Practice Songs Helpful for Learning Mixed Voice (Middle Voice) [For Women]
The term “mixed voice.” If you’re interested in singing, you’ve probably heard or seen it at least once.
Many of my vocal training students say, “I want to be able to use mixed voice!” However, I feel that surprisingly few people actually understand what it is.
So what exactly is mixed voice? Simply put, it’s “the voice between chest voice and head voice.” That’s why it’s also called middle voice.
In actual songs, it’s mainly used to cover the high-tone range that’s hard to hit with chest voice, but by changing the balance of how much chest and head voice you mix, you can create a wide range of vocal expressions.
In this feature, I’ve gathered female singers who skillfully use mixed (middle) voice to express their songs.
I’m sure you’ll find plenty to reference when you practice with the goal of mastering mixed voice yourself.
I hope you find it helpful.
- Songs to Help Women Sing Better: Practice Tracks for Improving at Karaoke
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- Cool If You Can Sing! Popular Karaoke Songs Recommended for Women
- A must-see for low-voiced women! Popular songs that are easy to sing at karaoke
- Female vocal songs where women with low voices can shine
- I want to sing songs that use a lot of falsetto—tracks that are also good for practicing falsetto at karaoke.
- Recommended for women: Start your karaoke session with these! A roundup of popular Japanese songs
- Karaoke songs that are easy to sing even with a low voice (for women in their 30s)
- [Karaoke] A roundup of songs that are easy for women to sing!
- Easy-to-sing songs recommended for women in their 20s with low voices | Also great for getting a good reaction at karaoke!
- A collection of cool songs that sound great when sung by women, originally male songs
- Recommended for millennial women who aren't confident singers: easy-to-sing karaoke songs
- [For Beginners] Recommended Enka Classics for Karaoke — Women Singers Edition
[For Women] Practice Songs Helpful for Learning Mixed Voice (Middle Voice) (21–30)
Before it disappearsCö shu Nie
Cö shu Nie is a duo known for their sophisticated musicality—the name is pronounced “Ko-shu-nyeh.” They’re recognized for their wide-ranging style, consistently drawing attention with highly tasteful tracks.
Among their songs, the one I especially recommend is “Kiechau Mae ni” (“Before It Disappears”).
It blends rock and J-pop with a touch of modern jazz, and features high notes in the chorus.
There’s a section that transitions from mixed voice to falsetto, making it a great pick for those who want to strengthen the connection between chest voice and head voice.
Definitely consider adding it to your repertoire.
Sword Of JudgementHAGANE
HAGANE is one of Japan’s leading all-girl heavy metal bands.
They’re known for a style that faithfully inherits Japanese heavy metal and for their high-level performance.
Among their works, the one I particularly recommend as a practice piece for mixed voice is “Sword Of Judgement.” Since mixed voice and falsetto appear repeatedly in the chorus, it’s ideal not only for training mixed voice but also for strengthening high-register techniques overall.
STAND-ALONEAimer
A digital-only single by Aimer, released in May 2019.
It was the theme song for the NTV Sunday drama “Anata no Ban Desu” (Your Turn to Kill).
Although it’s sung by Aimer, her delivery here is fairly fixed in approach.
Apart from the low-range section at the very beginning, she’s likely singing almost entirely in mixed voice.
That mixed voice leans toward chest voice with relatively strong cord closure and little breathiness, enabling very powerful high notes.
In simple terms, mixed voice is a blend of chest voice and falsetto, and this track is a great example of how the balance between the two can be used in this way.
Female singers often use mixed voice to achieve a softer resonance than full chest, but Aimer’s powerful mixed voice here should be highly instructive for women who want to sing upbeat, rock-oriented songs.
Love, Day After TomorrowKuraki Mai
Mai Kuraki’s debut single, released in December 1999.
Riding the wave of the late-’90s Japanese DIVA boom sparked by Hikaru Utada’s debut, Kuraki emerged with vocals that, while grounded in a very solid technical foundation, don’t come across as overly formal.
Instead, they carry a ZARD-like approachability.
This impression likely comes from her skillful use of a gentle, falsetto-leaning mixed voice.
As a rare example of using mixed voice to evoke a sense of “simplicity,” it serves as a highly instructive reference.
Biting the second handzutto mayonaka de ii no ni.
I think this is a song that’s fun to listen to and fun to sing! Zutomayo’s ACA-san has a cute, easy-to-listen-to voice, but when you actually try to sing it, the range is really high whether you use head voice or chest voice.
By the way, in this song the highest note is E5 in the chorus, and it’s amazing that she belts it in chest voice rather than falsetto.
Keeping the pitch steady in the chorus is especially tough! Also, the rhythm is unique, with lots of spots where notes are subtly lengthened or cut short.
When you sing it yourself, you might find parts that don’t quite line up with the rhythm.
Instead of jumping straight into karaoke, it’s a good idea to sing along while listening to the original track!
