Hitting High Notes (Without Falsetto)--Sing Higher Notes

Introduction: 0:00
Difference Between Falsetto and Head Voice: 0:30
Remedy for Breaking Voice When Doing Falsetto: 6:02
Reasons Why Voice Breaks at Falsetto: 8:14
Exercises to Try: 9:26
Summary of Difference Between Falsetto and Head Voice: 11:20
Final Words: 11:41

For way too long there has been confusion about the terms head voice and falsetto. And it’s for good reason: these words are incredibly confusing for singers. They lead us to believe things are happening outside of our voice.

But with the help of modern science, we know that in head voice, the voice is not really coming from the head. And falsetto is not false; it’s real and useful sound.

So let’s talk about the difference between the falsetto and head voice and most importantly, learn how to use each in singing.

Falsetto is a type of singing that sounds like a breathy, flutey and hollow sounding tone. It’s usually found in the highest registers of male and female singers.

We’ve all heard someone sing in falsetto voice before. The breathy falsetto is used for effect to sound otherworldly and beautiful or young. Some of my favorite singers have used falsetto for effect: Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and Sam Smith have all used falsetto.

Other times, falsetto comes from the voice breaking and is completely undesired.

We’ve all heard this too. The voice cracks as it rises and a breathy quality is all we hear, usually with a big drop in volume.

But in order to completely understand how the voice disconnects falsetto, we need to talk about what’s happening in falsetto voice in the vocal mechanism.

Falsetto voice is nothing more than a breathy phonation in the higher register of your voice. Phonation is the sound caused by the vocal folds when they vibrate.

So how does this happen?

When a singer is straining and too pressed in their singing, the muscles in the vocal folds can give up and stop vibrating at their full caliber. So rather than having an even tone at the top, the voice goes from pressed to too breathy.

Falsetto can also happen when a voice that starts breathy loses even more resistance in the higher register.

[Alex-gomf]

I actually have a problem with singing in falsetto. My sister noticed too. She told me that my voice sounds really quiet and airy (or light) when I'm singing higher notes, and I'm so glad I found this video to help me with that!

[sawdust]

Falsetto is lighter and airier while a head voice is more focused and resonant.

[anonymous]

Timestamp for you guys!

0:30 - Difference between falsetto and head voice
6:02 - Remedy for breaking voice when doing falsetto
8:14 - Reasons why voice breaks at falsetto
9:26 - Exercises to try
11:20 - Summary of difference between falsetto and head voice
11:41 - Final words

[Arka]

Charlie Puth... Always sings falsetto while higher up the note!

[piglet]

Falsetto is a technique used by people who can't actually sing the high notes most of the times

[rehmakhan]

i’m trying to hit a G5 for Candy Store from Heathers but instantly go into a falsetto- how do i use my head voice instead???

[jaaz]

Who is trying to sing Into the Unknown?




I’m practicing to hit the high note and I’m actually doing it! It’s just that the head voice is painful. I have a solo and it’s not like I’ve had a solo before, but now I have to sing frekin high!! So I need help with the much higher E

[suspendedgamer]

Head Voice
(Is When Cant Reach A Song So You Sung It On Your Mind)
Just for fun😂😂😂

[karaoketaylorxsingsfan]

How can I sing high notes and low notes without straining or damaging my voice?.

[thegreenmanalishiyamadori]

I like the way you explain
It helps a lot🤟🤟🤟

[Shardd]

To be able to hit that head voice is you have to first remove that fear in you and be confident that you'll reach it. It takes time, so just practice harder. 😁

[irinaarcher]

Thank you very much. You did perfect explanation.

[sweetstonegypsy]

Really helpful video - thank you! I’ve found that falsetto may be fine in the studio with a Neumann U87 and state-of-the-art compression in a vocal booth or otherwise empty room, but bring that out live and you could destroy your voice via windburn in an attempt to hear yourself. VERY few singers have done so without losing their voice early; notably Philip Bailey has succeeded in using it safely tour after tour, but I bet anything that he learned to rely on great monitoring and to control his airflow / resist the instinctive response of adding more air. It also seems much harder to “break” into falsetto when focusing on core support, which I suspect triggers a closing of the folds that is already calibrated to the amount of air released/withheld by the diaphragm, but I’m not confident that I understand it correctly or completely.

[mradaChris]

I don't think I even have falsetto. Every time I try to go airy my vocal folds zip up instantly

[rogerstankovic]

Mucosa of the vocal folds is not just made of cells...stratified squamous epithelium (histology teacher/singer), but your video is very good! I still find it hard to get that mix and the closed vocal folds when going high and avoiding going into falsetto.

[rockyrodriguez]

Thanks for the tips, it’s educational.

[perspicaciouswizard]

I am having a hard time hitting the high note instead it goes
When I was a 9 years old I hit high notes effortless but now I am 13 i am having a bad time hitting high notes pls help me

[Bigtone]

As a beginner - this is me: breathy sometimes or breaking and often pushing/straining to compensate because I didn't know what to do. I will tone it down and work on the neys/nyuhs. This is the simplest yet most beneficial explanation I have come across of the issue and how to deal with it. Thanks.

[mojoman]

Mucosa does not refer to snot or mucus. It is a lining of epithelial cells(skin is a type of epithelium) which occasionally secrete mucin or other viscous substances

[lukeyjukey]

I just want to learn how to sing somebody that I used to know 😂