How Female Singers Really Do Change Registers

Every singer needs to have head voice and chest voice, but then what?!
Let's compare 6 singers and see how they coordinate their registers differently. 3 singers do it more successfully. See if you can hear the difference!
www.evandunn.com/media/why-we-should-compare-singers-and-do-it-nicely
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[@tkmmusician]

Great video! You're shining a strong light into some dark corners. Keep it up!

[@evan-dunn]

Shining the light I was handed!

[@Arrigo1971]

Veerret is exciting and balanced. My favourite by far.

[@evan-dunn]

Right?!?!

[@DimitrisLian]

Obraztsova was a goddess! Baltsa too!

[@evan-dunn]

Voices full of DRAMA!!! We LOVE to hear it, don't we?

[@DimitrisLian]

@@evan-dunn We sure do but we don't hear it anymore... I was a very young boy in the USSR and took her for granted. Little did I know! She was one in a million!

[@evan-dunn]

@@DimitrisLian Seriously?!?! If I heard a voice like her's live, I'd probably drop over dead! 🤣

[@tristanberger8500]

BAltsa exaggerated it. She used to sing with two different voices

[@evan-dunn]

@@tristanberger8500 She really knew how to use two distinct regisiters, but she also knew how to be more subtle. That is one of the amazing things about her. She knew when to turn up the DRAMA 🤩

[@cliffgaither]

Your videos are interesting. You save yourself a lot of problems by not mentioning the singers' names ; however, you dishonor G.B. when you don't play her rendition of _O don fatale._ Her voice was majestic and that characteristic can't be taught.

[@evan-dunn]

Thanks for your support! My favorite rendition of the whole opera is with Grace Bumbry and Simon Estes 😍🤩

[@draganvidic2039]

Was no 3 Elina Garanca?

[@evan-dunn]

🤷‍♂😜

[@draganvidic2039]

Jaime Barton(?) no 2 sounds cow-like

[@evan-dunn]

Every singer has different things they struggle with technically. And each singer has strengths! I'm glad for each singer that gets up and shares their voice! It takes a lot of courage.

[@tristanberger8500]

She is a soprano- thats why.-like the most mezzo-sopranos of these days which sing the wrong repertoire

[@evan-dunn]

@@tristanberger8500 It is true that it is hard to classify a voice if they haven't developed it all the way so many people are singing in the wrong fach. But it isn't the rep that makes her voice sound like that, it is the technique! People with developed techniques can sing many types of rep without problems!

[@tristanberger8500]

@@evan-dunn yes. The lacks of technique.

[@evan-dunn]

@@tristanberger8500 😭It's so sad!

[@josephcollins6033]

Oh, did I delete what I wrote to you?!!!! You dear man! I deleted my original comment. And, I explained some things. Please let me know if you did not get my response to your kind remark after I was an ass!

[@evan-dunn]

I didn't see what you wrote! And I completely understand. Discussing technique is a very personal thing and we all feel passionate, don't we? Thanks for reaching out!

[@josephcollins6033]

@@evan-dunn No, thank YOU! I had written this note which I hoped made me seem not so much an ass. It vanished when I deleted my original comment. But, I AM an ass about the voice. I hope I can explain a few things and apologize to you. You are a better man than I am. My beloved, late husband (Austrian and a cop, and he worried constantly that I would be kidnapped and shot!) used to say, "CHOEY!! BABY! YOU VWILL BE KILLT!!" Please, please do not think I am bragging (you have never seen me on a cd cover!!), but I need to tell you WHY I believe my information is at least good. I have a doctorate in vocal science and performance (and I sure do realize that degrees are too often BS; typically if someone tries to impress me by telling me what degrees they have I have I immediately want to know what they can DO) and a post-doctoral from The Schubert Institute where I studied with some great singers, some of whom knew a great deal about teaching and function. I also won the Schubert Competition in Vienna and sang over Austrian Public Radio-- WHICH BY THEMSELVES MEAN NOTHING; the judges could have been deaf! But, I want you to know I have fine credentials and prizes. OK. My first teacher, a WONDERFUL man who became like a father and friend until he died, had an incredible voice, extraordinary, but he simply could sing! He just could do it since he was a teen! No problem and a glorious, lyric tenor. But, he knew nothing about the instrument and how if functioned. Well, with him I did win things and received scholarships. But, I sounded WOOOFY and old with insecure top notes. I had no clue about weight in the voice or support. I knew nothing. Finally, after about three years of winning thing and singing in shows (big stuff but not Broadway, don't want to mislead you) a wonderful soprano, older, and in a huge Review with me where I was THE STAR (so innocently full of myself), a review with full orchestra, 6 months, 4 shows a day- she sat me down and held my hand (I adored her) and said, "Joey, I have to tell you this because I love you and you have a wonderful voice. And, I know you love your teacher very much. You are singing too darkly, and I'm afraid it will harm you down the road. You need another teacher." I almost fell out of my chair, I was so hurt and angry. How dare she? She was my friend (I was 18!!). ! I loved my teacher, and he had made my success possible! And, in many ways he did. I think it took me a month to get over that, sort of. but, in lessons I began to question my teacher. Anyway, several months later I began work with another teacher ( my relationship with Mr. B. healed, and I was with him the week he died, taking care of him along with his wife; I was a son to him). Long story, but until he began to chase me around the piano (the new teacher)!!!!! it went beautifully. My top opened up a bit, but he wanted to open up other things! Bahahahahahahahaa! Eventually, I studied with a lady at Curtis and Temple (moved to Philly) and that was even better. But, finally, finally, I found a woman here (Nashville- please don't scoff) who knew SCIENCE! I could not imitate her because, yes, she was a woman, but she didn't want me to imitate her. And, actually, she did not have the most beautiful voice in the world, but she could SING! I asked her one day how she knew so much ( she explained things as if we were learning weight-lifting or dance exercises; my process went very quickly). She said, "Well, I did everything wrong so I found out why." She changed my life. Everything began to open up in my voice and my singing life. Whew! So, three degrees and a post degree later I was doing great. Now, if you are not asleep I want to tell you that I was wrong to say what I said here. Not because I've changed my mind about what is in the video above. But, because I was wrong to jump in. I do not even know you. I have this neurotic need to save people with vocal problems. It is my passion. I know science as well as art. It is stunning to me how many singers still do not know how the thing works! The entire mechanism we have. I wish we could sit down and talk over coffee! I would like to hear more of how you teach as well as your background. And, hey, so many great singers have problems I cringe over. Leontyne Price, with that gold and also great technique, has a middle voice that drives me crazy! I do believer, however, that it simply has to do with her vocal folds --very thick. Her technique is one to study because with that darkest of natural sounds she actually SINGS BRIGHTLY. She does! She takes most all vowels to an 'i' sound, at least in her mind. Please understand my neurosis. It is why I wanted to study vocal science. I wanted to know WHY and HOW. Also, since losing my beloved buddy 10 years ago all I do is exercise, lift weights (not too big), paint and listen to voices. I guess I should teach, but,..most students are not so passionate about these things.Please forgive me. I apologize one hundred times. Again, you are a better man than I am! [e-mail] feel free to write!

[@evan-dunn]

@@josephcollins6033 What amazing experiences you have had! I look forward to corresponding and meeting you someday for coffee as you said! I've got your email now and I'll be in touch!

[@josephcollins6033]

@@evan-dunn I want to hear about you, too! Thanks for reading all that. It definitely has been interesting. And, I'm not old, yet. :)) But, I did stop things when I lost Hans Peter(whom I met in Catholic seminary!!!!!). Coma for 5 weeks. Yep, I got a million stories!!! I know you do, too. Nobody can be in "show business" and not have interesting stories. I see you are an actor as well. I did that most of my life, starting as a boy, thanks to wonderful parents. Evan? You have a fantastic day, buddy.

[@evan-dunn]

@@josephcollins6033 Thank you! You too!

[@tristanberger8500]

I hate to say it, but female singers of these days are between the curtains...if they would sing like Obratzova ( what I love and prefer)- they wouldn't get a job. all the other singers on stage would look like clowns and the good one is the misfits. sad. But I think , people wanna hear normal voices.

[@evan-dunn]

I think there is still a place for a big voice! I don't think people want to hear "normal" voices. I think audiences want to hear exciting voices! It is directors that want smaller voices. Thanks for your comment!

[@tristanberger8500]

@@evan-dunn with the " people" I mean management people.

[@tristanberger8500]

@@evan-dunn thanks for your responses.

[@evan-dunn]

@@tristanberger8500 We gotta change that!

[@evan-dunn]

@@tristanberger8500 Thanks for being here! I appreciate you.

[@draganvidic2039]

Dolora Zajick no 1 detoriated because of this.

[@evan-dunn]

Thanks for watching!

[@cliffgaither]

​@@evan-dunn:: I guess it is always better to be a gentlemen with certain issues involving women in opera ; so, you don't mention the singers' names. Ok ! It is your podcast ; but when you do not play G.B's. version of _O Don fatale,_ you cheat us of a great voice that was more majestic than any other mezzo-soprano. That characteristic can't be taught. Her voice in the duet with Radames is a colossal vocal instrument, be it with Corelli or Domingo. Her voice dominates that scene. I'm sure when those tenors heard the playback, they went home to their wives for consolation, especially P.D.

[@cliffgaither]

*Correction :: more majestic than any other _singer._

[@evan-dunn]

@@cliffgaither She is incredible ❤

[@evan-dunn]

@@cliffgaither Who are your other favorites?