Definition

Noun The higher range of the human voice, particularly in singing, where the singer feels the primary vibrations or resonance in the head. It contrasts with the chest register, where resonance is felt in the chest.

Usage

The term "head register" is used primarily in vocal music and pedagogy to describe a specific vocal quality and technique. It is a technical term for a physiological and acoustic phenomenon.

Examples

• The soprano switched smoothly into her head register for the high notes of the aria.
• Learning to access your head register without straining is a key goal for many singers.
• The sensation of singing in the head register is often described as feeling the sound vibrate in the facial bones.

Advanced Usage

• "To sing in head register": This is the standard phrase for using this vocal technique.
  • For a lighter, more floating sound, the choir director asked the altos to sing in head register.

Variants and Related Words

• Head voice (noun): Often used synonymously with "head register" in contemporary vocal teaching, though some pedagogues make a technical distinction between the two terms.
  • Her head voice was clear and bell-like.
• Falsetto (noun): A vocal register primarily used by male singers to sing notes above their normal range. It is produced with a different muscular mechanism than the head register but occupies a similar pitch range.
  • The countertenor sang the entire piece in a pure falsetto.

Synonyms

• Upper register
• High voice (in a technical context)

Antonyms

• Chest register
• Chest voice

Noun

1. the higher ranges of the voice in speaking or singing; the vibrations of sung notes are felt in the head