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Falsetto (IPA: Italian , General American , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singer's normal range. An artificially-raised speaking pitch can also be called falsetto. This often occurs momentarily, if repeatedly, in boys during puberty as their voice changes. The break between voice registers, audible or not, is called the passaggio. Falsetto is produced via expansion and separation of vocal cords where only the edges of the vocal cord vibrate, not the entire vocal cord. Not to be confused with head voice, falsetto is produced differently from head voice, in which 1/4 of the cord vibrates as in chest voice in addition to the falsetto edge vibrating. The falsetto register is used by male countertenors to sing in the alto and occasionally the soprano range, and was before women sang in choirs. Falsetto is occasionally used by early music specialists today. It is common in modern music due to its ability to give singers a higher range, although it is not often counted by classical purists as a part of the vocal range in anyone, bar countertenors. Falsetto is also sometimes used by male cross-dressers to simulate a female voice. Some famous film examples of the use of falsetto include Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot, Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, and Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Actress and singer Megan Mullally famously used falsetto when playing Karen Walker on Will & Grace. Falsetto is also utilized by puppeteer Kevin Clash when voicing the popular Sesame Street muppet, Elmo. Most of the song Emotional Rescue by The Rolling Stones was sung in falsetto by lead singer Mick Jagger. The Bee Gees were experts at falsetto, and sang most of their songs (especially from the mid- to late-1970s) in this voice.
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