The Human Voice

The Human VoiceElyse Hames

Chorus, Mr. Green9th Period

“The HUMAN VOICE is

our chief means of communication,

a fundamental tool for working and

living, and a rich source of artistic pleasure.”

- The Voice Foundation

How the Voice is Created

The mechanism that creates the human voice contains four parts: 1. GENERATOR – Lungs2. VIBRATOR - Vocal folds

(vocal cords) within the larynx

3. RESONATORS – Pharynx, Nasal Cavity, Sinuses

4. ARTICULATORS – Cheeks, tongue, teeth, lips

The relationships between the generator, vibrator, resonator and articulators create the sounds of our voice.

The GENERATOR:

The LUNGS are like a pump which provide air flow/pressure.

This vibrates the vocal cords to produce sounds.

The VIBRATOR:

The Vocal Folds are commonly known as the Vocal Cords. These folds are valves that vibrate and break up the flow of air from the lungs into pulses that we can hear.Muscles in the larynx adjust the tension and length of the vocal cords to create pitch and tone in the voice.

Vocal Cords and Surrounding Area:

Vocal Cord Vibration

• Air pressure moves up from the lungs towards vocal cords

• This opens the vibrating layers of vocal cords

• The air pressure continues to move upward to the top of the folds opening the top

• The lower pressure behind the column of air causes the bottom to close first and then the top after it.

• Once closed this cuts off the air and then releases a pulse of air becoming sound.

Effects on Vibration“To vibrate efficiently vocal folds need to be:

• At the midline or "closed": Failure to move vocal folds to the midline, or any lesion which prevents the vocal fold edges from meeting, allows air to escape and results in breathy voice.

• Pliable: The natural "built-in" elasticity of vocal folds makes them pliable. The top, edge, and bottom of the vocal folds that meet in the midline and vibrate need to be pliable. Changes in vocal fold pliability, even if limited to just one region or "spot," can cause voice disorders.

• "Just right" tension: Inability to adjust tension during singing can cause a failure to reach high notes or breaks in voice.

• "Just right" mass: Changes in the soft tissue bulk of the vocal folds – such as decrease or thinning as in scarring or increase or swelling produce many voice symptoms – Ex: hoarseness.”

Excerpts from: The Voice Foundationhttp://www.voicefoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86%3Aunderstanding-how-voice-is-produced&catid=47%3Avoice-problems&Itemid=49

The Articulators:

The articulators are the tongue, palate, cheek, lips which are part of the “vocal tract” above the larynx. They modify the sounds coming from the larynx.

The articulators and the vocal cords can produce a wide variety of sounds.

The RESONATORS:The Pharynx, Nasal Cavity, SinusesAre the resonators.

“Proper breathing involves drawing air in through the nose. The sinuses are hollow areas, or cavities, in the bones of the skull that are lined with mucous membranes and that open into the nasal cavity. The sinuses provide resonance for the voice. The pharynx refers to the part of the respiratory tract behind the nasal cavity and mouth, in other words, the throat.” Quote from: http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/nose_sinuses.html

Each Voice is Unique

Each person’s voice is unique because it is affected by many factors:• shape and size of vocal cords • the size and shape of the rest of that

person's body, especially the vocal tract

• position of the tongue • shape of the chest and neck• a person's size and bone structure• the way one speaks over time, creates

a pattern unique to that person.

What is in a Human Voice?

Pitch:

Male voices are usually low-pitched because their vocal cords are larger in size than females, whose vocal cords are smaller making their voices high-pitched.

Vocal cords for males are between 17 mm and 25 mm and female vocal folds are between 12.5 mm and 17.5 mm in length.

The sounds we create are influenced by our sinuses and nasal cavities.

Photo: Getty Images via Google Search

Frequency

Frequency ranges are 75–150 Hz for men and 150–300 Hz for women.

The chart a right shows the human voice compared against the frequencies of various instruments.

Different Soundsof Human Speech

Different types of sounds are what makes up human speech.:

1. VOICED SOUNDThis comes from the vibration of the vocal folds which cause interruptions in the air flowing from the lungs

2. UNVOICED SOUNDThis is the result of some air being stopped or slowed by some form of a blockage.

3. PLOSIVE SOUNDThis is a sudden burst of air. It can result when the mouth is suddenly opened or the vocal tract is closed.

The Beauty of the Human Voice

The Human Voice

The human voice is an amazing instrument. It allows us to express ourselves in so many ways. With our voices we can speak to each other and express a range of emotions. We create a multitude of sounds – we can laugh, whisper, scream, shout and sing…

Singing of all the different sounds is the most far reaching. It can take us to a different time or place. It can make us feel happy or sad. Lift us up and bring us together.

There is such a wide range of singing styles – from rock to gospel, operatic to folk…all of them are unique wonderful and different, and remind us of just how human we all are.

Sources: Article on Conscious Lifestyle/part taken from Wikipedia.

http://d4nations.com/webpubl/articles/the-human-voice-and-how-it-is-created-part-2.html

Unified Over IP: http://www.uoverip.com/voice-fundamentals-human-speech-frequency Wikepedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_voice The Voice Foundation

http://www.voicefoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86%3Aunderstanding-how-voice-is-produced&catid=47%3Avoice-problems&Itemid=49

Voice Made Easyhttp://voicemadeeasy.in/html/understandingvoice.html

Center for Voice and Swallowing/UC Davis Health Systemhttp://www.ucdvoice.org/voice%20anat.html

AuditoryNeuroscience.comhttp://auditoryneuroscience.com/sites/default/files/Laryngoscopy.movhttp://auditoryneuroscience.com/vocalization/ articulators

What is in a Human Voice?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=MtJdd- BS8MM

Harmonic Voice Mandala:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =stMCW6L5GXA

Images: Anatomy of the Human Voice:

http://d4nations.com/webpubl/articles/the-human-voice-and-how-it-is-created-part-2.html

Lungs:http://www.becomesingers.com/exercises/how-to-increase-your-lung-capacity-for-singing

Nasal Cavity & Sinus:http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/nose_sinuses.html

People Singing:http://thisfragiletent.com/2011/10/23/worship-music-remix-2-what-is-so-special-about-singing-anyway/

Vocal Cords:http://vocalizeandsing.blogspot.com/

Vocal Cord detail:http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/650/flashcards/1289650/jpg/vocal_cords1331057362039.jpg