Now we must check to see if our singer can access her
head voice. This is very important for versatility, as well as overall
healthy singing. And, of course, some of the most beautiful music is written
for this part of a woman's voice. A woman can be in a heady-sounding mix,
(more balance of head voice than chest voice), before the first bridge
at A and B flat, but will be more completely in head voice from her second
bridge at E flat and E, up through all her bridges. An example of this
can be heard on the arpeggio from C to G, covering an octave and a fifth,
and moving through two bridges from chest to head voice.
Play example: 15 (Real Player)
Play
example: 15 (Mp3 format) There
is another bridge at A and B flat, above the G in the last example. As
you hear this arpeggio sung from low E to a high B natural, you can hear
the release in that third bridge. Play
example: 16 (Real Player) Play
example: 16 (Mp3 format) It
is important to demonstrate what happens when a singer misses the bridge,
and splats the vowel by singing too broad. Play
example: 17A (Real Player) Play
example: 17A (Mp3 format)Did
you hear the strain in the voice as the larynx was rising and knocking
out the bridges? The fourth bridge, at the E flat and E natural, above
the woman's high C, has a release into super head. Listen to an arpeggio
sung from A natural, in mix, to E above high C in super head. Play
example: 18A (Real Player) Play
example: 18A (Mp3 format)
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One key principle for crossing all bridges is the principle of vowel narrowing. Narrowing, or closing a vowel, helps the vocal cords make their proper adjustments, which produces the shift in resonance required for the change in registers. Listen to an example of incorrect singing, using too broad a vowel. The exercise is sung on an "ah" vowel, as in father, using a five-tone scale (E flat to B flat). This takes our singer into her first bridge. Play example: 19 (Real Player) Play example: 19 (Mp3 format) We can hear the strain as the singer attempts to yell the highest note. Correctly done, the singer will narrow the vowel from "ah" as in "father" to "uh," as in "mother". To assist the transition into the mix, we will use the "mum". Listen to the release into the mix, but notice how no power is lost. Play example: 20 (Real Player) Play example: 20 (Mp3 format)Let's pretend this hadn't worked. The solution would be to narrow the vowel a bit more. Let's use the word "no". Play example 21 (Real Player) Play example: 21 (Mp3 format) This time we take the vowel all the way to the "oo" as in the word "foot". Listen to the difference now. Play example. 21A (Real Player) Play example: 21A (Mp3 format) Another example of this is found in a very famous song from musical theater. This will be done on an A vowel, as in the word "faith." The notes are E flat in chest to B flat in the first bridge. See if you recognize this progression with this vowel, sung incorrectly. Play example: 22 (Real Player) Play example: 22 (Mp3 format)