Whistle register

The whistle register is the range of vocal notes above E6. The ability to hit notes in this register is extremely rare.

Definition

The whistle register is really just the highest range of the head register. It is so named because the pitches created mimic the pitches of a whistle. As pitches get higher, the vocal cords are adducted by the side muscles in the throat (similar to a zipper). As this happens, less and less chest cavity is available to "color" the tone; after E6, tones produced are completely devoid of color, or "white". When young children shriek, the noise is usually in this whistle register, singers simply learn to maintain that vocal control while removing any shrillness. Nearly all singers who use the whistle register are coloratura soprano, known and revered for their ability to flip in and out the whistle register, or jump from a note in the fifth or rarely upper fourth octave, to a note or notes above E6 and back to where they were. Though it is true that a properly pitched whistle register tone can shatter glass, it has only been demonstrated with the aid of electronic amplification. There is no authentic record of glass being broken by the unamplified human voice.

Recording artists

A few recording artists who have exhibited the ability to hit notes in the whistle register are Minnie Riperton, Yma Sumac, Lisa Fischer, Shanice Wilson, Chante Moore, Rachelle Ferrell, Sabrina Johnston, Kate Bush, Julie Andrews, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Debelah Morgan, Tisha Campbell, and Amel Larrieux. Even Blu Cantrell uses the whistle register briefly in "Waste My Time" from her first album. However, the most notable whistle register singer by far is Mariah Carey. While most singers' whistle registers are very faint and unsustainable, Carey posesses an extraordinary ability to sustain these extremely high notes with clarity, ease, and flexibility; So far her highest recorded note was an F7 in the song "Emotions" although in several live performances she has reached higher notes, such as the G7# she hit in a live rendition of "Emotions" at the 1991 MTV awards. Mariah Carey has built her career singing in it. A large portion of her vocal performance in her 1999 song "Bliss" is performed in this register. She often demonstrates the ability to switch from Chest voice into the whistle range in her songs, most noticably in her live renditions of "Love Takes Time" and "Someday." Another example of the whistle register is Minnie Riperton's "You Take My Breath Away", where she hits an F#7 (F-sharp one and one-half octaves above soprano high C) with such control the note sounds almost instrumental (actually, more mechanical). In fact, it should be noted that at such lofty notes, the articulation of song lyrics generally suffers greatly. As a result, the whistle register is most effective when singing sustianed open vowels such as with a melisma or vocalise.

Though this ability has been most thoroughly recorded in females, it has been reported to occur in males, but it is much more rare. Singer Adam Lopez of Brisbane, Australia sang back up for Mariah Carey during one of her performances in Australia and, like Mariah, can sing in his whistle register. He currently holds the Guinness World record for the highest note sung by a male. Artimius Hollins of Atlanta also sing in the whistle register when singing in live venues.Artimius performed his original ballad "Turntable" which consist of G7# and a brief C8#.

Differences in tone

Different singers possess different qualities when singing in their whistle register, particularly when sing up in the seventh octave. For example, take sopranos noted above for their abilities well in the whistle register. Minnie Riperton, Shanice Wilson, and Rachelle Ferrell are known for their abilities to enunciate in the seventh octave, or to sing words rather than merely hitting a pitch. However, Minnie Riperton is the reputed benchmark in whistle register singing because she sang there so frequently. Her voice could mimic a bird, instrument, or another non-human sound so well that many people first thought her high notes were funky instrumentation. Mariah Carey, the most famous example of the coloratura sopranos, is most known for her wild vibrato (that sounds rather like a free-falling, uninhibited on-pitch scream), while Chanté Moore is known for her flutey, bird-like notes soaring above the song. Finally Terry Ellis, is known for bouncing up the scale in staccato.

The whistle register in popular culture

As properly pitched notes in the whistle register can shatter glass, it is sometimes used as a comedic or plot element in books, movies, or tv shows.

• In Gunter Grass's novel The Tin Drum, the main character has trained his voice to shatter glass by screaming.
• In Blake Edwards's Victor/Victoria, Julie Andrews's character shatters a crystal wine glass by singing a single high note.
• In Martin, Tisha Campbell's character, Gina shatters Martin's crystal by shrieking loudly.