How does the voice work?....

I'm not going to bore you with the intricate details, nor am I going to paste graphic pictures of Vocal Folds. Nobody really wants to see that (if you do really want to see that then email me and I'll draw you a picture!).

So, instead of all of the mumbo jumbo that I have to know as a teacher, I'm just going to break it down simply so that you know all that you need to know as a student!

If you have had lessons from me you will hear me say phrases like "use the diaphragm more", "smile through the note" and "remember to use your breathing more!". This is because, when you sing (and talk) you have 3 fundamental things you do and use:

The Lungs & Diaphragm - The source of power

The power of your voice comes from the airstream the lungs provide. The airstream provides the energy for the vocal folds/vocal cords in the voice box to produce sound. The stronger the airstream, the more powerful the voice.

The diaphragm is a muscle which helps manipulate how you use the air in the lungs to produce that sound. For example, if you needed to belt out a note you would take a big breath, and pull in on the diaphragmatic muscle in a sharp motion to provide that power.

The Voice box - Vibration

The voice box contains two vocal folds (also known as vocal cords) that open when you breath and close when swallowing. When singing/using your voice the airstream passes through these folds and they set into vibration. As a comparison, the vocal folds are like a mouthpiece of a brass instrument - on their own they would sound like a buzzing noise - but with the rest of that brass instrument added to the mix, or in our case, resonation, it creates our sound!

Also worth noting, whenever someone says that the voice is an instrument, you now know why!

Throat, nose & mouth - Resonation

All of the structure above the vocal cords (the throat, nose and mouth) creates the musicality of our voices by changing the shape of the buzzing sound (the voice box creates) into something pleasant and lovely to listen to.

It actually states on a doctor-y (yep....that's a word) type website I found when researching this that 'when our voices are healthy, the three main parts work in harmony to provide effortless voice during speech and singing'.

The big thing as a teacher I stress is singing in a safe way. All of those 3 components need to be used. If you don't use your diaphragm for example and you rely solely on your voice and throat, you will damage and harm your voice. If you sing like this continually, the least you will do is have a sore throat or lose your voice after you sing, if you continue to sing in an unhealthy way, that will develop into Vocal Nodules, which, are a singer's worst nightmare.

From

www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/NodulesPolyps/

it states: 'Vocal cord nodules are benign (noncancerous) growths on both vocal cords that are caused by vocalabuse. Over time, repeated abuse of the vocal cords results in soft, swollen spots on each vocal cord. These spots develop into harder, callous-like growths called nodules.' As a singer, I have known at least 2 singers personally who have had nodules.

If you have nodules you have 2 options - you leave them be and continue to sing, however in doing so means a severe reduction in your range, you lose your voice more frequently and can become sore after overuse. Or, like famous musical giant Julie Andrews, you can have a surgery, not go successfully and never be able to sing again!

Obviously, the latter is fairly rare and most operations are successful, however, the Julie Andrews story was a scare tactic from my vocal teacher at music uni many years ago, and it bloomin' worked (especially as 10+ years on I still remember it!). Why would you want to be in that position, it sounds horrible huh?!

So, to conclude, when I drill certain teacher-y (again, definitely a word) phrases at you, there's a reason behind it! I want all of my students to sing beautifully, as long as it's in a safe way.

To enquire about my lessons or if you have any questions on the above you can email me on roseraysilvsingingteaching@outlook.com