Falsetto
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Falsetto (IPA: Italian [falˈsɛtto], General American [fɔlˈsɛtoʊ], RP [fɒlˈsetəʊ]) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singer's normal range.
An artificially-raised speaking pitch can also be called falsetto. This often occurs momentarily, if repeatedly, in boys during puberty as their voice changes. The break between voice registers, audible or not, is called the passaggio.
Falsetto is produced via expansion and separation of vocal cords where only the edges of the vocal cord vibrate, not the entire vocal cord. Not to be confused with head voice, falsetto is produced when the chords are so tight that they are incapable of producing a resonant sound.
The falsetto register was used by male countertenors to sing in the alto and occasionally the soprano range, before women sang in choirs. Falsetto is occasionally used by early music specialists today. It is common in soul music, and has also been made popular in heavy metal and hard rock by the likes of M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold) , Rob Kokarinen (Plus Ultra), King Diamond (Mercyful Fate), Justin Hawkins (The Darkness), Joacim Cans (Hammerfall), Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal) and Thijs Van Leer (Focus), Matthew Bellamy (of the band Muse). Other rock & pop singers known for their use of falsetto include Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire, Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons, Jack White of the White Stripes, Prince, Jake Shears (of the Scissor Sisters), Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) and Justin Timberlake.
Falsetto is also sometimes used by male cross-dressers to simulate a female voice. Some famous film examples include Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot, Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, and Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire.
See also
- Creaky voice
- Glottal fry
- Voice registers
- Yodeling
Reference
- [Glossary definition of falsetto] at Dave Stroud Vocal Studio Web site
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