Register (music)

Translated from the late Latin registrum - list, list , from Latin regestum - inscribed, entered ^[1] .

A register in music is a segment of the range of a musical instrument or singing voice . It is characterized by a single timbre . In singing, this is the volume of the voice (sometimes lower, middle, upper). In the organ , these are special devices, thanks to which you can change sounds in different ways (both weaken and amplify).

Considering the register as a sequence of sounds of a human (singing) voice, one must take into account that they are sung in the same way. It follows that they have the same timbre. For each person, the proportion of participation of the head and chest cavities may be different, so there are head, chest and mixed registers. Some voices can play the sounds of the so-called falsetto register . Often this succeeds in male voices, especially tenors . Singers may have difficulty with sound extraction when moving from one register to another. This mainly happens with those whose voice is not delivered or does not have sufficient sound power. To achieve a high-quality result and seamlessly switch from one register to another, you need to try to monitor the most even sound of your voice throughout the entire range. As for the second value, the register in music is the same segments of the range of different musical instruments that match the timbre. If you play a melody on the same instrument in different registers, then the timbre of sound will be significantly different. Special devices and devices are used to change the timbre and sound power. So, for example, to change the sound on a harpsichord, a string is pinched closer to the stake ^{[ specify ]} or string set is being replaced.

• Register // Musical Encyclopedia. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1978. - T. 4. - S. 581-582. - 976 p.