lected at random all manner of
different things would be observed. Perhaps this is responsible for the
great diversity of opinion among scientists, for it must be said that so
far there is little upon which they agree. Before absolute laws
governing any organ or instrument can be formulated the nature of the
instrument must be known. The scientists have never come anywhere near
an agreement as to what kind of an instrument man has in his throat.
They have not decided whether it is a stringed instrument, a brass, a
single or double reed, and these things are vital in establishing a
scientific basis of procedure. Not knowing what the instrument is, it is
not strange that we are not of one mind as to how it should be played
upon.

If we are to know the science of voice production we must first know the
mechanism and action of the vocal organ. This instrument, perhaps an
inch and a half in length, produces tones covering a compass, in rare
instances, of three octaves. How does it do it? According to the books,
in a variety of ways.

A majority of those voice teachers who believe in registers recognize
three adjustments, chest middle, and upper, or chest medium, and head,
but Dr. MacKenzie claims that in four hundred female voices which he
examined he found in most cases the chest mechanism was used throughout.
Mancini (1774) says there are instances in which there is but one
register used throughout.

Garcia says there are three mechanisms--chest, falsetto, and head, and
makes them common to both sexes.

Behnke divides the voice into five registers--lower and upper thick,
lower and upper thin, and small.

Dr. Guilmette says that to hold that all of the tones of the voice
depend on one mechanism or register is an acknowledgment of ignorance of
vocal anatomy. He further declares that the vocal cords have nothing to
do with tone--that it is produced by vibration of the mucous membrane of
the trachea, larynx, pharynx, mouth; in fact, all of the mucous membrane
of the upper half of the body.

When it comes to the falsetto voice, that scarehead to so many people
who have no idea what it is, but are morally sure it is wicked and
ungodly, the scientists give their imaginations carte blanche. Dr.
Mackenzie, who says there are but two mechanisms, the long and short
reed, says the falsetto is produced by the short reed.

Lehfeldt and Muller hold that falsetto is produced by the vibrations of
the inner edges or mucous covering