For a man, both tenor or baritone, the first bridge begins at about E flat above middle C. For heavy voices with thicker vocal cords it will be a bit sooner. With a bass it can be as low as B flat below middle C. It is important to mention that regardless of where a man’s bridges are, the sensations brought about by the shifts in resonance and the vocal cord adjustments are the same. The intrinsic thickness of an individual’s vocal cords will determine how low or high his bridges will be.

A tenor or baritone will begin to experience a shift in resonance around D and E flat entering the mix at E natural. The resonance begins to leave the mouth and go up behind the soft palate. This split resonance leaves some in the mouth, and some in the head.

The second bridge is at A and B flat above middle C. This is the bridge that many are not aware of. This is why there are so many tenors who have no high notes and therefore think that they’re baritones. It’s also why we have tenors that cannot get above an A or B flat.

At this second bridge the vocal cords make an adjustment (if allowed to), that sends the resonance even higher in the head. Please refer to the voice lesson – men for more detailed information and examples.

The third bridge is at E natural above high C. Again the vocal cords adjust to send the voice higher into the super head. The fourth bridge is at B flat above high C and is also a super head voice sometimes referred to as the whistle register.

The most common difficulty for a man is pulling his chest voice too high and knocking out the first bridge. This forces the larynx to rise and brings the outer muscles of the larynx into action which places a stranglehold on the voice. The result is a tight, strained tone with limited range and no control. That’s the best case scenario. The worst case is damage that can result in nodules. Nodules are like calluses on the vocal cords and they can come from not singing correctly through the bridges.

A man who is able sing through all or even just two of his bridges can sing any style of music he chooses. Note: the question is often asked – do men have a mix? The answer is yes!
We usually speak of a man having a chest voice and a head voice. The head voice begins as one goes into the first bridge correctly, and the resonance begins to move into the head. However, to avoid confusion and to remain consistent with the explanation of women’s voices, we could think of a man’s head voice as a mix (a mixture of chest and head quality). Especially when the tones are on the loud side. In these cases we can hear the chest quality in the high note. Contrary to a man’s head voice sung softly which carries in it a heady or falsetto-like quality even though it is connected.

For a detailed explanation of falsetto and head voice including 25 vocal examples, please refer to the voice lesson – men