The Larynx and Singing

The LARYNX is an apparatus made up of cartilage, ligaments, muscles and mucous membrane, which guards the entrance to the lower respiratory passages (trachea, bronchi, and lungs) and houses the vocal cords. The larynx is shaped like a tube and is 4 and one half inches long. During swallowing, the backward motion of the tongue forces the epiglottis over the glottis' opening to prevent swallowed material from entering the larynx which leads to the lungs; the larynx is also pulled upwards to assist this process. Fine manipulation of the larynx is used to generate a source sound with a particular fundamental frequency, or pitch.

The muscular walls of the pharynx are comprised of an outer layer made up of 3 circularly disposed muscles, the constrictors. Below and behind the larynx is the esophagus. First, the larynx is raised, along with the pharynx, by the contraction of the longitudinal muscles of the pharynx. The Laryngeal Muscle’s major function of the larynx is to keep the air way open. The first space in the larynx is called the vestibule, which extends down to the vestibular fold (false vocal cord).

The larynx, which is also known as the “voice box,” houses the vocal folds, which are an essential component of phonation. The vocal folds are situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the esophagus. The source sound is altered as it travels through the vocal tract, configured differently based on the position of the tongue, lips, mouth, and pharynx. The process of altering a source sound as it passes through the filter of the vocal tract creates the many different vowels and consonant sounds of the world's languages as well as tone, certain realizations of stress and other types of linguistic prosody. The vocal folds can be held close together (by adducting the arytenoid cartilages), so that they vibrate. In most males the vocal cords are longer and with a greater mass, producing a deeper pitch.

For a singer, understanding the anatomy and mechanics of the larynx is very important. Understanding that there are interior muscles of the larynx that help us sing and exterior muscles of the larynx that hamper our singing is vital knowledge for any singer. There is fantastic vocal training that will help you get the most out of your voice while controlling your larynx. Go the Singing Success and reach your singing potential. Click here: http://www.ronnvocalronn.homestead.com