| While a whole book could be written on this, we are | | | | use wind to cause the vibration. A combination of |
| just going over the bare bones here. Lets start with | | | | airflow, chord positioning, and the use of our bodies as |
| the anatomy. You have two tubes at the back of your | | | | a resonating chamber determines our pitch, volume, |
| throat. One carries food and water to the stomach, | | | | and tone. It is the pressure behind the chords that |
| the other, air to the lungs. The one which carries air to | | | | builds up that causes them to open an close and |
| lungs is in front. At the top of the air passage is the | | | | varying speeds. A benchmark commonly used is the |
| larynx, and it is made of cartilage. Inside the larynx is | | | | A above middle C. To make that sound, the chords |
| where the vocal chords sit. Oddly enough, were are a | | | | open and close at 440 time a second. Many singers |
| bit like a combination of a wind and string instrument. | | | | neglect to look at their speaking habits as source of |
| The vocal chords are a pair of mucous membranes | | | | problems for their singing. I urge you not to make this |
| that vibrate at very fast varying speeds to produce | | | | mistake. Since singing is merely speaking while holding |
| our voices. The slower the vibration, the lower the | | | | a tone longer, and changing that tone, many of the |
| sounds, and vice versa. | | | | mistakes you will make while singing are also made |
| The vibration is like that of a string instrument, but we | | | | while speaking. |