet, voix mixte, voce di petto, passaggio, and
strohbass. As you can well imagine, this diverse terminology often leads to confusion and mis-
understanding, especially among singing students.

What exactly does the term register mean? One generally accepted definition is attributed to the
nineteenth century pedagogue Manuel Garcia:

“By the word register we mean a series of consecutive and homogeneous tones go-
ing from low to high, produced by the development of the same mechanical principle,
and whose nature differs essentially from another series of tones, equally consecu-
tive and homogeneous, produced by another mechanical principle” (Garcia, 1847).

Three key elements are present in this definition:

1. A register is composed of contiguous pitches
2. Pitches within any given register are produced in the same physiological manner
3. Pitches within any given register share the same basic timbre

Given this definition, the next task is to determine the number of registers present in the voice;
this, however, is not always easily accomplished. In many singing genres, ranging from yodeling
to popular commercial music, obvious breaks between two distinct registers are part of the sty-
listic norm. For males, there is a clear demarcation between pitches that lie within the speaking
range, almost universally identified as chest voice, and the high, light tones of falsetto. For
women, the same type of transition occurs between the low tones of chest voice, which can be
quite strong and relatively clear sounding, and the higher tones of head voice (also sometimes
called falsetto), which tend to be weaker and breathier sounding, especially in untrained singers.

Opera singers and others trained in the Western, classical tradition generally try to minimize or
eliminate noticeable changes of timbre within the total musical scale. Of course, some music is
written to highlight these changes; Fiordiligi’s aria “Come scoglio” would be much less dramatic

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were the huge leaps from high to low all sung in the same register! But since the goal usually is
to make all tones share the same basic timbre, as in point three of Garcia’s definition, it could be
said that accomplished singers learn to unify the voice into a single register. While this might be
the perception of the listener, voice science clearly shows that it is not actually the case. The
most perfectly blended voice will still exhibit at least two primary registration events related to
laryngeal physiology, accompanied by acoustic adjustments related to formant tuning. Physio-
logic events in registration are determined by changes in the voice source relating to the man-
ner in which the vocal folds vibrate and the glottis is configured. The two main options for glottal
source mode have been given many labels over time, including chest/falsetto, chest/head, and
thick/thin folds. In previous editions of this book, I used the terms thyroarytenoid and cricothy-
roid dominant production (TDP/CDP). But in an effort to avoid all semantic issues associated
with these terms—especially chest and head voice30 and the question of dominance—these two
primary registers simply will be labeled according to laryngeal function: Mode 1 and Mode 2
(Roubeau et al, 2009)31. Acoustic factors in facilitating the movement between registers, thereby
producing an “even scale,” will be discussed as the Chapter progresses.

Mode 1 glottal source

Mode 1 glottal configuration is the source mode for various
sound qualities, including chest voice, operatic head voice (the
upper extension), and voce finta (feigned voice) in men, and
chest voice and heavy belting in women. In Mode 1, the vocal
folds are thickened by contraction of the TA (thyroarytenoid)
Figure 10-1: Mode 1 glottal shape muscles, resulting in greater mass per unit of length and a
square-shaped glottis when viewed in frontal cross section
(Figure 10-1). Because the folds are relatively thick, there is a significant vertical phase differ-
ence during each cycle of vibration, as demonstrated in example 10/1. Because they are rela-
tively short and have little longitudinal tension, the amplitude of vibration (range of movement
during each oscillatory cycle) is high.

30
Great controversies have arisen among singers and teachers over the terms chest and head voice. Many eschew
them because they do not accurately represent the source of the sound, preferring terms such as modal and loft
voice. Register names typically have been derived from sensation, not function. Low tones, be they called chest,
modal or heavy mechanism, tend to create sympathetic vibrations through forced resonance that can be felt in the
thorax. High tones often—though not universally—create sympathetic vibrations that are felt in the head. While nei-
ther chest nor head accurately describes all aspects of a register, they are common to our singing lexicon. In this
author’s experience, few people misunderstand the basic concept of chest voice; the same is not necessarily true for
alternate terms, including modal and heavy.
31
While the terms Mode 1 and Mode 2 are far from universal, they are commonly used by many members of the
voice research community, especially in Europe. Readers are welcome to substitute their preferred nomenclature for
these terms.

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 Chapter 10: Registration

Figure 10-2: Mode 1 cycle of vibration showing vertical phase difference at glottis

Higher Pitches: Mode 2 glottal source

Mode 2 is the glottal source for sound qualities identified as falsetto in men, and head voice
(falsetto, etc.) in women. Glottal configuration and phonation characteristics contrast sharply
with Mode 1. Pitch modulation now relies more heavily on contraction of the cricothyroid mus-
cles (CT), which simultaneously elongate and thin the vocal
folds. The glottis assumes a triangular shape in cross section
with a narrow area of vocal fold contact during phonation (Fig-
ure 10-3). Vertical phase differences are greatly reduced and
can entirely cease to exist. Mucosal movement is focused
along the medial margins of the vocal folds, as can be seen in
video example 10/2. Because they are relatively long and have
increased longitudinal tension, the amplitude of vibration is low. Figure 10-3: Mode 2 glottal shape

Figure 10-4: Mode 2 vibration showing little or no vertical phase difference

For very high pitches, as typified by male falsetto and female flageolet or whistle voice, the glot-
tis might never completely close during Mode 2. The vocal folds, however, continue to oscillate,
alternately making the glottis wider and narrower (Figure 10-5). This change in dimension alone
is sufficient to induce pressure variations in the air that are identified as sound (10/3).

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Figure 10-5: Incomplete glottal closure during flageolet or falsetto production

Further information about glottal source modes is revealed through electroglottagraphic analysis
(EGG) and computer software such as Voce Vista.32 As demonstrated in Chapter 5, EGG esti-
mates glottal closing patterns by measuring resistance to signals passed through the larynx be-
tween a pair of electrodes. The
procedure is non-invasive, safe,
and totally free from discomfort;
test subjects are able to sing ab-
solutely normally while measure-
ments are taken (Figure 10-6).
Video example 10/4 demon-
strates Mode 1 and Mode 2 in
male and female voices. Re-
member that in the EGG tracing,
maximal glottal closure occurs at
the top of the graph, maximal
opening at the bottom.

As shown in the EGG signal,

closed quotient in Mode 1 is rela-
tively high, generally greater than
40% and potentially reaching
85% in strong baritones and ten-
ors (CQ typically increases with
Figure 10-6: Characteristics of EGG signal
ascending pitch and with increas-
ing amplitude) (D. Miller, 2008).
More importantly, the contour of the EGG signal shows a distinctive pattern in which the glottis
closes much more quickly than it opens during each cycle of vibration (Figure 10-7) (Baken,
2000).33 Because the area of contact between the folds is wide and glottal closure is rapid and
prolonged, the sound produced has a shallow spectral slope, generally twelve dB/octave or
less, with strong acoustic energy in high harmonics (Sundberg, 1987).

32
Voce Vista is the creation of D. Miller, G. Nair, H. Schutte and R. Horne, in association with the University of Gro-
ningen Voice Research Laboratory.
33
CQ measures of >40% for Mode 1 and <40% for Mode 2 can be extremely variable—a reading of 50% is not suffi-
cient evidence to make the inference of Mode 1 vibration. It is safe to say, however, that if a pitch can be sung in ei-
ther in Mode 1 or Mode 2, CQ will be higher for the former. When using EGG to make assumptions about registration,
it is essential to consider both the CQ reading and the shape of the signal, which indicates the relative speed of open-
ing and closing portions of the cycle.

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