Problem with Head Voice

[PauliusBa]

[intro]
Hello everyone. I'm new here though I want to stay here since I'm starting to learn singing more seriously. I always liked to sing, I am pretty happy about my vibrato and thrills & melismas - that's the reason why I think that I could start taking it more seriously. And everyone says that I have a pretty good ear. I have no idea of what does "middle C" or "sharp A" mean though. I suppose it's not too late since i'm a teen. My plans are to take a few singing training programs (audio) so that I can look more forward what it would be like (i'm planning to take 'real' singing lessons if i'll find more motivation). An you know what? I like it. The 'program' I have is called "Brett Manning's Singing Success". When I started listening to it I reliased that I know nothing about singing. And that I am a complete newbie (still). And that i've done everything wrong until then. The whole singing program is oerentated for newbies and is based on Speech Level Singing. The goal of first lessons is to connect chest voice with head voice, later to produce a mix. There are lip-rolling (or something like that) exercises as well as R's on a "long scale" (or something like that). But i've discovered, that I have i great problem. Or even maybe quite a few. And that's very disapointing :(

[problem]
I was supposed not to stretch my chest voice and go to head voice when going higher in tone (i alwas sang by streching chest voice) while doing those lip-roll exercises. I tried to do everything being relaxed, etc. And with sense of succes. At firs my voice just broke in to that higher voice (i don't know whether it is my H.V or falsetto - one of my problems). But I started to feel the break "melting". Shortly the break has just melted. Sounds good? Not for me - there is a problem. I am not sure of whether it is my head voice or not. It sounds very poor and 'girlish' compared to my pure chest voice. With absolutely no "deepness". Maybe it's even my falsetto! And after that i can't find any difference betwen falsetto and "head voice". Maybe i am able to acces only one of them (a habit?)? Or maybe the difference betwen them is very little and everything is much more simple and I am jus confusing myself without a reason? But if vocal cords are 'open' while singing falsetto and clossed+zipped while singing in head voice, why there is no break betwen falsetto and head voice (if not)? If there is actually a break betwen them, it would mean that actually I can only access either one of them (that would be very bad). How can I make sure that I am exactly in my head voice (those clues with vibration in head doesn't work)? If that silly voice i've made untill now was my head voice, i like "pushed chest" more :confused:... Because it sounds "more properly" - deep, not "false", not thin "wee" though like a yell.
And is it possible to connect falsetto with chest voice in any way? Because I can go from my chest voice to that 'other voice' (I don't know if it is H.V oir falsetto!) quite smoothly. But it brakes with no exceptions when doing "Nay" exercises. I can't connect them if i use sharp 'nay' like sound. In fact, i've stuck with those "Nay" exercises - my voice breaks because of something i do wrong.
As i said above, i always used to sing only in my chest voice. To make higher notes I have had to push it, etc. But now, not even being very high, cause of those exercises, my voice wants to go to that h.v./falsetto (not sure) even when my chest voice haven't gone very high - and it sounds terrible - maybe it's the way my voice works "properly" - "bad voice"?
Now, i'm totally confused. I've been surfing the net for over a week even at nights (like now - it's 03:24am now here in Lithuania i'm very exausted & tired & sleepy now - so my post can sound sensless). I've listened a lot of examples of what head voice sounds like versus the falsetto and I can recognise. But that's the end of the story, sadly. So i'm looking forward to hearing about what you think of my problem. This thread is my only hope now.
So thank You for your answers. I am looking very forward to hearing from you all.
Thank you again.

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Since you have Manning's program, you might want to use this board:
http://p102.ezboard.com/fjessenemitzfrm7
It's mostly geared towards that program

[PauliusBa]

Since you have Manning's program, you might want to use this board:
http://p102.ezboard.com/fjessenemitzfrm7
It's mostly geared towards that program

Thank you, that is a great resource.
Still waiting for some feedback here too though..

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

Head voice/falsetto is probably the most confusing thing you'll learn in singing and is debated so much by teachers. I completely disagree with Brett in his program on what falsetto is. It seems like most coaches seem so against using falsetto for whatever reason that they almost always use this extremely weak breathy sound as an example of falsetto. Falsetto, if properly supported, can have a pretty full tone and can be completely breath free. The only real difference between a well supported falsetto (often called reinforced falsetto) and head voice will be the vibrations.

In head voice, you will feel the resonation in the mask of your face, behind your nose and eyes. Falsetto usually doesn't buzz anywhere but just comes straight from your mouth. The sound of head voice will usually be a lot more focused as well and more overtones since you are actually placing it in resonance chambers (your sinus cavities) where as your falsetto is coming straight from the cords. Basically though, don't worry so much about the register you are in when you are actually singing (or even when vocalizing most of the time). Just go by the sound; if it sounds good its the right register for that particular note.

Are you male of female? What types of music do you like to sing? If you'd like, I offer personal online vocal lessons. They are mp3's that I record of exercises specifically for whatever issues you are having then I send them to you, and then I help you out through more recordings and e-mails whenever you have problems. If you are interested in trying this out e-mail me at firehouse108@hotmail.com and remind me who you are and we'll work it out. I have Brett's program too so maybe I could even help you with issues you are having with the program.

[PauliusBa]

Are you male of female?
Male :)

In head voice, you will feel the resonation in the mask of your face, behind your nose and eyes. Falsetto usually doesn't buzz anywhere but just comes straight from your mouth
As I said, I have no idea about those vibrations. Okay, I can feel vibrations in my chest while in my chest voice. But when i'm in that other, higher voice, I don't feel anything in my head. Of course I can feel some vibrations in it, but I can feel vibration in my head while in my chest voice either (very little though - in either case).

The sound of head voice will usually be a lot more focused
I can't compare - I can access only one of them - falsetto or h.v. (have no idea, which)

Basically though, don't worry so much about the register you are in when you are actually singing (or even when vocalizing most of the time). Just go by the sound; if it sounds good its the right register for that particular note.
It doesn't sound good at all. Even forced chest voice sounds better than that. It sounds totally unacceptable, like I am trying to pretend a woman singing. It's like (going up) normal normal normal and then "what are you doing?" "what the hell has just happened to your voice?". Even without a break. It sound 'girlish', not proper. Absolutely no deepness.

I think that it is my falsetto :(. But maybe it's my h.v.? Because I can connect it with my chest voice (somehow). When I go higher, i can feel the voice going somewhat higher too (from my chest to my throat, etc) but it "stucks" in the throat unless i manipulate that soft palette (maybe) somehow so it goes to my nose - then i can feel it goig to my head. It sounds more nasal than "head" :confused:.

After i learned how to connect those two voices (if that is connection at all, i think it actually is though - i can go from my chest voice to my higher voice without a break (though there is one if i do it a little bit louder), i think, that i've lost a bunch of notes in my hi-chest - "it" want's to go to that higher voice very early (head voice should only be keeped only for high notes?) - so about every song, if that's the right way to sing", needs that girslish tone...

But, in conclusion, i think, that there can be no progress unless i'm absolutely sure of which voice is which, how to get to each (especially h.v. vs falsetto - for example, can there be a break betwen falsetto and h.v?) - and i am completely not...

Ill pm you on those excercises though main discussion can remain here in case somebody has similar problems.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate it very much...

[kriswrite]

Honestly, the problems you describe are very typical of what a good voice teacher can help you with. Rather than struggle with a tape, you really ought to find a teacher. He or she can instantly tell you, for example, whether you're going into your head voice or into falsetto. He or she can help you pinpoint areas of tension, find "tricks" specific to YOU that will help you switch from one register to another, etc. etc. etc. I think getting a teacher will save you a lot of frustration and time.

Good luck!
Kristina
http://voicestudio.kristinaseleshanko.com

[Screamin_Demon_Auz]

The humming exercise (I think its the first one on technique 1 in the Manning program) can be used to feel the vibrations. As you go higher if you are in head voice your nose will REALLY be buzzing. Thats when I first discovered head voice, by humming. I kept the tone pretty loud but didn't push, and I could feel the vibrations behind my eyes. Play around with that and i'm pretty sure you'll eventually get the feeling, then you can take it to open vowels and attempt the same feeling until finally you can sing in it. Head voice is a pretty long process in terms of actually being able to sing lines in it. I agree with Kriswrite about the teacher if you have a good one in your area.

[Merkaba]

Yep. If youre still at an odds...just go straight for the teacher in person. The whole head voice thing can really be approached so many ways it can be more confusing than it has to be. I still say you should post a sample or two here. For now just worry about getting the note to sound good with minimum effort. Middle C is the C key in the middle of your keyboard or piano...and in standard tuning guitar, it is the G string fifth fret. You should start on this note and see when things start to fall apart as you progress a semitone upward.