Whether we give a sound a label such as falsetto, ‘chest voice’ or ‘head voice’, or a description such as dark, light, covered or open, every sound reflects faithfully what’s behind it. The label is not important. The sound is.

Wherever (in the throat or in the body) the emphasis of our work is placed, we can also stay aware of its relation to the rest of the organism. Instead of dealing with a, b, c and d – as though they were parts to be fitted together on an assembly line, we can recognise them through how they relate. We can determine how and to what extent they contribute to one another’s efficacy, and how each component is defined by its relation to the whole. In this way too our diagnoses can become deeper and more accurate.

Harrison, Peter T. Singing: Personal and performance values in training, 2013. Dunedin Academic Press Ltd.