Head register
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The head register is a vocal mechanism used in the Bel canto Opera singing method, mainly in females, but occasionally in males. It's also part of the Speech Level Singing method used in some commercial singing. It is trained in all voice types from the lowest male bass to the highest female soprano. It is not associated with any particular musical pitch, but rather with the position and use of the vocal cords and larynx.
When singing in the head register, laryngeal behavior is quite different from that of the chest register. The vocal cords are thin and have a wide amplitude. There is no firm glottal closure. The crico-thyroid muscles become much more active, while the action of the vocalis muscle decreases. All of the these actions reduce the volume and number of partial harmonics.
The term head register reflects the perceptions of many singers who feel that when they sing in this register the sound vibrates in their heads rather than their chests. While scientists and physicians have disproved this idea, the term is still very common.
Head voice allows singers to increase their range (particularly the male voice) and is achieved in part by lowering the air pressure below the chords to prevent the flip into falsetto.
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