After Estill: The problem with Falsetto in Estill Voice Craft

Dr Gillyanne Kayes on why Falsetto (raised plane, stiff folds) in the Estill Voice Training Model can be problematic for singers.

OK, let's talk about Falsetto. You know what, when I was teaching the 5-day course, I don't know if any of you who were on it remember, we had to call it the F-word, because there was always uproar: "Gawd, now it's time to do the F-word". Because there was so much disagreement about what falsetto is. That's partly to do with historical viewpoints of falsetto, but you know, I think I understand why that happened now.

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So there are a couple of advantages to this approach that I want to tell you about. First of all, it frees up our thinking to create a wider range of tonal qualities than the six voice qualities that are in the Estill model. In our practice Jeremy and I teach 20 different mixes if you like on a modal register and 20 on a falsetto. And we have a lot of fun, we call it the mixing desk.

There's another advantage. It allows for a better dialogue between the more mainstream approaches to teaching and singing and the Estill Model. We need it!

In our practice, we find it also helps us to work with trainers from other disciplines. We have Estill people on our courses, we have Complete Vocal Technique people on our courses, we have Speech Level singing people on our courses. And we can make an interface, we don't have to use a special language.

I'm going to talk about stiff folds, and then I'll probably do a little skip. What do we mean by stiff folds? Because the Estill Model proposed thick, thin and stiff. When we stiffen a muscle it's the result of contracting those muscle fibres against resistance. Similar to a bodybuilder showing off their biceps. I'm sorry I don't think I can do it. But if you lay your arm down on the table and keep it steady, you will be able to contract that muscle.

Actually, where you're sitting now, if you don't move anything, and you tighten one of your buttocks, you're stiffening that muscle. OK, now the gluteus maximus isn't quite like the vocalis in that it isn't attached to other muscles, but it gives you an idea. You didn't move anything else, but you know what, you can really... that's stiffening a muscle.

In falsetto the vocalis muscle is anything but stiffened in this way. And this is across the research literature. The vocalis muscle is lax. The vocal folds are actually looser. Lax means relaxed. What's more, it's not active in vibration, only the outer layer, the ligament and the mucosa layer are active, and they can touch. We know that in falsetto the vocal folds can be in contact. We hear it all the time in countertenor singing, and you hear it in good classical singers, female classical singers who use a falsetto setup.
So the action isn't in the stiffness of the fold, it's actually to do with the TA letting go of its contraction.

There's also the idea that we have a raised vocal fold plane in Estill. Which is that the plane of the vocal folds moves up as the muscles that open the vocal folds engage. Now, this doesn't really make a lot of sense, because when the muscles of the vocal folds at the back, the posterior cricoarytenoids, that is the breathing gesture.

And you know what, on reflection I'm at a loss to know how the breathing gesture can actually be used efficiently in phonation. And again, this idea came from the fact that the arytenoids, you know, viewing, that the arytenoids seemed to move back. Well they only move back because the muscle that's been contracting has stopped contracting.

You're not using PCA to lift the back of the vocal folds up.
You can now watch Dr Gillyanne Kayes' entire speech on her experiences after Estill, on the Vocal Process website here:
http://vocalprocess.co.uk/after-estill-speech-they-couldnt-wait-to-hear/
Over 500,000 requests to view so far!
Gillyanne goes into more detail about falsetto in our Online Singing Teacher Training here: https://store.vocalprocess.co.uk/singing-teacher-training-online

Видео After Estill: The problem with Falsetto in Estill Voice Craft канала Vocal Process