Conquering Your Break, Your Bridge, Your Mix, Your Passaggio, and Leveling No Man's Land

         Many singers have, unfortunately, experienced a “break” in their voice.  If you study with me, I have probably demonstrated for you what a bad “break” sounds like, especially when you “push” your Chest or Modal Voice up too high so that in order to get to your Head Voice, you would have to make a grand leap somehow, simply crash to a sudden stop, or have your head explode (at least that’s what it feels like it would do).  I hope you’ve never found yourself wondering if your head will blow up off your shoulders but this post will, hopefully, give you some guidance about, not only WHAT is going on, but WHY it’s happening.   You might want to check out my blog post from June 13, 2016 called “Vocal Quirks - Why do I Sometimes Yawn, Hiccup, Burp, or Crack?” 

         If you’ve been reading the recent posts, by now you have a better understanding of your individual vocal registers, where they are, their characteristics, and the physiological elements that contribute to their performance.  The challenge comes when you need to move from one register to another SMOOTHLY.   By far the most PROFOUND area of “challenge” occurs between the Chest or Modal Register and the Head Voice or Falsetto Register.  This area is known as the “Bridge/Mix”, Zona di Passaggio, and as many would agree, “No Man’s Land”.  In an untrained voice, these notes may easily sound breathy, thin, inconsistent, erratic, tentative, and, honestly, just plain awful.  There a several reasons for this:  first, the two registers you are attempting to connect are powered by different muscular or Vocal Fold component activities; second, the PRIMARY resonating area for the two registers you want to sing are different (your chest is the primary resonator for your Chest Register; your head is the primary resonator for your Head Register); and lastly, BECAUSE you don’t like the sound of the notes produced in this area, you have most likely avoided singing them with any regularity, and this avoidance has allowed the musculature to remain immature, as well as confirming your psychological/emotional belief that the sound is ugly and should not be shared.

         If you’ve read the earlier posts on Modal or Chest Register and Head Voice or Falsetto, then you will remember that the Thyroarytenoid Muscle is primarily responsible for the Modal or Chest Register, and the Crico-Thyroid Muscle is dominant in producing the Head Voice Register.  However, in this “No Man’s Land” of your Bridge, there is a “mixing” of muscle function as well.  The Thyroarytenoid Muscle acts as a shortener; the Crico-Thyroid Muscle is a lengthener.  Therefore, moving from the Chest or Modal Register to the Head Voice requires you to carefully “balance” but gradually and continuously shift the laryngeal muscles from shortener to lengthener and back as needed to create and support the transitional pitches.  Without practice, this can be very difficult but with consistent work, this will become smoother and smoother.  Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with the awful, cracking, unpredictable, and probably erratic sounds common to this area, when untrained.

         Aggiustamento is an additional aspect of the transitioning process.  It involves, not only, muscular modifications but also breath energy and vowel manipulation in order to achieve a balanced, solid tone.  It is much easier to work on this Bridge/Mix area working from the Head Voice down into the Modal or Chest Register.  On higher notes, the sound will be produced mostly with the Crico-Thyroid and the tone will be lighter but as you descend, you will begin to add Thyroarytenoid help, slightly altering vowel articulations, and incorporating more and more of the Modal or Chest Register qualities.  Once a singer is comfortable negotiating the registration change from Head Voice down to Chest or Modal, you can begin to work on the opposite direction, going from the Modal or Chest up to the Head Voice or Falsetto Register.   Instead of Zona di Passaggio, the French call this quality Voix Mixte or Registre Mixte (Mixed Register).  This “Register” also borrows resonance qualities from both the Chest or Modal Register and the Head Voice or Falsetto to blend them to the desired tone.  A successful Registre Mixte/Bridge/Mix tone mixes the color/timbre of the Chest or Modal Register with those of the Head Voice, as well as matching the vibratory patterns of the other register.  With practice, this transitional area will be as easy to maneuver through as any other part of the voice.  The ultimate goal is ONE VOICE, one homogenous vocal timbre from bottom to top and everywhere in between. 

         The best way to strengthen the notes of your Mix/Bridge is NOT to do the same scales and arpeggios you do for the rest of your voice.  This area must be approached with care and worked through with meticulous detail.  Even taking one note at a time can be very effective.   Starting just above the Passaggio and working down slowly is the best way to build confidence and control through your Passaggio.  It’s important to pay close attention to resonance factors and muscular balancing at every point.  It is also very helpful to experiment with different vowel articulations during practice sessions.  By exercising and perfecting individual notes, it is possible to become sensitive to all the physiological and acoustic activities that are taking place, as well as getting comfortable with, not only, correct but incorrect ways to resonate, articulate, and blend to achieve each note.  Over time, this develops into muscle memory.   Your aim needs to be practicing in this area so often and so much that you begin to instinctively make the correct adjustments for each note and are able to increase the speed, range, and variety of your exercises.

         Thanks so much for reading this!  I SO hope this group of blog posts have been helpful for you.  This has been really good for me, too.  As always, I hope you’ll seen me any questions, comments, or suggestions you have for future blog posts.   You are important to me and I’d love to help you with any of your vocal needs.  If you have any questions about my lessons or me, just check out my website at www.SingitForward.net.  Thanks again so much!  Sing it Forward!