Though your vocal cords are not the only part of your body that affects your
singing voice, it’s a good place to start the discussion. When you hear words
like acoustics and resonance, you may not necessarily think of vocal cords.
But your vocal cords are part of a system that includes:
# Lungs that inhale and exhale air
# Vocal folds that vibrate
# Pharynx and mouth which make up your resonator
Acoustics refers to the principles and properties of sound. Just think of all the
times you have heard teenagers talk about the “great acoustics” of their
stereo systems. What they are talking about is the quality of sound that is
achieved through sound frequency (number of vibrations), amplitude (sound
volume and intensity), duration (how long the sound lasts) and form (structure
of the sound).
Your lungs, vocal folds, mouth, air passageway and the diaphragm all play a
part in sound production. Another term you need to know is tone. Tone is the
quality of the sound. To get good quality, which is one of the singing goals,
you need to control your breathing in a way that produces the best human
acoustics and tone.
Yes…it’s true! You are going to “play” your breathing system so that your
natural wind instrument makes beautiful sound. Breathing is intricately
entwined with sound and thus your singing quality. You must manage how air
flows through your breathing system. That’s why singing lessons always
include breathing lessons, and you are instructed to begin your sound-making
effort in the diaphragm and not in your voice box where the vocal cords are
located.
Remember the child’s song that chants something like this: The ankle bone is
connected to the leg bone, and the leg bone is connected to the knee and so
on? That same type of connectedness applies to your breathing system.
# Diaphragm – large muscle that separates the abdomen and the lungs
and its contractions contributes to the inhalation and exhalation of air
# Lungs – air sacs that expand and contract as air is drawn in or expelled
# Trachea – the channel of your human wind instrument through which
air passes
# Vocal cords – vibrating folds that create sound as air passes through
and causes changes in air pressure
# Voice Box (larynx) – cartilage box that contains the vocal cords
# Pharynx – the throat or the tube that runs from the top of the larynx to
the nose and includes the hard and soft palates
# Mouth – oral cavity that includes your lips, tongue, and teeth
# Resonating chambers – the facial bones around the cheeks next to the
nose and the hollow sinus cavities over the eyes
So now that you know the parts of the body that affect your singing, you can
begin to learn how each one affects the sound you produce. All these parts
work together to create sound tone, resonance, articulation, intensity, pitch
and range.
Did you think that to sing well all you had to do was open your mouth and let
the sound pour forth? There are probably some people who have a gift and an
instinct that lets them produce ideal sound without practice, but they are few
and far between.
You need to seriously practice breathing control if you want to improve your
singing in 90 days. In general, the parts just mentioned serve the following
purposes in sound production.
# Diaphragm – affects sound strength
# Lungs – healthy lungs can assist with clearer sound
# Trachea – fully open it will enable unimpeded air flow for better sound
# Vocal cords – the characteristics of the vocal cords affect the pitch and
quality of sound produced
# Larynx – where resonance is created
# Pharynx – critical to creating rich sounds that do not have a nasal
quality
# Mouth – used to articulate words in a song
# Resonators – creates amplified sounds with full tone
In a nutshell this is how it works: When you get ready to sing, the folds of the
vocal cords lightly close. The lungs expel air through the folds forcing them to
gently vibrate. The vibration creates sound.
To produce the best sounds you will need to learn how to control many of
these physical parts. For example, you will need to learn how to control your
breathing while maintaining a good posture for example.
In the next section, we will review the different types of voices, which are
determined by how your physical parts function.
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