Voice Portfolio Entry 5: Vocal Cords - How To Correctly Apply It To Performance

Introduction To Vocal Cords:

Speech is an ability to express our feelings, thoughts and has evolved with humans in the last few thousand years.  Although all animals possess vocal cords and produce typical noises and sound, speeches and musicals are only connected with humans.  Evolution of speech, and in turn, that of the Larynx, the voice box of our bodies, resulted in the developmental activities like speaking and singing.  But the Larynx, singularly, does not control all of the functioning of the sound, rather it works together with the rib cage, back muscles, lungs, oral cavity and the vocal cords in order to create the magic of the sound of speech.

For this third chapter in my Actors Portfolio, I'll be talking about the vocal cords and their primary functions to come to a conclusion of how humans produce sounds, such as voice, from their mouths.

A Description Of The Vocal Cords:

The vocal cords are the two folds of skin within the throat that are related to the mucous membrane which moves further into the larynx's interior cavity and is, basically, the producer of sound.  The sound is generally created when the folds 'vibrate' as a response to the air movement inside these folds when the lungs exhale air.  The pitch of the human voice is determined by the vibration frequencies.  When compared to men and women and children, the vocal cords are shorter, as well as thinner, due to the result of a higher pitched voice, this changes to a deeper voice as the child gets older.

What Is The Connection Between Our Speech And The Vocal Cords:

Both the vocal tract and the vocal cords have a major role to play in the production of our speech.  Several organs are present inside the vocal tract and they regularly monitor and control the centers of speech.  The sound of speech is created when the lungs exhale air which then results in a vibration within the vocal cords, turbulence is also created inside the vocal tract at the same juncture.  The sound harmonics are significantly influenced by the vocal tract's shape.  The vibration of the vocal cords as well as the varying shape of the vocal tract creates the typical individual speech sounds which each person is accustomed to.

An Explaination Of How The Vocal Cords Work:

The vocal cords, or medically termed as the vocal folds, are the mucous membrane that opens and closes in a snap during the process of speaking, singing or while we make noises.  When the air pressure is increased against the folds of the vocal cords, they snap and produce a sound.  When the snapping is gentle, the action produces a very soft and gentle sound, and when the snapping is more forceful, we hear a loud sound or noise.  The pitch of the sound goes on with the increase in frequency of the folds opening and closing.  In normal human speeches, the vocal cords have been known to perform the action of opening and closing 100 times a second.

What Are The Resonators:

Surprisingly, the vocal quality is not influenced by the vocal cords or vocal tract.  Rather other anatomical structures like palate, tongue, nasal cavity, oral cavity, chest cavity, pharynx and the sinus cavity all influence it.  Vocal cords, on their own, only create a buzzing like sound, but the resonators contribute along with the vocal cords in making the sounds essential for music and speech.

Within our 'Developing Voice For The Actor' Lesson, we had experimented with seven areas that may be listed as possible vocal resonators. In sequence from the lowest within the body to the highest, these areas are the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses.

1. The Chest:

The Chest is not an effective resonator. Although strong vibratory sensations may be experienced in the upper chest, and although numerous voice books refer to chest resonance, the chest, by virtue of its design and location, can make no significant contribution to the resonance system of the voice.

The Chest is on the wrong side of the vocal folds and there is nothing in the design of the lungs that could serve to reflect sound waves back toward the larynx.

2. The Tracheal Tree:

The Tracheal Tree makes significant contribution to the resonance system except for a negative effect around its resonant frequency. The Trachea and the Bronchial Tubes combine to form an inverted Y-shaped structure known as the Tracheal Tree. It lies just below the Larynx, and, unlike the interior of the lungs, has a definite tubular shape and comparatively hard surfaces.

The response of the Tracheal Tree is the same for all pitches except for its own resonant frequency. When this resonant frequency is reached, the response of the subglottic tube is to act as an acoustical impedance, or interference, which tends to upset the phonatory function of the Larynx.

Research has placed the resonant frequency of the subglottal system or Tracheal Tree around the E-flat above "middle C" for both men and women, varying somewhat with the size of the individual.

3. The Larynx:

Due to its small size, the Larynx acts as a resonator only for high frequencies. Research indicates that one of the desirable attributes of good vocal tone is a prominent overtone lying between 2800 and 3200 hertz, with male voices nearer the lower limit and female voices nearer the upper.

There are several areas in or adjacent to the Larynx which might resonate such a high pitch. Among them are the collar of the Larynx, the ventricles of Morgani, the Vallecula, and the Pyriform Sinuses.

4. The Pharynx:

The pharynx is the most important resonator by virtue of its position, size, and degree of adjustability. It is the first cavity of any size through which the product of the laryngeal vibrator passes; the other supraglottal cavities have to accept whatever the pharynx passes on to them.

5. The Oral Cavity:

The Oral Cavity is the second most effective resonator within our bodies.

6. The Nasal Cavity:

The Nasal Cavity is the third most effective resonator within our bodies.

7. The Sinuses:

The sinuses are extremely important to our voice modulation within our bodies.

Below, I'll include an image of the vocal cords:


Exercise Done In Lesson:

When I had received my next entry task for the portfolio, which was about Vocal Folds, we had moved onto an exercise which required the group to find their own Larynx in their throat and move it around very gently, which does help some actors with their Vocal Cords. This exercise wasn't very entertaining for me since it made me feel a little bit under the weather after performing it but if I have to do it more in the future (which hopefully I don't need to since it's not necessarily required) I won't receive the same effects that I had from doing it in today's lesson.

Before we had performed this exercise, our teacher had wanted all of us to partake in a warm-up session, involving the Larynx, which required us to move, very slowly in a circular manner, our own individual Larynx's. We had done this for about 30 seconds before we had moved onto the exercise. Since, as I have already mentioned, I felt a little under the weather whilst performing this exercise, I did feel a slight sensation in the Larynx area of my throat before this took effect, which may possibly be what the exercise had intended to bring.

Having performed the same warm-up and exercise again at home on a different day, I still did feel under the weather from doing it but, again, I did feel some sort of soothing sensation in my throat before this had taken effect once more. Hopefully when performing this exercise more in the future, I'll be able to go through it for a much longer duration to result in a better outcome for my voicework.

It wasn't neccisarily in this session where we had accessed our resonators, but instead in the session where we performed exercises for developing our Articulation.  Through the exercises we had done in this session, we had used some of the resonators, listed above (The Chest, The Tracheal Tree, The Larynx and the Sinuses), to help assist us with the different exercises to properly project the production of our voice.

Analysis Of How And Why Exercises In this Area Can Help Improve Vocal Performance:

It's a common misconception that taking voice lessons will automatically improve your vocal ability. One time, you may hear Simon Cowell on Britain's Got Talent/American Idol, or even your teacher at school, recommend vocal lessons. There is definitely validity in this, however, you have to put forth the effort to make this worthwhile, even singing along to your favourite song won't do it.

I ask myself one question during this analysis: "How can I improve my voice?"

The answer to this question is: Exercise, regularly!

If someone wants to become a stronger vocalist in performance, by having increased vocal range and able to control it with ease, they have to exercise their voice daily. The Vocal Cords are a muscle in the Human Body. Like every other muscle in the Human Body, you will not gain any strength and/or stamina by not working them out regularly.

The Vocal Cords are a unique instrument to use, especially as an actor in a performance. If someone doesn't exercise their Vocal Cords regularly, they will have trouble projecting their voice more than if they had done exercises for it, which inevitably improves that actors performance in vocal terms.

You should work out your voice at least 20 minutes daily (at minimum). As time goes by, and the voice seems to be improving, extend the exercise to 40 minutes or an hour daily.