using the same vowel sound for the whole scale, the
comparison will be appreciated; the pupil will not be conscious of any
change in the vocal organ or experience any difficulty in descending
the scale. Faithful advocates of the theory of many registers say:
"Whenever in doubt about the production of a tone, sing _down_ to it
from some tone above it, never _upward_ from a tone below," for they
find that singing down "blends the registers." This we believe is
because in singing down muscular and nerve tension is gradually
relaxed and consequently there is no "register" change in the voice.

A study of the church organ will, I think, make this matter clear. The
organ has many so-called registers, as the _vox humana_, _flute_,
_oboe_, etc. These differ in the character of tone produced, because
of the size and shape of the different sets of pipes and the material,
wood or metal, of which they are made. But each similarly constructed
set of pipes forms only one register, and the pitch of the set varies
from low to high without any abrupt change in quality. All the tones
are produced by the same methods and means, the bellows, the vibrator,
and the pipe. In length and diameter, the pipe is proper to the tone
produced: a short pipe of small diameter for the high tones, and a
long, wide pipe for the bass tones.

The short vibrations of the high tones are perceived by the ear as
affecting the air only, while the tones of the lowest bass pipes
shake the solid foundations as well as the superstructure. So with the
human voice. The coarser tissues cannot answer to the short vibrations
of the upper tones, because they cannot move so quickly, while they
can, and do, respond to the vibrations of the low tones. This may
cause some difference in degree, but not in kind. With all tones
focused alike, the low tones of the human organ may be regarded as
head tones plus the vibrations of the coarser tissues.

It has been said of registers that they are "acoustic illusions which
disappear in the perfectly trained voice." As soon as the singer has
learned to use his voice normally all these defective changes
disappear.

TWO CASES

The following incident illustrates the fact that registers are an
artificial creation: A young lady who had been a patient of the author
since her childhood studied elocution in a metropolitan city, and to
improve her voice took vocal music lessons of a teacher of more than
local repute. He found no end of