Keys to vocal health

-The larynx (voice box) is very much a finely tuned musical instrument and should be taken care of, plus; the voice box can never be replaced!

-Hydration, Water is the best fluid for the body.  Try to drink at least 64 oz. a day, about ½ gallon!; the vocal cords need constant lubrication while singing.

The voice is a wonderful instrument

Singing is a great privilege and the vocal cords should be treated with care and protection. In the event of any vocal problem, the advice of a doctor/laryngologist is the most important action you can take.

Vocal Injury

It is fairly easy to injure the vocal cords!

Causes

-Forceful singing, yelling, screaming, loud talking can cause the vocal cords to hit very hard and result in injury to the cords these are forms of vocal abuse

-Whispering!  This can put great strain on the larynx Vocal overuse

-Excessive amounts of phonating (singing/talking) can also lead to injury (vocal overuse)

 -Singing/Talking for too long

-Habitual throat clearing

-Nodules, polyps, laryngitis and hemorrhage of the cords are possible effects of such vocal abuse

-Smoking also has dramatic effects on the larynx!

Nodules (also called “nodes”): 

 A common injury that is essentially a small growth found on both of the cords, nodules are much like a callus on the hand or foot; Nodules keep the cords from fully closing, resulting in a harsh/breathy voice

Laryngitis

Laryngitis is the inflammation of the vocal cords; it may be the result of reactions to allergies, bacterial or fungal infections, or the result of vocal overuse. With laryngitis, the vocal cords often swell too much to correctly close, resulting in the lack of phonation.

Physiology of the Voice...

Resonators: Throat (pharynx), mouth/lips/teeth, nose; these deal with the modification of sound into tones of varying “colors” (called timbre)

Actuators:  Lungs/diaphragm/intercostal muscles; these organs deal with breathing/“air management”

When breathing in (inhalation), the diaphragm descends, pulling the ribs apart (the intercostal muscles help with this as well)

As the ribs move apart, air rushes in filling the lungs (think of a bellows for a fire– air rushes in and fills the cavity)

Actuators are “organs” used in the breathing process;  respiration, however, refers to the actual process of breathing

When breathing out (exhalation), the diaphragm and intercostals relax which makes the lungs force air back out (again, much like a bellows being squeezed together) 

Vibrator:  Voice box (larynx); this deals with the creation of pitch in the form of a sound wave. Vibrator is also known as “Oscillator” 

Larynx is the formal name for voice box also, some call it  the  “Adam’s Apple"                                  The larynx contains the vocal cords and is also known as vocal folds                                                               The epiglottis closes off the airway when swallowing so food does not go down the wind pipe (trachea)                                                                                                                                                                      The thyroid cartilage houses the larynx and protrudes in the neck which easily visible on many men as “Adam’s Apple”

The Larynx; 

Hyoid Bone, Epiglottis, Thyroid Cartilage, Trachea, True Vocal Cords

How the larynx works (how the voice is produced):

During the respiration process of exhalation, air rushes up the trachea and into the larynx (voice box) where it rushes past the vocal cords and causes them to vibrate; when singing, the tighter we stretch the cords, the higher the pitch it’s a bit like two rubber band being plucked.

Inside the larynx:  What happens?

The vocal cords adduct (come together) during phonation (creating of sound)                                                     The more the cords are tightened, the higher the pitch                                                                                            The cords vibrate against each other hundreds of times per second;  the number of times they vibrate is known as frequency and this is measured in Hertz (Hz)                                                                                              Just like a piano, when a string is hit by a key, it vibrates a certain number of times (like A above middle C vibrates at 440 times a second- or 440 Hz); the vocal cords do the same (when singing an A above middle C, they vibrate 440 times a second--- 440 Hz)