Chest voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regards to this term. Chest voice can be used in relation to the following:
- A particular part of the vocal range or type of vocal register
- A vocal resonance area
- A specific vocal timbre[1]
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History
The first recorded mention of the term chest voice was around the 13th century, when it was distinguished from the throat and the head voice (pectoris, guttoris, capitis -- at this time it is likely head voice referred to the falsetto register) by the writers Johannes de Garlandia and Jerome of Moravia. Human voices may be classified according to their vocal range &mdash the highest and lowest pitches that they can produce A vocal register in the human voice is a particular series of tones produced in the same vibratory pattern of the Vocal folds and possessing the same quality Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of Phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to The term falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false refers to the Vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the Modal voice register and Jerome of Moravia or Hieronymus de Moravia ( d after 1271 was a medieval music theorist. [2] The term was later adopted within bel canto, the Italian opera singing method, where it was identified as the lowest of three vocal registers: the chest, passagio and head registers. Bel canto ( Bel-Canto) ( Italian, "beautiful singing" an Italian musical term refers to the art and science of vocal technique which originated in This approach is still taught by some vocal pedagogists today. [3]
However as knowledge of human physiology has increased over the past two hundred years, so has the understanding of the physical process of singing and vocal production. As a result, many vocal pedagogists have redefined or even abandoned the use of the term chest voice. [3] In particular, the use of the term chest register has become controversial since vocal registration is more commonly seen today as a product of laryngeal function that is unrelated to the physiology of the chest and lungs. A vocal register in the human voice is a particular series of tones produced in the same vibratory pattern of the Vocal folds and possessing the same quality For this reason, many vocal pedagogists argue that it is meaningless to speak of registers being produced in the chest. The vibratory sensations which are felt in these areas are resonance phenomena and should be described in terms related to vocal resonance, not to registers. Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of Phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to These vocal pedagogists prefer the term "chest voice" over the term "chest register". These vocal pedagogists also hold that many of the problems which people identify as register problems are really problems of resonance adjustment. This helps to explain the controversy over this terminology. Also, the term chest register is not used within speech pathology and is not one of the four main vocal registers identified by speech pathologists. Speech-language pathology is the study of disorders that affect a person's Speech, Language, cognition voice swallowing ( Dysphagia) and the rehabilitative For the purposes of this article, the term "chest voice" is adopted as it is less controversial. [1]
The contemporary use of the term chest voice often refers to a specific kind of vocal coloration or vocal timbre. In classical singing, its use is limited entirely to the lower part of the modal register or normal voice. See also Voice (phonetics, Vocal register Modal voice is the Vocal register used most frequently in speech and singing in most languages Chest timbre can add a wonderful array of sounds to a singers vocal interprettive palette. The introduction of chest timbre is common to singers trained in the historic Italian school, but largely shunned among singers who have emerged from the Nordic/Germanic tradition. Such approval or disapproval is largely an aesthetic decision. [4] However, the use of overly strong chest voice in the higher registers in an attempt to hit higher notes in the chest can lead to forcing. Forcing can lead consequently to vocal deterioration. [5]
Physiological process
As the opinions on what exactly chest voice is vary greatly, there is no one consensus on the physiological production of chest voice. Here are a few opinions:
Bel canto understanding
This view understands chest voice as the vocal register used within normal speech. It was discovered via stroboscope that during ordinary phonation, or speaking in a man the vocal folds contact with each other completely during each vibration closing the gap between them fully, if just for a small length of time. A stroboscope, also known as a strobe, is an instrument used to make a cyclically moving object appear to be slow-moving or stationary Phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of Phonetics. The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of Mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the Larynx. This closure cuts off the escaping air. When the air pressure in the trachea rises as a result of this closure, the folds are blown apart, while the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages remain in apposition. Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements normally Noun phrases are placed side by side with one element serving to define or modify the other This creates an oval shaped gap between the folds and some air escapes, lowering the pressure inside the trachea. Rhythmic repetition of this movement a certain number of times a second creates a pitched note. This is how the chest voice is created. [2]
Vocal resonance understanding
This view believes that the chest voice is a product not of vocal registration but vocal resonation. A vocal register in the human voice is a particular series of tones produced in the same vibratory pattern of the Vocal folds and possessing the same quality Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of Phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to Opinions within this understanding vary. Although some pedagogists believe the chest is an effective resonator most do not arguing that chest voice actually resonates in the head while creating vibratory sensations in the chest. Tarneaud says, "during singing, the vibration of the vocal folds impresses periodic shakes on the laryngeal cartilage which transmits them to the bones in the thorax via the laryngeal depressors, and to the bony structures in the head via the laryngeal elevators. The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of Mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the Larynx. The thorax is a division of an Animal 's body that lies between the head and the Abdomen. Singers feel these shakes in the form of thoracic and facial vibrations". These internal phonatory sensations produced by laryngeal vibrations are called "resonance" by singers and teachers of singing. Phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of Phonetics. [6]
During singing in the lower register, the larynx is lowered since the muscles which connect it to the rib cage are tensed whereas the muscles above the larynx are not tensed. The larynx (plural larynges) colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the Neck of Mammals involved in protection of the Consequently, a large proportion of the vibratory energy is transmitted to the thoracic area, giving singers the impression that their voice is resonating in the chest. This impression however is false. The chest by virtue of its design and location can make no significant contribution to the resonance system of the voice. The chest is on the wrong side of the vocal folds and there is nothing in the design of the lungs that could serve to reflect sound waves back toward the larynx. The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of Mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the Larynx. The larynx (plural larynges) colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the Neck of Mammals involved in protection of the [1]
References
- ^ a b c McKinney, James (1994). The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Genovex Music Group. ISBN 13: 978-1565939400.
- ^ a b The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians. Edited by Stanley Sadie, Volume 6. Edmund to Fryklund. ISBN 1-56159-174-2, Copyright Macmillan 1980.
- ^ a b Stark, James (2003). Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 13: 978-0802086143.
- ^ Miller, Richard (2004). Solutions for Singers. Oxford University Press. ISBN 13: 978-0195160055.
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. John Warrack and Ewan West, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
- ^ Tarneaud, J. (November 1933). "Study of larynx and of voice by stroboscopy". Clinque (Paris) 28: 337–341.
See also
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