You can hear some terrific women demonstrate a mix of head voice, chest voice, and middle singing voice. Listen to Mary Martin sing mixed voice in “Why Shouldn’t I?” or Barbara Cook sing “Chain of Love.” Barbra Streisand is another famous mixer. Listen to her singing “Memory,” from Cats. In the very beginning of the song, she’s mixing; later in the song, you can hear her belting. Dionne Warwick uses her mix in “Walk On By.”
Listen closely to the sound she uses when she says “walk on by.” That’s the sound of her mix. Linda Eder uses her mix at the beginning of the song “When I Look at You,” from Scarlet Pimpernel. In the beginning of the song, she alternates between a chest voice–dominated mix and a head voice–dominated mix.
Listen to the difference in the weight of the sound. The chest voice–dominated mix sounds a little heavier. You can also listen to Rebecca Luker, whose work you may know from Broadway shows such as The Sound of Music or Mary Poppins. Listen to her song “River” on her album to hear her using her mix.
If you want to try out some songs to explore your mix, try these two: “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” from Jesus Christ Superstar, and “It Might As Well Be Spring,” from State Fair. Because of the story, the first song requires a chest voice–dominated mix and the second song requires a head voice–dominated mix. Develop your registers and then work on your mix exercises.