SING LIKE A STAR BLOG

Harmonics

Every component of sound has a vibrational frequency, represented in Hertz (Hz). Pitch, for example, is a vibrational frequency; the A above middle C is called A-440 because it vibrates at 440 Hz or cycles per second.

During phonation, the vocal folds rapidly open and close, converting aerodynamic energy to acoustic energy. This acoustic energy is comprised of partials, including F₀, the fundamental or pitch (also known as the first harmonic or H₁) and overtones. 

Some overtones are non-musical noise sounds, and others, those occurring with mathematical regularity above the fundamental, are called harmonics.

Harmonics are multiples of the fundamental. For example, if the fundamental (F₀, or the pitch) is 220, the next harmonic would occur at 440 (220 x 2), the next at 660 (220 x 3), the next at 880 (220 x 4), etc. Harmonics occur at decreasing intervals above the pitch, starting with the second harmonic at the octave, the third harmonic is a perfect fifth above that...

Vowels (from the Latin vocalis, meaning "uttering voice") are sounds in which the vocal tract is open.

Vowels form the nucleus or center of a syllable. Because the vocal tract is open and the articulators don’t move when singing vowels, the resonance frequencies are more stable. When we sustain notes in singing, we do so on vowels, not consonants.

All great singing is based on exceptional vowel production.

VOWELS AND TONGUE POSITION

Vowel articulation occurs in one of three cavities: the oral (mouth and pharynx), labial, (lips) and to a smaller degree, the nasal (nose) cavity.

Vowels are formed mostly by various alterations of the constriction of the tongue, with help from the lips for the rounded vowels only- [u] (you), [o] (go), and [ʊ] (good). The constriction of the tongue is the middle area that can arch upward for vowels such as [i] or flatten for vowels such as [ɑ].

The constriction divides the oral cavity into the mouth and pharynx.

Aside from formation of rounded...

In Step Three of the Eight Steps of Vocal Development program at Sing Like a Star Studios, our focus is on the upper register- the notes above the primo passaggio. We sing high notes in our upper register. In upper register phonation, the vocal folds are longer, thinner, and tauter, and the vocal folds meet higher on the depth of the fold.

This area of the voice has traditionally had many different names such as head voice, falsetto, loft, M2, light mechanism, etc.

Terminology in the world of voice can be confusing; the use of the term falsetto, for example, means different things to different pedagogues. In much of the traditional literature, the word falsetto meant anything above the primo passaggio for males.

In contemporary singing, falsetto can be defined as breathy and anemic singing caused by inadequate vocal fold adduction and low closed quotient.

Another example: mix in a contemporary male tenor would be termed head voice in the classical world.

No...

Muscles that attach the larynx to something outside of itself are called extrinsic muscles. The extrinsic muscles are responsible for raising and lowering the larynx. The larynx elevates several centimeters when we swallow; it lowers several centimeters when we yawn or take a relaxed and deep breath.

In swallowing, a group of sphincter muscles (sphincter muscles are muscles that surround and constrict an opening) force the larynx upward and seal the air passage. Activating these swallowing/sphincter muscles is antithetical to good singing.

Try swallowing and singing at the same time- it can’t be done!

Many self-taught or poorly taught singers activate these muscles during vocalization. The extrinsic muscles are also known as interfering muscles because they interfere with the process of free vocalization.

The extrinsic strap muscles are attached outside the larynx, holding the larynx in place, stabilizing it, and moving it up or down. These muscles, if consistently tensed...

Laryngeal stability and control of the vertical position of the larynx are foundational tenets of good vocal production. The larynx must be free from tension and extrinsic muscle interference to respond to the requirements of singing.

It is vital that the larynx is not allowed to rise as the pitch ascends. This is important, not only for registration and blending purposes, but also for beautiful timbre. A raised larynx is undesirable because it produces a thinner, more strident vocal timbre.

Maintaining a stable laryngeal position allows the intrinsic muscles to adjust more easily for pitch and produces a more consistent timbre throughout the singer’s range. If the larynx is allowed to change position with each new pitch, the vocal quality will be inconsistent.

The optimal position of the larynx while singing is neutral- relaxed and comfortably low- the position it naturally assumes when we take a deep breath. The larynx should not be allowed to elevate when singing high...

The larynx, along with the vocal folds, is part of the phonation system.

The larynx, the housing of the vocal folds, is an acorn-sized protuberance made of cartilage. The male larynx is larger than the female larynx because the male vocal folds are larger.

The male larynx is also formed at a sharper angle than the female larynx; it is a 90-degree angle, while the female larynx is a softer 120-degree angle.

The larynx is moveable and is affected by the action of the extrinsic swallowing muscles of the neck surrounding it. When we swallow, the larynx is pulled upward by those extrinsic muscles.

When we sing, those muscles should not engage; the larynx should be comfortably neutral and relaxed.

Most singers unknowingly engage extrinsic muscle and hike the larynx as they approach the top notes of the lower register unless they have learned how to transition through the primo passaggio or first bridge correctly.

THE HYOID BONE

The larynx is suspended from the hyoid bone, which helps to...

There are two separate elements governing volume in singing: what happens at the vocal fold level and what happens in the resonating system of the vocal tract after the sound waves travel upward.

Laryngeal Factors:

Factors at the vocal fold level affecting loudness include subglottal air pressure, glottal resistance and amplitude of vocal fold displacement from the midline during each vibratory cycle.

Glottal resistance is increased with greater closed quotient. As closed quotient increases, subglottal air pressure increases. Closed quotient is increased when the intrinsic muscles of the larynx (the thyroarytenoids (TA), lateral cricoarytenoids (LCA), and interarytenoids (IA)) contract more strongly. This ability can be developed through vocal training.

As the vocal folds vibrate open and closed they convert aerodynamic energy into acoustic energy containing a source sound that includes the fundamental or pitch and many partials.

The longer the vocal folds remain closed in this...

Changing pitch involves changing the rate at which the glottal wave repeats as a result of the ever-shifting changes in the length and tension of the vocal folds.

Contraction of the body of the vocal fold correlates with lower pitch. When the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle contracts, it pulls the back or posterior portion of the folds closer to the front or anterior portion, bunching the folds up.

When the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle is contracted it is more tense; however, the mucosa overlying the vocal folds becomes floppier, so the mucosa vibrates more slowly. The shorter, thicker fold structure combined with the slower vibration of the mucosa results in a lower pitch.

In the upper register, when we sing higher pitches, the vocal folds vibrate faster as they become  longer, thinner, and tauter. This happens when the cricothyroid (CT) muscle contracts, tilting the thyroid cartilage down and forward on the cricothyroid ligament, causing it to move away from the arytenoid...

Lower and upper register vocal fold phonation can be contrasted regarding the:

• Length and thickness of the folds
• Tension of the folds
• Vocal fold mass
• Muscle activity (TA or CT)
• Glottal closure (TA, LCA, IA)

Lower Register

Also known as the modal register, the lower register is characterized by the following:

• Length: The vocal folds are shorter and thicker.
• Tension: There is less tension in the mucosa, which are vibrating more slowly on lower pitches, while the inner body muscles (TA and Vocalis) are more tensed.
• Mass: More of the mass of the fold is active in the vibratory cycle; the process of opening and closing begins lower on the vocal folds (remember they have depth as well as length), thus closed quotient is greater because the process begins at the lowest part of the fold.
• Muscle activity: The lower register is dominated by TA (thyroarytenoid or vocalis) muscle activity; TA activity decreases as pitch ascends in a well-coordinated voice.
• Glottal closure: In a...