Understand The Voice

The Voice: Power, Production, and Projection (Resonator & Articulator)

Understanding how we produce sound is easiest when we compare the human vocal system to a multi-part wind instrument. It's not just one simple tube, but a coordinated system with distinct, yet interconnected, sections.

The Power Source: Below the Larynx

This is where the "engine" of your voice resides – your respiratory system. Think of it as the air pump or bellows of our instrument.

• Lungs: These are your air reservoirs, holding the "fuel" for sound.

• Diaphragm, Intercostal Muscles, and Abdominal Muscles: These muscles work together to control the airflow. While the diaphragm primarily helps you inhale, the controlled and sustained outward movement of your abdominal muscles and the slow relaxation of your diaphragm are crucial for maintaining steady breath support. This regulated air pressure, pushed up from the lungs, is what provides the power for your vocal cords to vibrate efficiently, allowing for sustained, clear, and powerful sounds, especially important for singers.

The Sound Generator: At the Larynx

Next, we have the larynx, or voice box, which houses the vocal folds (often called vocal cords). This is the "vibrator" or "sound generator" of our instrument. As air from the lungs passes through, the vocal folds rapidly vibrate, producing a raw, buzzy sound – the fundamental frequency of your voice. This is analogous to the vibrating reed in a clarinet or the buzzing lips of a trumpet player.

Projection: The Resonator and Articulator: Above the Larynx

Finally, the sound travels into the vocal tract, which is the tube-like space above your vocal folds. This acts as the "resonator" and "shaper" of the sound, similar to the main body of a wind instrument. Its shape can be constantly altered to produce the vast array of speech sounds and vocal qualities. The vocal tract includes:

• Pharynx (throat): The initial part of the tube above the larynx.

• Oral Cavity (mouth): The main chamber of the mouth.

• Nasal Passages: These can be connected to the oral cavity by lowering the soft palate, adding nasal resonance to sounds (like 'm' or 'n').

Within this resonator, various structures called articulators constantly move to change its shape, thereby changing the sound. The primary articulators are:

• Tongue: The most versatile articulator, capable of countless positions to form different vowels and consonants.

• Lips: Used for rounding, spreading, and creating closures for sounds like 'p' or 'b'.

• Soft Palate (velum): Can raise or lower to direct airflow into the mouth or nose.

• Jaws: While not directly shaping the sound in the same way as the tongue or lips, the position of your jaws significantly impacts the overall openness and volume of your oral cavity. A more open or closed jaw changes the size and shape of the resonating space, which in turn affects the timbre and clarity of the sound, especially for vowels. For singers, a relaxed and appropriately open jaw is essential for optimal resonance and vocal freedom.

So, while we can broadly think of the vocal system in these three major sections – the power source (below the larynx), the sound generator (larynx), and the adaptable resonator/articulator (vocal tract) – it's the continuous and coordinated interplay of all these parts that allows for the incredible complexity and expressiveness of the human voice.