How does the voice work? Singer physiology and vocal cords. The human larynx: its structure and functions 3 the shorter the vocal cords, the

Many vocal teachers advise feeling the sound in the stomach, on the diaphragm, on the tip of the nose, in the forehead, in the back of the head... Anywhere, but not in the throat, where the vocal cords are located. But this is a key point in the design of the voice apparatus! The voice is born precisely on the cords.

If you want to learn how to sing correctly, this article will help you better understand the structure of the vocal apparatus!

Physiology of the voice - vibrations of the vocal cords.

Let's remember from the physics course: sound is a wave, isn't it? Accordingly, the voice is a sound wave. Where do sound waves come from? They appear when a “body” oscillates in space, shakes the air and forms an air wave.

Like any wave, sound has movement. The voice must be sent forward even when you sing quietly. Otherwise, the sound wave will quickly fade away, the voice will sound sluggish or tense.

If you study vocals, but still don’t know what the vocal cords look like and where they are, the video below is a must-watch

The structure of the vocal apparatus: how the cords and voice work.

We take a breath, the lungs increase in volume.
As you exhale, the ribs gradually narrow and...
The air rises through the trachea and bronchi, to the pharynx, where the vocal cords are attached.
When a stream of air hits the vocal cords, they begin to vibrate: closing and opening hundreds of times per second and creating vibrations in the throat.
Sound waves from the vibration of the vocal cords spread throughout the body, like circles on water.
And then we direct the born sound wave into the resonators with our attention - into the nose, mouth, we feel vibrations in the head, chest, face, back of the head...
We formulate the resonating wave of sound into vowels and consonants with the tongue and lips, using diction and articulation.
We fill our mouth with sound, release it with an open smile forward and... sing!

Errors in the functioning of the vocal cords.

The structure of the voice apparatus consists of all the stages described above. If there are problems with at least one of them, you will not get a free and beautiful voice. More often, errors occur at the first or second stage, when we... The ligaments should not fight the exhalation! The smoother the stream of air that you exhale, the smoother the vibrations of the vocal cords, the voice sounds more uniform and beautiful.

If the breath flow is not controlled, then an uncontrolled stream of air comes out in a large wave at a time. The vocal cords are unable to cope with such pressure. There will be a non-closure of the ligaments. The sound will be sluggish and hoarse. After all, the tighter the ligaments are closed, the louder the voice!

And vice versa, if you hold your exhalation and, hypertonicity of the diaphragm (clamping) occurs. The air will practically not flow to the ligaments, and they will have to vibrate on their own, pressing against each other through force. And thus rub the calluses. They are nodules on the vocal cords. At the same time, during singing, painful sensations arise - burning, soreness, friction. If you work in this mode constantly, the vocal cords lose elasticity.

Of course, there is such a thing as “belting,” or vocal screaming, and it is done with minimal exhalation. The ligaments close very tightly for a loud sound. But you can sing correctly using this technique only after understanding the anatomy and physiology of the voice.

The vocal cords and larynx are your first vocal instruments. Understanding how the voice and vocal apparatus works gives you limitless possibilities - you can change colors: sing with a more powerful sound, now ringing and flying, now tenderly and reverently, now with a metallic ringing tint, now in a half-whisper that touches the audience's soul... .

About 15 muscles of the larynx are responsible for the movement of the ligaments! And in the structure of the larynx there are also various cartilages that ensure proper closure of the ligaments.

This is interesting! Something from the physiology of the voice.

The human voice is unique:

People's voices sound different because each of us has different lengths and thicknesses of our vocal cords. Men have longer ligaments, and therefore their voice sounds lower.
The vibrations of the vocal cords of singers range from approximately 100 Hz (low male voice) to 2000 Hz (high female voice).
The length of the vocal cords depends on the size of a person's larynx (the longer the larynx, the longer the cords), so men have longer and thicker cords, unlike women with a short larynx.
The ligaments can stretch and shorten, become thicker or thinner, close only at the edges or along the entire length due to the special structure of the vocal muscles, which are both longitudinal and oblique - hence the different color of the sound and the strength of the voice.
In conversation we use only one tenth of the range, that is, the vocal cords are capable of stretching ten times more in each person, and the voice can sound ten times higher than a spoken one, this is inherent in nature itself! If you realize this, it will be easier.
Exercises for vocalists make the vocal cords elastic and make them stretch better. With elasticity of ligaments voice range increases.
Some resonators cannot be called resonators because they are not voids. For example, the chest, the back of the head, the forehead - they do not resonate, but vibrate from the sound wave of the voice.
With the help of sound resonance you can break a glass, and the Guinness Book of Records describes a case in which a schoolgirl shouted above the noise of a taking off plane using the power of her voice.
Animals also have vocal cords, but only humans can control their voice.
Sound does not travel in a vacuum, so it is important to create the movement of exhalation and inhalation to produce sound as the vocal cords vibrate.

What length and thickness are your vocal cords?

It is useful for every aspiring vocalist to go to an appointment with a phoniatrist (a doctor who treats the voice). I send students to him before starting their first vocal lessons.

The phoniatrist will ask you to sing and use technology to show you how your voice works and how your vocal cords work during the singing process. He will tell you how long and thick the vocal cords are, how well they close, what subglottic pressure they have. All this is useful to know in order to better use your vocal apparatus. Professional singers go to the phoniator once or twice a year for preventive maintenance - to make sure that everything is fine with their ligaments.

We are accustomed to using our vocal cords in life; we do not notice their vibrations. And they work even when we are silent. It’s not for nothing that they say that the vocal apparatus imitates all the sounds around us. For example, a rattling tram passing by, people screaming on the street, or the bass from the speakers at a rock concert. Therefore, listening to quality music has a positive effect on your vocal cords and improves your vocal level. And silent exercises for vocalists (there are some) train your voice.

Vocal teachers do not like to explain the physiology of the voice to their students, but in vain! They are afraid that the student, having heard how to close the vocal cords correctly, will begin to sing “on the cords”, the voice will become tight.

In the next article, we will look at a technique that helps you easily control your voice and hit high notes just because your vocal cords are working correctly.

The most ancient musical instrument is the voice. And ligaments are its main component. Always feel your vocal cords working when singing! Study your voice, be more curious - we ourselves do not know our capabilities. And hone your vocal skills every day.

Subscribe to the O VOCALE blog news, where a small life hack will soon appear on how to feel if you are closing your vocal cords correctly when breathing.

You'll like it:

LARYNX- the initial cartilaginous section of the respiratory system in humans and terrestrial vertebrates between the pharynx and trachea, is involved in voice formation.

From the outside, its position is noticeable by the protrusion of the thyroid cartilage - Adam's apple ( Adam's apple) more developed in ♂.

Laryngeal cartilages:

epiglottis,
thyroid,
cricoid,
two arytenoids.

When swallowing, the epiglottis closes the entrance to the larynx.

From the arytenoids to the thyroid there are mucous folds - vocal cords (there are two pairs of them, and only the lower pair is involved in voice formation). They oscillate at a frequency of 80-10,000 vibrations/s. The shorter the vocal cords, the higher the voice and the more frequent the vibrations.

The ligaments close when talking, rub when screaming and become inflamed (alcohol, smoking).

Functions of the larynx:

1) breathing tube;

Stands calmly, breathes deeply, sings

Articulation- the work of the speech organs performed when pronouncing a particular sound; degree of clarity of pronunciation. Articulate speech sounds are formed in the oral and nasal cavities depending on the position of the tongue, lips, jaws and the distribution of sound flows.

Tonsils- organs of the lymphatic system in terrestrial vertebrates and humans, located in the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and pharynx. Participate in protecting the body from pathogenic microbes and in developing immunity.

TRACHEA

Trachea (windpipe)- part of the respiratory tract of vertebrates and humans, between the bronchi and larynx in front of the esophagus. Its length is 15 cm. The anterior wall consists of 18-20 hyaline half-rings connected by ligaments and muscles with the soft side facing the esophagus. The trachea is lined with ciliated epithelium, the vibrations of the cilia of which remove dust particles from the lungs into the pharynx. It divides into two bronchi - this is a bifurcation.

BRONCHI

Bronchi- tubular air-bearing branches of the trachea.

The human larynx is a flexible, finely structured organ of the respiratory system that connects the pharynx to the trachea. It is extremely important for the breathing and digestion process, as it pushes out harmful elements trying to enter the respiratory tract. Sounds are also produced in the larynx; with the help of the vocal folds, the timbre, tone and volume of a person’s speech are regulated.

The device of the larynx

The larynx consists of dense tissue and is a short tube of nine cartilages, covered with epithelium characteristic only of the throat. The cartilages are connected to each other by special ligaments.

The human larynx is located in the area of the sixth and fourth vertebrae, behind the skin on the front side of the neck. The top of the organ approaches the nasal part of the pharynx, coming into contact with the bone located under the tongue.

The structural features of the larynx completely depend on the functions assigned to this organ. Externally, the tube of the laryngeal system schematically resembles two connected triangles touching at the vertices. The tube tapers towards the center but widens at both edges. The middle of the laryngeal system is the glottis - the uppermost fold of the vestibule of the vocal cords. The areas above and below the glottis are called supraglottic and subglottic, respectively.

On the sides of the organ between the vocal fold and the vestibule of the larynx there are deep pockets - the so-called Morganian ventricles of the larynx. These components of the larynx go up and forward to the arytenoid folds. When infected, they are the first to lose their original shape, which indicates the development of the disease. The vestibular parts of the larynx, which, if the functioning of the vocal cords is disrupted, can perform their function, sometimes become the center of inflammatory processes and swelling.

The pharynx is located at the back of the larynx; large blood vessels and nerve endings run along the sides. The pulsation of the carotid arteries can be easily felt on the neck on both sides of the throat.

The vocal cords are formed by a pair of yellowish-white parallel folds connected by muscles and stretched in the cavity of the larynx. One side of the vocal cords is attached to the angle of the thyroid cartilage, the other - to the arytenoid cartilage. Slightly above the sound gap is the vestibule of the larynx - the upper section of the cavity of this organ. It is surrounded by the edges of the plates of the thyroid cartilage, closed from below with folds, in front above the vestibule there is a corner of the thyroid cartilage (the commissure is the area of the vocal cords where the thyroid plates form an angle) and the epiglottis. Between the lateral sides of the vestibule of the larynx there are slit-like ventricles, stretching to the arytenopharyngeal folds.

The lower part of the larynx, located under the glottis and externally resembling a cone, is connected to the trachea. In a child at an early age, the elastic cone of the larynx consists of plastic connective tissue. This place is prone to increased swelling and the development of inflammatory processes.

Laryngeal cartilages

The anatomy of the larynx is quite complex. This organ is a framework of six forms of cartilage. Three paired and three unpaired cartilages support the overall structure. Let's look at each cartilage separately.

Paired cartilages:

Horn-shaped - elastic formations shaped like a cone. This type of cartilage is found on the top of the two arytenoid elements.
Arytenoids are areas of connective tissue that visually resemble triangles located on the plates of the cricoid cartilage. Consist of hyaline cartilage.
Cuneiform - like horn-shaped, are elastic cartilages located near the top of the arytenoid plates.

Unpaired cartilages:

Cricoid - consists of two parts different shapes. The first part is a lamellar structure, the second part is formed from hyaline cartilage that forms the laryngeal border of the lower part, shaped like a thin arch.
The epiglottis is an elastic tissue that creates groove-shaped cartilage. Its task is to raise the pharynx during food intake, or more precisely, directly at the moment of swallowing. As it descends, the epiglottic cartilage completely covers the glottis.
The thyroid is a cartilage formed by two plates located at an angle. This cartilage is called the Adam's apple. When the plates are connected at an angle of 90 degrees - typical for men - it protrudes noticeably on the surface of the neck. In women, the cartilages that make up the Adam's apple converge at an angle of more than 90 degrees, which makes it invisible under the skin. A special membrane connects this cartilage to the hyoid bone.

Muscles of the larynx

The structure of the human larynx involves the presence of various muscles. These muscles are divided into two types - external and internal muscles of the larynx. Internal muscles are responsible for changes in the length of the vocal cords, the degree of their tension and location in the throat. During their transformation, the sound produced is regulated. The extrinsic muscles act as a unit to perform the movements of the pharynx during eating, breathing, and voice production. The following types of muscles of the laryngeal cavity are distinguished:

adductors (constrictors) - three types of muscles, two paired and one unpaired, compressing the glottis;
Abductors (dilitors) are a fragile muscle structure, problems with which can lead to paralysis of the laryngeal ligaments. The main task of this type of muscle is to expand and open the glottis - a function opposite to the purpose of the laryngeal adductors;
cricothyroid muscle - when it contracts, the thyroid cartilage moves upward or forward, thereby regulating the tension of the vocal cords and maintaining their tone.

Functions

The anatomy and physiology of the larynx are entirely dependent on the functions of the larynx. Human life activity is directly related to its three main tasks - respiratory, protective and voice-forming. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Respiratory function: Without air, the human body cannot exist. The larynx, being part of the respiratory system, regulates the flow of oxygen into the throat. This activity is carried out due to the expansion and contraction of the glottis. Also, in the throat, too cold air warms up to pass into the lungs in this form.
Protective function: carried out due to the work of many glands located on the epithelial layer. One of the ways of protection is the presence of so-called cilia - nerve endings. If pieces of food accidentally enter the respiratory system rather than the esophagus, the cilia immediately react and coughing attacks occur, allowing the foreign object to be pushed out. The epithelium directs any harmful element back into the external environment. When a foreign object hits the glottis, it completely closes access to the inside of the larynx and pushes it out using reflex actions (clearing the throat). The tonsils are located in the larynx - part immune system, which fights elements of the pathogenic environment and does not allow them to penetrate inside the body. Porous tonsils trap germs and viruses with the help of special depressions - lacunae.
Voice-forming function of the larynx (phonatory): the sound produced by a person is regulated here. The timbre of the voice depends on the structure of the human larynx and its individual characteristics. The length of the vocal cords determines the tone of the voice - the shorter the vocal cords, the higher the pitch. Therefore, high voices are typical for women and children who have short bundles. In boys, by a certain age, a metamorphosis of the laryngeal structure occurs, and the voice begins to break. The phonatory function of the larynx is the most musical: the vocal cords allow us to sing and speak beautifully, subject to professional voice control. Interestingly, only a couple of octaves may be enough for singing, but up to seven octaves are usually involved in speech production.

The respiratory function is directly related to the protective function, since muscles and cartilage control the force and volume of inhalation and warm the air before it enters the lungs.

Voice-forming function

The structure of the throat and larynx may change depending on age. Babies have a short larynx, located three vertebrae higher than that of adults. The entrance to the larynx in children is much wider; they do not yet have corniculate cartilages and sublingual joints, which appear only at the age of seven.

In boys and girls under ten years of age, the structure of the larynx is practically the same. Next, age-related characteristics of the larynx are formed - in adolescence (after twelve years), the voice of boys begins to break. This occurs due to the increased production of male sex hormones and the development of the gonads, which leads to an increase in the length of the vocal cords. Transformation of the larynx is also typical for girls, but the change in the voice in women appears slowly and imperceptibly, and in men the voice can be significantly modified within one year.

The male larynx is about a third larger than the female, and the vocal cords are thicker and longer, so the stronger sex usually has a rougher and lower voice. The volume of speech depends on the width of the glottis, which is regulated by five muscles - the larger the gap, the louder the sound. When you exhale air, the vocal cords begin to move, this affects the change in the strength of the voice, its timbre, and pitch. In addition to the larynx, the lungs and chest muscles are involved in the process of speech formation - the sonority of the voice also depends on their strength.

The phonatory function of the larynx is a consequence of the coordinated work of the entire human body. The larynx is involved in the formation of sound; the oral cavity, lips and tongue transform it into speech. Many organs are connected to the larynx, and human health depends on their general condition.

This suggests that human speech - timbre and tone of voice - are a reflection not only of the structural features of the larynx, the mood of the individual, and an indicator of the activity of other body systems. A change in a person's voice can indicate his physical condition, presence of health problems. The timbre of the voice changes when a person has a cold, sore throat, or suffers from other throat diseases. Even taking hormones can lead to a temporary change in voice.

Due to the fact that the muscle creates local tension in the vocal cords, it becomes possible to reproduce additional sounds - overtones. It is their combination that determines the timbre of human speech.

Innervation and blood circulation

The blood supply to the larynx and thyroid glands is carried out using the carotid and subclavian arteries. The posterior laryngeal and thyroid arteries are also adjacent to the larynx.

Innervation of the larynx is the presence of nerve endings in the anatomy of the throat. Excitation and transmission of nerve impulses occurs thanks to the vagus nerve, consisting of parasympathetic, sensory motor fibers. The vagus nerve ensures the reflex function of the organ - the transfer of neurons to the cortical speech and sound centers. The nerve fibers form a pair of large nerve ganglia.

The first node consists of two types of fibers: external - innervates the lower muscle, responsible for contractions of the throat and cricothyroid cartilage, and internal - penetrates the mucous membrane of the larynx, located above the sound lumen, the mucous membrane of the epiglottis and the beginning of the tongue.

The recurrent nerve contains the same types of fibers; the right recurrent laryngeal nerve separates from the vagus nerve where it intersects the subclavian artery. On the left, the recurrent nerve splits off from the vagus at the height of the arched aorta. Two nerves surround the vessels and rise up on opposite sides of the larynx, cross under the thyroid gland and adjoin the subglottic cavity of the larynx.

Voice development always requires correct diagnosis of its type. Making a correct diagnosis - correctly determining the type of voice at the beginning of training is one of the conditions for its correct formation. In shaping the character of the voice, not only constitutional factors play a role, but also adaptations, that is, acquired skills and habits.

When a beginning singer, copying some favorite artist, sings with a voice that is unusual for him, “bass,” “tenor,” etc., then most often this is easy to determine by ear and correct. In this case, the natural, natural character of the voice is clearly revealed. However, there are cases when the voice sounds natural, relaxed, basically correct, and yet its character remains intermediate, unidentified.

Determining your voice type should be based on a number of characteristics. These include such voice qualities as timbre, range, location of transitional notes and primary tones, the ability to maintain tessitura, as well as constitutional characteristics, in particular the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the vocal apparatus.

Timbre and range are usually revealed already during admissions tests, but neither one nor the other sign separately can tell us with certainty what kind of voice a student has. It happens that the timbre speaks for one type of voice, but the range does not correspond to it. The timbre of the voice is easily deformed by imitation or incorrect singing and can deceive even a picky ear.

There are also voices with a very wide range, capturing notes uncharacteristic for this type of voice. On the other hand, there are also those who have a short range that does not reach what is needed for singing in given character voices of tones. The range of such singers is most often shortened at one end, that is, either several notes are missing in its upper segment or in the lower one. It is rare that it is narrowed at both ends.

We obtain additional data to help classify the voice from the analysis of transition notes. Different types of voices have transition sounds at different pitches. This is what the teacher uses to more accurately diagnose the type of voice.

Typical transition notes, also varying among different singers:

Tenor - E-F-F-sharp - G of the first octave.
Baritone - D-E-flat - E of the first octave.
Bass - A-B - B-flat small C-C-sharp of the first octave.
Soprano - E-F-F-sharp of the first octave.
Mezzo-soprano C-D-D-sharp of the first octave.

For women, this typical register transition is at the lower end of the range, and for men, at the upper end.

In addition to this feature, so-called primary sounds, or sounds that sound most easily and naturally for a given singer, can help in determining the type of voice. As has been established by practice, they are most often found in the middle part of the voice, i.e. for a tenor in the region up to the first octave, for a baritone - in the region of A small, for a bass - F of a small octave. Accordingly, women's voices too.

The correct solution to the question of voice type can also be determined by the singer’s ability to withstand the tessitura characteristic of a given voice type. Tessitura (from the word tissu - fabric) is understood as the average pitch load on the voice present in a given work.

Thus, the concept of tessitura reflects that part of the range where the voice most often should remain when singing a given piece. If a voice, close in character to a tenor, stubbornly does not hold the tenor tessitura, then one can doubt the correctness of the chosen manner of voicing and indicates that this voice is probably a baritone.

Among the signs that help determine the type of voice, there are also anatomical and physiological ones. It has long been noted that different types of voices correspond to different lengths of the vocal cords. It should also be remembered that the vocal cords can be differently organized in work and therefore used to form different timbres. This is clearly evidenced by cases of changes in voice type among professional singers. The same vocal cords can be used for singing different types voices depending on their adaptation. However, their typical length, and with the experienced eye of a phoniatrist, an approximate idea of the thickness of the vocal cords, can provide guidance regarding the type of voice.

Phoniatricians have long established a relationship between the length of the vocal cords and the type of voice. According to this criterion, the shorter the ligaments, the higher the voice. For example, a soprano has a length of vocal cords of 10-12 mm, a mezzo-soprano has a length of cords of 12-14 mm, and a contralto has a length of 13-15 mm. The length of the vocal cords of male singing voices is: tenor 15-17 mm, baritone 18-21 mm, bass 23-25 mm.

In a number of cases, already when a singer appears on stage, one can unmistakably judge the type of his voice. That is why, for example, there are terms such as “tenor” or “bass” appearance. However, the connection between voice type and the constitutional characteristics of the body cannot be considered a developed area of knowledge and cannot be relied on when determining voice type.

In 1741 Ferrein(Ferrein) was the first to conduct experiments on the dead larynx, which were later carefully checked by I. Muller. It turned out that only “in general” the number of vibrations of the vocal cords obeys the laws of string vibration, according to which doubling the number of vibrations of any string requires squaring the tension weight.

Muller cut vocal cord length, pressing them in different places with tweezers both under tension and in various relaxed states. It turned out that depending on the tension of the ligaments, either low or high sounds are obtained when both long and short ligaments function.

Great importance is attached vocal muscle activity(m. thyreo-arythenoideus s. vocalis). On a living larynx, the pitch of sound depends not on lengthening, but on contraction of the vocal cords, which is ensured by the activity of m. vocalis (V.S. Kantorovich). Shorter and more elastic vocal cords, other things being equal, provide an increase in sound, which corresponds to the physical concepts of a vibrating string. At the same time, thickening of the vocal cords leads to a decrease in sound.

When as you rise pitch tension of the vocal muscles(without thickening of the ligaments) becomes insufficient, the thyroid-cricoid muscles, which stretch (but not lengthen) the vocal cords, contribute to the increase in tone (M. I. Fomichev).

Vocal cord vibrations can be carried out not along their entire length, but only on a certain segment, due to which an increase in tone is achieved. This occurs due to contraction of the oblique and transverse fibers of the vocalis muscle and possibly the oblique and transverse muscles, the arytenoid cartilages, and the lateral cricoarytenoid muscle.

M. I. Fomichev believes that the position of the epiglottis has some influence on the pitch. At very low tones, the epiglottis is usually very depressed, and the vocal cords become vast during laryngoscopy. As you know, closed pipes produce a lower sound than open ones.

In singing, there is a distinction between chest and falsetto. sounds. Muzehold was able to use laryngostroboscopic photographs to trace individual slow movements of the vocal cords.

In chest voice, the cords appear as two thick tension rollers, tightly compressed with each other. The sound here is rich in overtones and their amplitude slowly decreases with increasing height, which gives the timbre a fullness character. The presence of chest resonance in the chest register is disputed by most researchers.

In falsetto, the ligaments appear flattened, strongly stretched and a gap is formed between them. Only the free edges of the true ligaments vibrate, moving upward and laterally. There is no complete interruption of air during falsetto. As the falsetto tone increases, the glottis shortens due to the complete closure of the ligaments in the posterior regions.
With a mixed sound, the ligaments vibrate approximately half their width.