How Can You Tell if You are Singing In a Mixed Voice?
There are 3 things, that if present in your voice, means you absolutely cannot be in mix. Watch and find out what those 3 things are.
Absolutely No Mixed Voice
Here are 3 things that if present in your voice means you cannot be singing with a Mixed Voice. First let’s define where and what is mix!
Where is Mix: The First Bridge of the Voice
For simplicity I’ll talk about the Mix in the first bridge of the voice. For the women it’s the A above Middle C; A, Bb, B, and C5. For the men it’s the E above middle C; E, F, F#4.
What is Mixed Voice
For Mixed Voice to be present in the first bridge of the voice there must be a blend or mix of chest and head voice. If you are missing chest or head voice you cannot be singing in mixed voice.
How to Sing Mixed Voice: If Chest Voice is Absent, you are not in Mixed Voice
- If your vocal cords are disconnected you are in falsetto and there is no chest voice. Here’s an example of falsetto brought down to where chest should be. [Demo]
- If your vocal cords are coming together so lightly that there’s virtually no chest resonance you have no chest voice. Here’s an example of such a light cord connection there’s no resonance. [Demo]
Without chest voice, there is nothing to mix with head voice. In other words there is no mixed voice.
How to Sing Mixed Voice: If Head Voice is Absent, you are not in Mixed Voice
This is the same as discussed with chest voice. If the vocal cords are disconnected into falsetto, there is no head voice, only falsetto. (Watch Episode 28 to learn the difference between Head Voice and Falsetto)
Here’s an example of falsetto in the higher range. [Demo] In contrast, connected head voice. [Demo]
- If you pull chest voice into the the First Bridge and beyond, there is no head voice, just pulled up chest voice. [Pulled up Chest Demo]
Without head voice, there is nothing to mix with chest voice. In other words, there is no mixed voice.
There are also imperfect qualities of Mixed Voice.
Imperfect Mixed Voice
When we first learn to sing with a mixed voice, it’s rare that our mix is perfect. For example:
- Your Larynx is high and you are pitchy and the resonance is incomplete
- Your vowels are splatting
- You pulled chest too high before you got into mix
- Your chest voice is light, therefore your mix lacks vibrance and strength.
- There is some strain in your mix, the vibrato is slow, the voice is pinched.
- You over narrow the vowels and your words are distorted or unnatural
- Your cords disconnect momentarily, but then reconnect
If your mixed voice is imperfect, aren’t you actually not in a mix? You are in a mix, but it needs continual refining and improvement.
Mixed Voice and Vocal Types
This is where understanding your vocal type becomes so important. You may be in a mixed voice but the larynx tends to be high. So, your vocal type is Pulled Chest/High Larynx.
Doing the exercises for Pulled Chest-High Larynx will counteract your tendency to have a high larynx and move you closer to an ideal mixed voice.
Most of us tend to do certain things when we sing. Even when we are able to sing in and through the bridges, it’s possible that our mix still needs development and refining.
Mine does.
Do you know your vocal type? This has a direct bearing on learning how to mix or improve your mix.
Go to PowerToSing.com and take the vocal test, which I call the PowerTest. Take the quiz and discover your vocal type. Then go to the Knowledge Center and watch the videos about your vocal type.
Download the free vocal exercises and start doing them. You will start seeing improvement in your voice very quickly. You will be able to move closer to an ideal mixed voice.
I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. You can sing higher, with beauty, confidence and power.
I’ll see you inside the next video.
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