Chest Voice vs Head Voice

One common thing I work on with new singers is the difference between head voice and chest voice. Usually the first question I ask when this subject is brought up is what these words mean. What exactly do we mean by chest voice vs head voice? Unfortunately the answer to this question has been diluted from the broadness of this question. Ask on person and they will tell you chest voice is singing from the chest, which still doesn't answer the question. Ask another and they will say its opening up the throat or relaxing the larynx, but these answers are too specific. So lets take a moment to define these terms as simply as possible.

CHEST VOICE

Chest voice is bringing out the bassiness in a pitch. Its making the note sound deeper without singing a lower note. Now this being said, I understand that many beginners cannot totally imagine what I mean by that. Think of it as the difference between a old fashion country singer with a rumble in his voice vs a soft pop singer with breathiness and wispiness in his voice. They can sing the same pitch but one sounds deep and the other soft and light. The difference isn't just how they were born, but a difference of how they approach singing. Anything that accomplishes adding depth like the old country singer is chest voice. Some common options are narrowing the lips, dropping or neutralizing the larynx, or opening the back of the mouth.

The next question I am often asked is why we call it "chest voice" instead of something like "deep voice" or "thick voice." The name comes from how many people (but not all) feel it. When low frequencies are created they ring in large areas. In our bodies, the largest hollow area (squishy stuff doesn't count) is the rib cage. For this reason, when we sing in chest voice we often feel a buzziness in the collar bone or ribs similar to the one we feel during a firework or loud bass drum. Not everyone feels this however, so only use it as an indication you are doing something right if you are able to notice it.

Finally, a general description of how to bring out chest voice. Anything that makes your vocal tract (the area from vocal folds to lips) larger/longer will make it chestier. Think tuba vs flute. A large and long instrument sounds deeper, so a large mouth or extended vocal tract will add chest voice. Be careful with it though as not all options for chest voice are pleasant to hear.

HEAD VOICE

In opposition to chest voice, head voice is bringing out the higher sounds in a pitch. Making the note sound higher without singing a higher pitch. This is the soft pop singer described in one metaphor above or the flute from the other metaphor. Your vocal tract becomes smaller/shorter and therefore rings higher/softer.

Why is it called head voice then? Similar to chest voice, its names after where you feel it. The smaller "hollow" space in our bodies is our skull. The sound of head voice tends to ring around the skull. Many feel it above their eyes, but I've had students who describe feeling it in their ears or the roof of their mouth even. It often feels less powerfully than chest voice, and is more of a dull ringing than a buzziness. It's a comparable feeling to that of someone blowing a whistle near your head or a loud bell ringing.

USE

So then how do we use these? In the question of chest voice vs head voice, the answer is usually both. Most of the time we are in a mix. Some parts of our vocal tract are longer and others made shorter. Some larger and others small. This gives us a colorful sound with more nuance. If one were to sing in exclusively chest voice the resulting sound would be shouty, and if one were to sing in exclusively head voice the sound would be whispery. That doesn't mean these sounds aren't used, but they are lesson common than a mix. In fact, most people speak in a mix of both.

All of this being said, gaining total control of these is difficult or, according to some rather famous voice teachers, impossible. A never-ending journey towards a perfect tone. This journey is made faster and easier when paired with a great voice teacher. If you are looking to practice I recommend finding a teacher near you or online. I teach lessons in the city of Milwaukee and online through this link here. I wish you success in your music journey!