Dominic Stone
The chest voice is a fundamental register for singers, providing a robust, warm, and powerful sound that is essential for lower and mid-range notes. While the terms head voice and chest voice are misleading, as the voice is produced in the larynx, the chest register is nonetheless characterised by the activation of the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles, which bring the vocal folds together. The interplay of the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles controls pitch and register, with the cricothyroid muscle group controlling the head voice and the thyroarytenoid muscle group controlling the chest voice.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Muscle group | Thyroid |
| Pitch | Low |
| Muscle activation | Cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid |
| Vocal folds | TA (thyroarytenoid) muscles bring the vocal folds together |
| Vibration | Felt in the chest |
| Volume | Higher |
| Tone | Warm and rich |
| Vocal range | Lower and mid-range notes |
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What You'll Learn
The Thyroid Muscle Group
The Chest Voice is the fundamental register for singers, and provides a robust, warm and powerful sound that is essential for lower and mid-range notes. Training the Chest Voice helps to strengthen the coordination of the Thyroid muscle group, and also improves the Head Voice.
The Chest Voice is also known as the modal register, which is the voice quality generally used by healthy speakers. It is important to exercise the full vocal range in each register for maximum health, strength and flexibility.
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The Cricoarytenoid Muscle Group
The Head Voice is usually the register that eludes most people and often needs the most attention when learning to sing. This is because we spend more time speaking in our Chest Voice, so the Cricoarytenoid muscles are naturally more under-developed than the Thyroid muscle group.
The Head Voice is also often perceived as "false" due to how we hear and perceive our own voices. Additionally, there is a cultural narrative that singing high notes is challenging, which results in people attempting to muscle out their high notes in incorrect and unhealthy ways, such as by pushing too much air or squeezing and reaching from the throat.
It is important to understand that the Head Voice does not come from a big, heavy, voluminous sound like the Chest Voice. Instead, it comes from a strong tone cutting through at a higher frequency. To achieve a strong Head Voice, one must focus on creating a strong tone, rather than focusing on volume and power. This can be achieved by ensuring that the vocal cords are engaged and building muscle memory.
Every voice type should exercise their full vocal range in each register for maximum health, strength, and flexibility.
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Vocal Registers
The terms 'head voice' and 'chest voice' are used to describe the different registers of the human voice. Registers refer to quality changes within an individual voice. From low to high, vocal registers may include vocal fry, chest voice, middle voice, head voice, falsetto, and whistle. However, it is important to note that the terms 'head voice' and 'chest voice' are not literal descriptions of where the voice is produced. While they have been used for hundreds of years, these terms are based on the sensations and vibrations felt by singers when producing different pitches. For example, when singing higher pitches, we tend to feel vibrations in our head, and when singing lower pitches, we feel vibrations in our chest.
The chest voice is characteristically full and strong, with a naturally higher volume and a warm, rich tone. It is a fundamental register for singers, providing a robust, warm, and powerful sound that is essential for lower and mid-range notes. In the chest register, the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles are dominant. These muscles bring the vocal folds together. Training the chest voice helps to strengthen the coordination of the TA muscles, improving the singer's mix and head voice as well.
The head voice, on the other hand, is usually the register that eludes most people and requires the most practice. It is the higher singing register and is produced by the cricothyroid (CT) muscle group. The CT muscle pair elongates or stretches the vocal folds to produce higher pitches. A strong head voice is achieved through a strong tone at a higher frequency, rather than focusing on volume and power.
To improve one's vocal registers, it is important to understand the role of these muscle groups and practice specific exercises to extend and improve each register. Singers should also experiment with vowel modification to find greater ease and stability in their vocal range. While the terms 'head voice' and 'chest voice' may not be scientifically accurate, they are still widely used and can be helpful for singers to understand the sensations and vibrations associated with different pitches.
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Vocal Fold Vibration
The vibration of the vocal folds is caused by the release of trapped air. Each time the vocal folds open and close, they trap air and then release it, sending a puff of air into the pharynx. This process creates a sound wave that is enhanced as it travels through the pharyngeal cavity, resulting in the sound of our voice. The faster the vocal folds vibrate, the higher the pitch of the sound produced. Extremely slow vocal fold vibration, around 60 vibrations per second, produces a low pitch, while extremely fast vocal fold vibration, up to 2000 vibrations per second, results in a very high pitch.
The pitch and quality of the sound produced during vocal fold vibration can be influenced by various factors, including the tension and length of the vocal folds, the amount of air released, and the resonance of the surrounding structures. The tension of the vocal folds is controlled by the Thyroid muscle group and the Cricoarytenoid muscle group. The Thyroid muscle group, located at the front of the throat, controls the Chest Voice (low notes), while the Cricoarytenoid muscle group, located at the back, controls the Head Voice (high notes).
The cricothyroid muscle, one of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles, plays a crucial role in vocal fold vibration by rotating the laryngeal cartilages, which in turn stretch and tighten the vocal folds. This lengthening and stiffening of the vocal folds increase the fundamental frequency of vibration, resulting in a higher-pitched sound. Conversely, the thyroarytenoid muscle shortens the vocal folds by contracting, which typically lowers the pitch. However, studies have found that isolated activation of the thyroarytenoid muscle can also raise the pitch, albeit less steeply than cricothyroid activation.
Maintaining healthy vocal cords is essential for optimal vocal fold vibration. It is important to avoid vocal strain by reducing loud speaking or singing for extended periods and avoiding inhaling dust, strong chemicals, or smoke. Staying hydrated and using a humidifier in dry climates can also help keep the vocal cords moist and healthy. Additionally, vocal training exercises can strengthen the coordination of the muscles involved in vocal fold vibration, improving the range and quality of the voice.
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Vocal Exercises
The chest voice is a fundamental register for singers, providing a robust, warm, and powerful sound that is essential for lower and mid-range notes. The Thyroid muscle group controls the chest voice, which produces low notes. Training the chest voice helps to strengthen the coordination of the TA (thyroarytenoid) muscles, which bring the vocal folds together.
- Use narrow vowels like EE and OO, keeping your tone light and lifted.
- Focus the sound at the front of your mouth, being careful not to let the sound "drop" into your throat.
- Ground down, using your lower body for support instead of tensing your neck, jaw, and tongue.
- Keep your vowel narrow to avoid a spread, "splatting" sound.
- Don't be afraid to make a loud noise, especially if you have a naturally soft voice.
- Higher in your vocal range, experiment with vowel modification for greater ease and stability.
Additionally, it is important to incorporate these exercises into a regular, daily practice. While enthusiasm may vary from day to day, it is better to do a little bit every day than a lot on one day and nothing for the rest of the week. Pushing yourself too hard could lead to injuries and setbacks, so safety and consistency are key.
Remember, developing your chest voice means first understanding how it works in your body. The chest voice is the part of a singer's voice that resonates in their chest, typically encompassing a lower range of notes. For people on the lower end of the register, like bass singers, the chest voice makes up a greater portion of their singing voice.
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Frequently asked questions
The Thyroid muscle group, which includes the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles.
The Thyroid muscle group controls the pitch and volume of your voice. The cricothyroid muscle rotates the major laryngeal cartilages, stretching and tightening the vocal folds. The thyroarytenoid muscle, meanwhile, brings the vocal folds together, shortening them by contracting.
The chest voice is a vocal register that is characteristically full and strong, with a naturally higher volume and warm, rich tone.
Put one hand on your chest and say in a strong, full voice: "Hello, nice to meet you". If you feel a vibration from your chest, you are in your chest voice.
Understanding and developing your chest voice involves recognizing the role of the TA muscles, feeling the sympathetic vibrations in your chest, and practicing specific exercises to extend, improve, and stretch this register.
