# Is there a name for the opposite of falsetto? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697 "2006-08-14T17:30:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/1 "2006-08-14T17:30:12Z")
When a woman sings below her natural voice? A good example of this is The Pointer Sister’s Automatic. That’s the oldest Pointer singing “Automatic” in the chorus. Any other examples of the opposite of falsetto? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/2 "2006-08-14T17:54:14Z")
Do you just mean “chest voice”? ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/3 "2006-08-14T17:59:20Z")
Falsetto isn’t exactly head voice, [it’s a bit higher.](http://www.answers.com/topic/human-voice) but chest voice would be a good opposite. You could kind of apply [“basso profondo”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basso) ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/4 "2006-08-14T20:38:12Z")
I always heard “chest tone.” Falsetto was known in my Madrigal group as “head tone.” ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/5 "2006-08-14T20:56:21Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Falsetto isn’t exactly head voice, it’s a bit higher. Not necessarily higher, but rather a slightly different mechanism. The vocal chords don’t fully adduct, and only the very edges vibrate. I can bring my falsetto production down well into the “normal” range of my voice. There is a lot of terminological confusion surrounding “head tone” - mostly because many choral conductors use it as a substitute for falsetto. Don’t let that obscure the fact that there is in fact an actual “head” register that can be developed and accessed that is quite distinct from falsetto. But back to the OP… The only extended register typically discussed at the bottom of the vocal range is the “growl” register, also called “straw bass” or in German “strohbass.” There is debate about whether or not it’s a real vocal register, or just a modulated vocal “fry,” but that isn’t likely to be solved difinitively any time soon. > [@Zsofia](#): > > Do you just mean “chest voice”? Almost definitely. Most women can sing quite a ways down into the typical male ranges, though usually not loudly. I know a number of sopranos who can produce D or even C below middle C before bottoming out. It’s not pretty, or loud, but it’s all natural. And just chest voice in the extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Figaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Figaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Figaro)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/6 "2006-08-14T21:06:50Z")
p.s. Since the OP asked specifically about the female voice, it’s worth adding that the female equivalent of falsetto is called “whistle tone.” You hardly ever hear it, and many women can’t access it at all, but it’s very striking. Think “early Mariah Carey” and you’ve got the picture. Falsetto as we think of it isn’t really applicable to the female voice. Women who are used to belting (musical theater style, pop style), or who have over-developed chest registers sometimes experience the same “break” in the voice that men do when they suddenly flip into their falsetto range on high notes, but it isn’t actually the same thing physiologically. In those cases women are just flipping up into an underdeveloped head register that sounds wimpy because it hasn’t been strengthened or integrated into the rest of their voice. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/7 "2006-08-14T22:19:33Z")
> [@Figaro](#): > > p.s. Since the OP asked specifically about the female voice, it’s worth adding that the female equivalent of falsetto is called “whistle tone.” You hardly ever hear it, and many women can’t access it at all, but it’s very striking. Think “early Mariah Carey” and you’ve got the picture. > > Falsetto as we think of it isn’t really applicable to the female voice. Women who are used to belting (musical theater style, pop style), or who have over-developed chest registers sometimes experience the same “break” in the voice that men do when they suddenly flip into their falsetto range on high notes, but it isn’t actually the same thing physiologically. In those cases women are just flipping up into an underdeveloped head register that sounds wimpy because it hasn’t been strengthened or integrated into the rest of their voice. Would this be the sort of thing that Minnie Riperton used to do? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/8 "2006-08-15T02:49:46Z")
realetto? someone had to say it ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/9 "2006-08-15T02:59:14Z")
I misread the Title to read"…the Opposite of Fellatio" 😃 and just had to drop in and see where this was going. Sorry to disturb. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/10 "2006-08-15T03:59:08Z")
> [@Nic2004](#): > > I misread the Title to read"…the Opposite of Fellatio" 😃 and just had to drop in and see where this was going. In Soviet Russia, penis sucks _you!_ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/11 "2006-08-15T13:12:20Z")
Kathleen Turner was great at this when she played Chandler’s father “Helena Highwater,” ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/12 "2006-08-15T17:09:34Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Kathleen Turner was great at this when she played Chandler’s father “Helena Highwater,” Please clarify…was Kathleen Turner great at what? The Opposite of Falsetto, or the Opposite of Fellatio? 😃 > [@figaro](#): > > p.s. Since the OP asked specifically about the female voice, it’s worth adding that the female equivalent of falsetto is called “whistle tone.” You hardly ever hear it, and many women can’t access it at all, but it’s very striking. Think “early Mariah Carey” and you’ve got the picture. That’s when she opens her mouth and nothing audible comes out, but every dog within three city blocks starts baying. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/13 "2006-08-15T20:28:27Z")
I don’t know the real answer but if I were in charge of the vocal dictionary I would call it _bravado_ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/14 "2006-08-16T01:18:07Z")
> [@](#): > > I misread the Title to read"…the Opposite of Fellatio" and just had to drop in and see where this was going. I think that’s where you stick your head in the guy’s penis. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/15 "2006-08-16T01:18:48Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > realetto? > > someone had to say it Thank you, **Peter Morris**! My sisters and I always talk about falsetto vs. realetto. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/16 "2006-08-16T01:41:29Z")
> [@Figaro](#): > > I know a number of sopranos who can produce D or even C below middle C before bottoming out. It’s not pretty, or loud, but it’s all natural. And just chest voice in the extreme. This may be something of a silly question, but which C is middle C? If I were reading, say, a regular alto’s sheet music, which one is it? Is it the one that’s below the staff? Sorry. I’ve sung a bit and I’ve played some instruments, but I have absolutely no grasp of music theory or anything. I just play the notes that are on the page. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/17 "2006-08-16T14:59:40Z")
> [@look!ninjas](#): > > This may be something of a silly question, but which C is middle C? If I were reading, say, a regular alto’s sheet music, which one is it? Is it the one that’s below the staff? > > Sorry. I’ve sung a bit and I’ve played some instruments, but I have absolutely no grasp of music theory or anything. I just play the notes that are on the page. That’s the one… The first ledger line below the staff. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/18 "2006-08-16T15:23:36Z")
> [@Figaro](#): > > p.s. Since the OP asked specifically about the female voice, it’s worth adding that the female equivalent of falsetto is called “whistle tone.” You hardly ever hear it, and many women can’t access it at all, but it’s very striking. Think “early Mariah Carey” and you’ve got the picture. Joni Mitchell, Sinéad O’Connor, and Dolores O’Riordan all do a thing that sounds exactly like switching to falsetto in males, though in a female vocal tone. But it’s nowhere near the ‘whistle’ of Maria Carey or that woman who does that “Lovin’ you, is easy 'coz it’s beautiful, doo doo doo doo ‘n’ doo [sup]WOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOO[/sup]” thing. What is it they’re doing? ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-opposite-of-falsetto/368697/19 "2006-08-16T16:44:25Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Joni Mitchell, Sinéad O’Connor, and Dolores O’Riordan all do a thing that sounds exactly like switching to falsetto in males, though in a female vocal tone. But it’s nowhere near the ‘whistle’ of Maria Carey or that woman who does that “Lovin’ you, is easy 'coz it’s beautiful, doo doo doo doo ‘n’ doo [sup]WOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOO[/sup]” thing. What is it they’re doing? Every time I hear that I think of a donkey exploding.