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Connect Through Empathy

Meet Your Instructor: Yo-Yo Ma

Captivating An Audience

Auditioning

Case Study: Elizabeth I

Documentary: Eliciting Difficult Stories

Scene Workshop, Part 2: Rehearsing the Scene

Scene Workshop, Part 3: Final Take

Being Honest Is Funny

Using Humility and Self-Deprecation to Your Advantage

Posing: Telling a Story With Your Body

New Faces: Photo Session

Delivering Your Final Performance

Making a Song Your Own

Convey Emotion in Your Performance

Case Study: Editing & Revision 

The Performance Toolkit

Introduction

Dialect Coaching: Research and Practice

Song Structure

Christina's Inspiration

Student Sessions: Simplify

Student Sessions: Rock Style

Diction

Mastering Vocal Techniques

Playing With Textures and Tones

Live Microphones

Background Vocals, Part 1

Background Vocals, Part 2

Mastering Vibrato

Vocal Arrangements

Build Energy in the Booth

Warming Up Your Voice

Express Nuanced Emotions Through Singing

Voice Acting Tips for Recording

Recording Lead Vocals

Warming Up

Protecting Your Voice

Range

Student Sessions: Pop Style

Closing

Singing

Taking Care of Your Voice

Conclusion

Focus on Your Breath for Vocal Power

Growing as a Performer

Preparing For Live Performances

Preparation and Rehearsal

Barre Warm-up: Pliés and Tendus

Creating Powerful Performances

Fear, Shame, and Humiliation

Performing on Camera

Bonus: Advice for Aspiring Songwriters

Piano Basics

Overcoming Mistakes

Meet Penn & Teller

Overcoming Fear

Casting Calls and Beyond: Navigating the Modeling Industry

Live Shows: Practicalities and Performance

Your Career Is Your Story

Take Up Space

Can't Be Halfway In 

Prepare for a Stage Performance

Music

Lessons from Influential Black Voices

Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love

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Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar

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Yo-Yo Ma

Teaches The Art of Performance

Usher

Teaches The Art Of Performance

Teaches Drumming and Percussion 

Sheila E.

Sheila E. Teaches Drumming and Percussion 

Teaches Film Scoring

Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring

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Parris Goebel

Parris Goebel Teaches Creativity in Choreography

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Teaches Being a Band

Metallica

Metallica Teaches Being a Band

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Timbaland

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St. Vincent

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Danny Elfman

A Documentary by Bess Kargman

Diane Warren: Relentless

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John Legend

Teaches Jazz

Herbie Hancock

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Joy Harjo Teaches Poetic Thinking

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Christina Aguilera

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Itzhak Perlman Teaches Violin

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Reba McEntire

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Mariah Carey

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Armin van Buuren Teaches Dance Music

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Jake Shimabukuro

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Cornel West Teaches Philosophy

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Questlove

Questlove Teaches Music Curation and DJing

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Alicia Keys

Head Voice vs. Chest Voice: 4 Differences

Before teaching vocal techniques, voice teachers often review voice types (soprano, alto, tenor, bass/baritone) and registers. Vocal registers are ranges of tones of the human voice. The vibrations of vocal folds, the folds of mucous membranes that stretch across the larynx, produce different tones. There are two main registers: chest voice (which covers the mid to lower range of a voice) and head voice (which consists of the higher range). Singers can practice vocal exercises to strengthen and expand their [vocal range](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-range). Singers often employ multiple vocal registers in one song or [aria](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/arias-in-music) to show off their range and create a more vigorous performance.
The term “head voice” broadly refers to a singer’s upper register. When you sing high notes, there’s a good chance you are using your head voice. The vocal cords naturally shorten to meet that upper range and reach higher notes. The head voice range is the highest register a singer has before hitting the whistle register, which not everyone has. [Mariah Carey](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/mariah-carey-teaches-the-voice-as-an-instrument)’s head voice extends to the whistle register. “When I was a little girl, I would wake up and be so raspy that I would talk like a little squeak,” Mariah recalls. “Then I learned how to make that into something that became like a whistle, like whistling, but with your vocal cords.”
Singers can employ the falsetto and head voice to sing higher notes, so these ranges are often confused for one another. Male and female singers have a falsetto, which reaches into the higher end of your head voice. It has a lighter and softer sound, almost like a flute. The difference is how the vocal cords behave; when singing in falsetto, the vocal cords come slightly apart, but when singing in the head register, they remain together and give the voice a more robust quality.
The chest voice consists of the middle and low notes of your vocal range; this is the range you use in your speaking voice. When you sing in the chest voice, your vocal folds vibrate across their entire length, producing a fuller, more robust sound than the head voice or falsetto. When female singers use this voice register, it may be known as [belting](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/belting), especially when the singing voice has a powerful, resonant quality. Singers require proper airflow, phonation, and support to sustain this middle voice.

People can be prone to vocal fry when speaking in the chest voice. Talking with a breathy quality in the lower part of your vocal range requires a loose glottal closure, leading to a cracked and foggy sound. Practicing [vocal health](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-health) is essential for maintaining your speaking and singing voice.
There are several differences between the head voice and chest voice, including:

1. __Quality__: The vocal tone and timbre of these voices vary. Singing in the chest register can have a more pronounced, booming quality, while the head voice can be brighter. 
2. __Range__: Head voice spans a singer’s higher register, and the chest voice covers the lower voice range.
3. __Sensation__: The sensation of singing also differs between these registers. When singing lower notes in your chest voice, you can feel the vibrations in your chest. When you sing in full head voice, however, you feel your voice in the crown of your head, behind your eyes, and between your ears.
4. __Vocal cords__: On the anatomical level, thin vocal cords create head voice, and thick vocal cords create chest voice. 

Mixed voice is a method of singing that uses both your chest voice and your head voice: The head voice allows you to reach higher notes, while the chest voice provides strength. Singing in this area of your chest and throat can give you better control over your voice and the notes you can hit.
Become a better musician with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com). Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, Usher, and more.
Through vocal exercises and singing lessons, artists can learn singing techniques and warm-ups necessary to move comfortably from chest voice to head voice. Learn the differences between these vocal registers.

Through vocal exercises and singing lessons, artists can learn singing techniques and warm-ups necessary to move comfortably from chest voice to head voice. Learn the differences between these vocal registers.

Before teaching vocal techniques, voice teachers often review voice types (soprano, alto, tenor, bass/baritone) and registers. Vocal registers are ranges of tones of the human voice. The vibrations of vocal folds, the folds of mucous membranes that stretch across the larynx, produce different tones. There are two main registers: chest voice (which covers the mid to lower range of a voice) and head voice (which consists of the higher range). Singers can practice vocal exercises to strengthen and expand their <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-range' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-range","linkCopy":"vocal range","category":null}'>vocal range</a>. Singers often employ multiple vocal registers in one song or <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/arias-in-music' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/arias-in-music","linkCopy":"aria","category":null}'>aria</a> to show off their range and create a more vigorous performance.

A Brief Overview of Vocal Registers

The term “head voice” broadly refers to a singer’s upper register. When you sing high notes, there’s a good chance you are using your head voice. The vocal cords naturally shorten to meet that upper range and reach higher notes. The head voice range is the highest register a singer has before hitting the whistle register, which not everyone has. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/classes/mariah-carey-teaches-the-voice-as-an-instrument' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/classes/mariah-carey-teaches-the-voice-as-an-instrument","linkCopy":"Mariah Carey","category":null}'>Mariah Carey</a>’s head voice extends to the whistle register. “When I was a little girl, I would wake up and be so raspy that I would talk like a little squeak,” Mariah recalls. “Then I learned how to make that into something that became like a whistle, like whistling, but with your vocal cords.”

What Is Head Voice?

Singers can employ the falsetto and head voice to sing higher notes, so these ranges are often confused for one another. Male and female singers have a falsetto, which reaches into the higher end of your head voice. It has a lighter and softer sound, almost like a flute. The difference is how the vocal cords behave; when singing in falsetto, the vocal cords come slightly apart, but when singing in the head register, they remain together and give the voice a more robust quality.

Head Voice vs. Falsetto: What’s the Difference?

The chest voice consists of the middle and low notes of your vocal range; this is the range you use in your speaking voice. When you sing in the chest voice, your vocal folds vibrate across their entire length, producing a fuller, more robust sound than the head voice or falsetto. When female singers use this voice register, it may be known as <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/belting' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/belting","linkCopy":"belting","category":null}'>belting</a>, especially when the singing voice has a powerful, resonant quality. Singers require proper airflow, phonation, and support to sustain this middle voice.People can be prone to vocal fry when speaking in the chest voice. Talking with a breathy quality in the lower part of your vocal range requires a loose glottal closure, leading to a cracked and foggy sound. Practicing <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-health' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-health","linkCopy":"vocal health","category":null}'>vocal health</a> is essential for maintaining your speaking and singing voice.

What Is Chest Voice?

There are several differences between the head voice and chest voice, including:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Quality: The vocal tone and timbre of these voices vary. Singing in the chest register can have a more pronounced, booming quality, while the head voice can be brighter. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Range: Head voice spans a singer’s higher register, and the chest voice covers the lower voice range. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Sensation: The sensation of singing also differs between these registers. When singing lower notes in your chest voice, you can feel the vibrations in your chest. When you sing in full head voice, however, you feel your voice in the crown of your head, behind your eyes, and between your ears. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Vocal cords: On the anatomical level, thin vocal cords create head voice, and thick vocal cords create chest voice. </li></ol>Mixed voice is a method of singing that uses both your chest voice and your head voice: The head voice allows you to reach higher notes, while the chest voice provides strength. Singing in this area of your chest and throat can give you better control over your voice and the notes you can hit.

Head Voice vs. Chest Voice: What’s the Difference?

Become a better musician with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a>. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, Usher, and more.

Want to Learn More About Music?

Through vocal exercises and singing lessons, artists can learn singing techniques and warm-ups necessary to move comfortably from chest voice to head voice. Learn the differences between these vocal registers.

Through vocal exercises and singing lessons, artists can learn singing techniques and warm-ups necessary to move comfortably from chest voice to head voice. Learn the differences between these vocal registers.


Female vocalist singing into a microphone.

head-voice-vs-chest-voice

Christina Aguilera is a Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and actress. She is one of the most famous musical artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Known for singing hits that showcase powerful vocals and lyrics, her songs include “Genie in a Bottle,” “Dirrty,” “Beautiful,” and “Reflection” from Disney’s *Mulan*. 

She has an octave-jumping vocal range. [Christina’s songs](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/christina-aguilera-songs) range from soulful ballads to catchy and uptempo dance tracks that blend various musical genres such as R&B, soul, jazz, and pop. In 2008, *Rolling Stone* named Christina one of the greatest singers of all time. 
Vocal warm-ups are a type of [vocal exercise](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-exercise-guide) vocalists practice to maintain and support the vocal cords. Similar to how runners warm up and stretch their muscles before running, practicing vocal exercise warms up the singing voice and helps prepare the vocal muscles.

Vocal warm-ups can include lip trills, breathing exercises, tongue twisters, tongue trills, singing scales, and more. These exercises gently activate and stretch the vocal cords. Practicing proper vocal warm-ups can prevent vocal damage and help maintain [vocal health](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vocal-health).
Establishing a robust vocal warm-up routine is the key to having a healthy voice for many years. The benefits of regularly practicing vocal exercises include:

- __Breath control__: Vocal warm-ups can help you practice breath control and build better breath support. Developing strong breath control can help you hold notes longer.
- __Diction__: Practice vowel sounds and consonant sounds as part of your vocal warm-up. These exercises help you practice diction and articulation so that every word is clear and understandable when you are singing. 
- __Vocal ranges__: A vocal warm-up will take you through the range of your voice, from your low notes to your high notes. These exercises will help smooth out the breaks in your voice, such as when you transition from your chest voice to your head voice. 
As a Grammy-winning singer with decades of experience, Christina knows how to take care of her singing voice and how to practice proper vocal technique. Follow her vocal warm-up tips, which will help you sing better and stronger and preserve your voice for years to come:

1. __Create a space to warm up__. Christina likes to be alone when she warms up, because it creates a safe space to work through her vocal range, without worrying about sounding pretty. “You wanna be able to be free in your own space to sort of make mistakes,” Christina says. Ideally, you should have room to sit up straight or stand. She adds, “I’ve done my vocal warm-up many times in makeup chairs, sitting down. Which preferably I don’t like because you wanna really give your lungs, and your chest, and your throat full capacity to breathe.” 
2. __Relax your facial muscles__. Stress can cause your facial muscles to tense. You want to relax your facial muscles and release tension through your vocal warm-ups. To do this, Christina thinks of something that makes her smile and then incorporates it into her warm-ups. For example, Christina sometimes warms up by singing her daughter’s name, Summer Rain, to the tune of “Ave Maria.” “And so think of, just for a few scales, somebody that makes you smile, something that makes you laugh, something that makes you feel good,” Christina says. “I immediately felt my tension ease in my forehead, my mind. My jaw relaxed.”
3. __Practice different warm-ups for different circumstances__. The best vocal warm-ups depend on the singing situation. “Depending on what you’re getting ready for, whether it be a performance, recording studio, different songs call for different dynamics and textures in your voice that you want to achieve,” Christina says. Before she records a big [ballad](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/music-101-what-is-a-ballad-learn-to-write-a-ballad-with-examples) with hit high notes, she dedicates thirty minutes to warm up her voice, then thirty minutes to rest. “[I’ll] rest for thirty minutes if I have the luxury of that, so my voice has a moment to pull back, and then go down to the studio and hit the vocals,” Christina explains.
4. __Prepare to warm up wherever__. You might not always have a piano available to help you warm up, so having a warm-up routine on your phone can be a great way to ensure that you can do vocal warm-ups on the go. “​​I definitely take my vocal warm-up with me everywhere I go. It's on a little speaker and an iPod,” Christina says. “It used to be [a] CD and a boombox. Find what works for you. Like putting it on your phone, because we’re not always gonna [have] access to a piano. We’re not always gonna have the access to a lot of different things.” 
Become a better musician with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com). Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, Usher, and more.
Vocal warm-ups are essential for preparing your singing voice and maintaining vocal health. Follow these vocal warm-up tips from Grammy Award–winning singer Christina Aguilera.

Vocal warm-ups are essential for preparing your singing voice and maintaining vocal health. Follow these vocal warm-up tips from Grammy Award–winning singer Christina Aguilera.

Christina Aguilera’s Vocal Warm-Ups Tips 

Christina Aguilera is a Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and actress. She is one of the most famous musical artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Known for singing hits that showcase powerful vocals and lyrics, her songs include “Genie in a Bottle,” “Dirrty,” “Beautiful,” and “Reflection” from Disney’s Mulan. She has an octave-jumping vocal range. <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/christina-aguilera-songs' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/christina-aguilera-songs","linkCopy":"Christina’s songs","category":null}'>Christina’s songs</a> range from soulful ballads to catchy and uptempo dance tracks that blend various musical genres such as R&amp;B, soul, jazz, and pop. In 2008, Rolling Stone named Christina one of the greatest singers of all time.

 About Christina Aguilera

Vocal warm-ups are essential for preparing your singing voice and maintaining vocal health. Follow these vocal warm-up tips from Grammy Award–winning singer Christina Aguilera.

Vocal warm-ups are essential for preparing your singing voice and maintaining vocal health. Follow these vocal warm-up tips from Grammy Award–winning singer Christina Aguilera.


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