Understanding Your Vocal Cords?
I explained to my actor/rapper/now legendary friend LL that the voice has the parts.
Respirator- the lungs, which are powered by the diaphragm
Vibrator- the VOCAL CORDS, which are two fleshy, muscular bands that swing together very close until they vibrate, producing sound and controlling pitch and initial tone quality. They stretch to sing higher, tighten or squeeze (but not too much!!) to produce clarity and resonance, and pull slightly apart to produce airy tone qualities.
Resonator- The resonator(s) consist of the spaces around your vocal cords, above your larynx, in your throat, mouth, and nasal cavity and they shape vocals, are responsible for articulating consonants and producing varieties of tone quality or tone color.
What is Vocal Training?
Vocal training is the art, science, or methodology of developing the singing, by strengthening and coordinating the muscles of the larynx, the vocal cords, expanding the lungs, strengthening the diaphragm, and learning to relax the the facial muscles, neck, jaw, and any other muscles that prohibit free vocal cord (also called vocal folds) vibration.
Through employing various vocal training exercises, including simple vocal warm ups, minimal (and sometimes…not even necessary) proper breathing techniques for better breath control, learning to maintain good posture and crisp articulation, you can drastically improve your singing voice.
Learning to stay hydrated, what foods and physical exercises either hinder or help the voice, and developing your ear to sing a perfect major scale can help you have an all around sense of pitch.
At my studio, we take into account speech patterns, both negative and positive, and develop sounds that are familiar, from the lowest note up towards high pitch sounds that make singers more exciting, and their music into the art that audiences desire to listen to. But this means finding YOUR own voice. Not merely being able to sound like your favorite artist.
Voice training should be a TON of discovery, so that you can hit a higher pitch than you’d ever imagined, with more control than you’ve ever thought possible. Unleashing YOUR natural tone, maximizing vocal freedom, power and tone quality, are all crucial….especially for professional singers.
