Struggling to "Find" Your Mixed Voice? Watch This Video

I'm just going to put it really simple for you. You really only need to worry about chest voice and falsetto.

So, what's chest voice and what's falsetto? In case you don't know, chest voice is the voice that I'm speaking in right now. It can be very soft, but it can also be very loud. You're using chest voice when you're speaking, yelling, or calling out. It's basically your real voice — your full, natural voice.

Falsetto is the voice that you use when you're speaking to a small animal or imitating a character like Mickey Mouse. It's higher and softer, but it can also be strong. It can be loud and clear, but it's still falsetto.

Basically, you've got those two vocal registers: chest voice and falsetto. These are the real registers you'll train.

Now, you might be wondering about head voice or mixed voice. Well, head voice and mixed voice are included in chest voice and falsetto. Let me explain:

Mixed Voice

Mixed voice is a term that often comes up online. You'll hear that mixed voice is the secret to hitting higher notes. The reason you're straining in chest voice is because you're trying to take chest voice too high, and they say you need to find your mixed voice.

Mixed voice is actually a well-developed chest voice. At first, chest voice might feel like it hits a wall, and you might experience what's called a vocal break. This is the point where your chest voice feels stuck, and you have to flip to falsetto to go higher. But as you develop your chest voice, you'll be able to take it higher without straining or breaking. When you reach that point, people might call it mixed voice, but really, it’s just chest voice that's been developed well enough to go into the high range smoothly.

Head Voice

Now, head voice is another confusing term. Some people use the term "head voice" to describe falsetto. They’ll say that head voice is clear and bright, while falsetto is weak and airy. But in reality, both sounds are similar — one is just more developed than the other. If you hear someone singing "ah" in a weak falsetto, and then someone else does the same sound more powerfully, they might call that head voice, but it's still falsetto.

It’s important to clarify this because when people say "head voice," you might look for a new vocal register, but really, it’s just falsetto that's more developed.

Key Points

• Chest voice is your speaking or yelling voice — it's your natural, full voice.
• Falsetto is a higher, lighter voice, often used for imitating characters or speaking to small animals.
• Mixed voice is just a well-developed chest voice that can reach higher notes smoothly.
• Head voice often refers to falsetto or the use of chest voice in the higher range.

Ultimately, the key to improving your high range is to develop your chest voice. Once you can take your chest voice higher without straining or breaking, that’s when people might start calling it mixed voice or head voice, but really, it’s just a well-developed chest voice.