Chest register

The chest register is generalized to be the range of vocal notes below middle C (C4). Technically, it can be said to be the lower half of a person's vocal range. It is called the chest register because the pitch resonates throughout the chest cavity, creating a deep and colorful sound, particularly in lower voices, such as bass, where it is rich and strong.

The chest register is one of three registers (chest register, head register, and falsetto) that distinguish the timbre or quality of the human voice. Chest register is created when a person contracts the cricothyroid (CT) and thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles. This tends to shorten the folds of the vocal cords, thereby producing a pitch that has a lower range. Human voice is actually created by puffs of air, which are perceptible when occurring at a frequency that is approximately 70 cycles per second or more. When producing chest register sounds, the folds of the vocal cords are closed for approximately half of each cycle.

Regine Velasquez is widely known for using her chest register to produce high pitches that requires head voice. She can hit very high notes from 5th to 6th octave in full voice using her chest alone.