The larynx, or Voice Box, is located in the throat and is a complex structure
consisting of one bone and nine cartilages (six pairs and three single
cartilages), five sets of intrinsic muscles and ten sets of extrinsic muscles.
Some muscles enhance vocal production and others work at cross purposes. The
larynx is free to move up and down, side to side, and to a lesser degree it can
tilt forward and back; in brief, it floats in the throat.
The larynx functions best when given a freedom of movement and left to do its
job without adding unnecessary stress. Externally, the most notable feature of
the larynx is the Adam’s Apple; it is formed by the largest single cartilage
(thyroid cartilage) consisting of two large plaques that meet at the front
forming a bump.
If you put your fingers on this cartilage and swallow you will feel the larynx
move up, pause, and then move back down. (The epiglottis is closing off the
trachea so that which is swallowed goes to the stomach and not the lungs – hence
the short pause.) If you yawn you will feel the larynx move down, the soft palate and back of the tongue will likely tense and sometimes the nostrils will flare. Yawning locks your larynx in a low position. This is not something we want in singing as the larynx needs to be free to articulate each note
(see Anchoring).
Many teachers advocate yawning while singing under various guises: swallowing
marbles, swallowing fish, singing with a dumb sound ‘duh’, etc. Yawning while
singing is not an approach Lesley uses as it leads to soft palate tension, tongue
tension and a locked larynx; all things to be clearly avoided.
For more information or to book a private lesson,
please call: 514.295.1850
or email:
info@vocaltechnique.ca
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