Re: Asha Bhosle: a veritable soprano.
- From: AR <ajitvr@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:11:39 -0800 (PST)
On Feb 2, 12:34 pm, chocolate froggy <chocolatefrog...@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
On Jan 28, 8:20 am, AR <aji...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I really don't understand the difference between chest voice, head
voice/falsetto so well. Can you throw some more light on this?
I’m no expert at this but I’ll share what I know. Chest voice
resonates in one’s chest and is lower in frequency. Head voice
resonates in one’s head and is higher in frequency. Apart from the
physiological difference, the tones produced are distinct. Chest voice
is strong and full while head voice is lighter and somewhat hooty. The
distinction is easier to spot in male singers. In ‘dil ka dard
niraala’, Mohd. Rafi sang the ultimate note (F#) in head voice rather
than “belting it out” in chest voice like he usually does. Another
example of Rafi singing in head voice is ‘dilruba dil pe tu’ from ‘raj
kumar’.
Thank you so much for such a beautiful explanation. I have really,
really enjoyed this thread!
Chest voice and head voice are not disjoint from each other; the
latter is very much part of the main body of the voice (modal
register). The overlapping region (of low head voice or high chest
voice) is generally referred to as the “mixed register”. With proper
voice training, it is possible to achieve seamless transition into
head voice, and consistency of tone. An extreme case is that of an
operatic soprano, whose head voice is not only stronger, but richer in
tone than the chest voice!
A singer has the choice of singing his/her “mixed register” either as
high chest notes or low head notes. Asha’s singing technique more
often than not employs the latter approach. You may have noticed the
“heady” and slightly nasal quality of her voice (especially at high
pitches) in ‘tere khayaalon mein hum’ or ‘arre ja re hat natkhat’..
Compare that with ‘piya tu ab to aaja’ which falls entirely within her
chest voice range (D4-E5).
Falsetto is even higher than the head voice. It is the lightest form
of vocal production which has limited strength and tone. The sound is
airy and susceptible to breaks and jumps because the vocal chords are
not completely closed. Also, it is not included in the modal vocal
register (which is why falsetto is disallowed in classical music while
head voice is not).
.
For example, at the end of ‘jo main hota ek toota taara’, Asha begins:
B Eb F# (Eb E F# B F#)x3 Eb E Eb
Notice the change in texture when she jumps from F# to B – head voice
(firm and clean) to falsetto (breathy and ringing). You may want to
consider these examples as well:
Head voice:
1. Tarun aahe ratra ajuni (high A)
5. Hum raamchandra ki (high Bb)
I listened to the last one (from Sampoorna Ramayan) right now for the
first time. The high-pitched rendering of the two sisters is simply
impeccable! I would count this as one amongst their best songs on the
grounds of technical brilliance. Lata too sounds absolutely
comfortable right through. When she sang this so comfortably, I wonder
what went wrong while recording "dil tera deewana hai sanam" at around
the same time.
Can you tell me exactly which point (time instant) in the song you are
referring to? Let's consider the following clip on youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYK_rBsoA6U
From 2:52 – 2:57. Although now it sounds like an instrument to me. :P
There's some confusion here. If you are referring to 2:52 to 2:57, it
is clearly an instrumental piece (and doesn't sound so high-pitched).
If you refer to 2:40, it is certainly her voice.
Vani Jairam has sung a few other songs with a very wide range,
including at least quite late in her career. One that comes to my mind
is Aanathi neeyara. I checked quickly on my keyboard - the song goes
from mandra Pa to upper Pa. It's amazing, even more so considering
that she was around 46-47 years of age when she recorded it (in
1992).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiqL55P7rFg
I like this song a lot - one hell of a roller coaster ride! Correct me
if I'm wrong, but isn't she teevra madhyam'ish at 0:34? Also, I think
she sharpened quite a few panchams. For example, the one at 5:56. :/
At 0:34, she seems to be at the lower Pa. I can't discern the teevra
Ma, but I am absolutely no music expert, so I could be wrong.
I didn't follow what you mean by "sharpened" quite a few Panchams (I
checked 5:56) - do you mean to say that she hit the Komal Dha? If so,
wouldn't that fall into the "apaswaram" domain? Amritavarshini (on
which this song is based) is a pentatonic raga that uses Sa, Ga
(shuddha), Ma (teevra), Pa and Ni (shuddha).
She goes up to G#. Hitting a high note in a taan/alap is easier than
*singing* at high pitch, methinks.
I would tend to agree.
.
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