How to improve singing mid-range

[miyo]

Hi,
I have a rather odd vocal range: am stronger at the extreme ends (low and high), but weak at the middle range, especially during the switch from speaking voice to falsetto.

Any idea how to improve on my mid range singing?
Mid range singing has been my biggest problem.

My range is from the D just below middle C, to a high-high C (2 octaves above middle C). Of course, the low notes are sung with speaking voice, and the high notes with falsetto. My voice switches at around G or A in the middle C octave.

 

[btherl]

Is your voice weak around the switching point? That's the area where you can use mix to bridge between chest voice and head voice.

I have to ask what you mean by falsetto though - are your vocal cords connected when you sing in falsetto, or are they not fully connected (with air coming out)? Different people mean different things when they say falsetto.

I also have trouble with the middle. The reason it's difficult is that your lower and higher voice range operate with quite different mechanisms, and there's an area in the middle where you need to use a bit of both.

1 more question - The D just below middle C, is that the note almost 1 octave below middle C?

 

[miyo]

yes yes! The switching point is very weak, especially since my voice gets softer when i switch to falsetto (as compared to my speaking voice). My falsetto is only stronger at the higher notes. Do you have any techniques to mix the two voices together?

As for the air part, I more or less fixed the singing with an airy voice due to the training that I got from my school choir last year.. and yup, the D below the middle C is the D that's almost one octave lower than middle C.

 

[btherl]

Well I DO have a technique to mix the two together. How to apply it to your voice depends on how you're singing now though. Can you make a recording of yourself singing "ah" on scales that cover the weak middle area? Either 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 or 1 3 5 8 5 3 1 scales.

The basic idea of the technique is that you keep chest voice engaged and bring in falsetto progressively. Then once your falsetto is in strongly enough, you can start letting the chest voice drop out. The result is a smooth transition, with notes that are a mix of chest and head in the middle area.

It's very common in pop music.

BTW, I usually use the term "head voice" to refer to what you call "falsetto", but I'm using your terminology here.

 

[miyo]

Ah, I see, thanks! I'll try your method out~
Hmmm, I used falsetto because it's more general, as my head voice only comes in at the high notes..
Head voice is the type of singing when u even feel vibrations in ur head, is that right?
I'll go try a recording soon when no one else is at home..

 

[btherl]

If you've got money, I would go for professional training with speech level singing. They can teach you much better than I can

Well no-one agrees what head voice and falsetto are I define them like this:

1. Chest voice is normal speaking voice. Pure chest will only work on lower notes.
2. Head voice is a lighter co-ordination which only works on higher notes, very common with female opera singers
3. Falsetto includes a whole lot of co-ordinations where the vocal cords don't quite connect completely.
4. Mixed voice is any co-ordination that is connected, and uses both chest and head to any degree. You can mix on nearly any note to varying degrees, but you only really NEED to mix in that switching area in the middle.