Singing Better with Flow Phonation

The term flow phonation is used to describe a way of singing that feels effortless. It can have the effect of un-pressing the vocal folds. In the beginning stages of flow phonation study, airflow is increased and the volume is very low.

More advanced students learn to increase volume without extrinsic muscle activation.

Flow phonation can enable singers to generate maximum sound with minimal effort. When breath flow is correct, the vocal folds automatically provide adequate resistance. Even when dynamics, and thus airflow, change to meet the requirements of the music, adjustments are made without engaging extrinsic muscles.

Flow phonation encourages chiaroscuro– the balance of bright and dark resonances- because it produces more of the higher harmonics in the voice source spectrum.

Flow phonation is considered healthy phonation because it requires low subglottal pressure and thus is unlikely to result in vocal damage. It requires a lower closed quotient (the percentage of time the folds are together in the vibrational cycle of open/closed) than pressed phonation; however, flow phonation requires higher closed quotient than breathy phonation.

Flow phonation enables singers to generate efficient sound without vocal damage, due to appropriate levels of airflow, low sub-glottal air pressure, and balanced onset. The vocal folds automatically adjust to the requirements of vocal tasks such as dynamics and pitch.

The idea is to get maximum energy and vocal sound with minimum subglottal air pressure.

The vocal folds adduct largely as a result of the Bernoulli Effect- lowered air pressure drawing the folds together. The Bernoulli Effect works like this: airflow traveling through the folds causes a pressure drop. The decreased air pressure sucks the vocal folds together. 

This is assisted by mylo-elastic recoil; the elasticity of the folds helps draw them back together. Subsequently, subglottal (below the vocal folds) air pressure then increases and forces the folds open again.

Flow phonation is characterized by a lower closed quotient (the amount of times that the vocal folds are together in the cycle of open/closed) compared to pressed phonation.

However, flow phonation closed quotient is higher than that typical of breathy phonation.

Flow phonation encourages a higher fundamental frequency amplitude in the voice source spectrum than does pressed phonation.  Flow phonation encourages chiaroscuro due to the high level of upper partials in the voice source spectrum.

However, Dr. Ingo Titze states: With flow phonation, the implication is that more airflow produces more sound output, but every singing teacher and speech-language pathologist knows that excessive flow makes the voice breathy and weak. It is, therefore, a question of optimizing the airflow, not maximizing it.

Airflow and glottal closure must balance.

Singers in the Unbalanced Pulled Lower Category are most likely to benefit from flow phonation work. Singers in the Undeveloped category, since they are already breathy and weak, would benefit more from adduction work.

As always, the solution is in balance. Just enough and not too much– of everything!

Flow exercises are very helpful in counteracting overcompression and pressed phonation, but for singers who are already breathy and weak, exercises that focus on vocal fold adduction are more effective.