Editing Countertenor (section)

== Vocal range ==
[[File:Countertenor voice range on keyboard.svg|thumb|400px|Countertenor vocal range (E<sub>3</sub>–E<sub>5</sub>) notated on the [[treble clef|treble]] [[staff (music)|staff]] (left) and on piano keyboard in green with dot marking middle C (C4)]]
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The [[vocal range]] of a countertenor is equivalent to that of the female [[contralto]] or [[mezzo-soprano]] [[voice type]]s. A trained countertenor will typically have a vocal centre similar in placement to that of a contralto or mezzo-soprano.<ref name="Appelman1986">{{harvnb|Appelman|1986}}</ref> [[Peter Giles (countertenor)|Peter Giles]], a professional countertenor and noted author on the subject, defines the countertenor as a musical part rather than as a vocal style or mechanism. In modern usage, the term "countertenor" is essentially equivalent to the medieval term ''contratenor altus'' (see above). In this way, a countertenor singer can be operationally defined as a man who sings the countertenor part, whatever vocal style or mechanism is employed.<ref name="Giles2005" /> The countertenor range is generally equivalent to an alto range, extending from approximately G<sub>3</sub> to D<sub>5</sub> or E<sub>5</sub>.<ref name=Steane>[[J. B. Steane]], "Countertenor", in ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', I, p. 999.</ref> In comparison to female voices the male voice usually has an extended range towards the low notes, but the lowest parts of the range are usually not used. In actual practice, it is generally acknowledged that a majority of countertenors sing with a [[falsetto]] vocal production for at least the upper half of this range, although most use some form of "[[chest voice]]" (akin to the range of their speaking voice) for the lower notes. The most difficult challenge for such a singer is managing the lower middle range, for there are normally a few notes (around B{{music|flat}}<sub>3</sub>) that can be sung with either vocal mechanism, and the transition between registers must somehow be blended or smoothly managed.<ref name="Giles2005" />

In response to the (in his view) pejorative connotation of the term falsetto, Giles refuses to use it, calling the upper register "[[head voice]]".<ref name="Giles2005" /> Many voice experts{{who|date=November 2017}} would disagree with this choice of terminology, reserving the designation "head voice" for the high damped register accompanied by a relatively low larynx that is typical of modern high operatic tenor voice production.  The latter type of head voice is, in terms of the vocal cord vibration, actually more similar to "chest voice" than to falsetto, since it uses the same "speaking voice" production (referred to as "modal" by voice scientists), and this is reflected in the timbre.<ref name="Appelman1986" />