P RESENTATION ON THE VOICE By Chermaine, Jess, Rebecca & Emma

H OW THE VOICE WORKS AND THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE ANATOMY … The vocal chords change length as you change pitch. Vocal folds open to allow breath to pass in and out. The brain is programmed to perform this automatically. Vocal folds close and air from the lungs pass through which make the vocal chords vibrate and that is what causes the sound. Sound then travels through the nose throat and mouth (resonating cavities), placing the sound in different areas to adjust resonance. Short relaxed vocal folds = low notes, thin and stretched vocal folds= high notes

Voice abuse occurs by speaking constantly at the wrong pitch, for a long duration or too loudly. What happens when you get nodules? Nodules inhibit the clean closure – painless hoarseness so you cannot tell if you have nodules from having a sore throat. The way to tell is you will produce a husky breathy voice. They are callous like growths one on each vocal fold. Form where the most pressure is formed. Voice therapy- nodules resolve. Surgery is the quickest and sometimes most effective way of removing them. Voice rest. Ear nose and throat clinic is the best way to get advice.

H OW TO WARM UP USING TECHNICAL EXERCISES … How to warm up using technical exercises Technical exercises help to warm up the voice for singing. Technical exercises include: Breathing: Breathing exercises involve using your diaphragm, they help train your diaphragm to push the air so that you can project your voice without strain in your throat. Training your diaphragm will also help with the control of the vocals. Mouth isolation activities: Mouth isolation activities help to exercise the mouth. Chewing and stretching of the mouth by saying vowels. These exercises help to warm up the mouth so that it doesn’t get tired. The stance of the body helps give good control over the voice. If you are slumped or bent over, you then can’t let as much air out, as your diaphragm doesn’t have as much room to move. Posture: The stance of the body helps give good control over the voice. If you are slumped or bent over, you then can’t let as much air out, as your diaphragm doesn’t have as much room to move. Relaxation: Relaxation in your body means that you don’t tense up while singing which doesn’t put a strain on your body and voice Examples Scales: Range: Diction and stretch:

T HE KEY FEATURES OF USING THE VOICE … Head and chest voice: most people have two registers (head and chest voice) but some have even three or four. They’re referred to as the head and chest voice because that is where the sound resonates. These names date back hundreds of years, to ta time where we didn’t know as much about the anatomy of the vocal organs as we do now. The vocal folds always produce the sound, and it’s the shift in the position of the folds that allow you to switch from your ‘head voice’ to your ‘chest voice’. There will be a vocal break as you travel higher up the register, and this break is where you will shift from your chest to your head voice. - It’s important to have good breath control when you are singing, as it’s your breath that controls the flow of the sound you produce. To hit higher and louder notes, you will need lots of breath control. When producing louder sounds, it’s important to make sure you do not strain your voice. Dairy, vocal trauma (such as screaming), smoking and excessive talking can all contribute to damaging and straining your voice. Your diaphragm is essential when it comes to controlling your breath, as it supports your breathing.

T HE COMPONENTS OF A HARMONY … A vocal harmony happens when two people simultaneously sing two melodies in the same scale, forming chords (more than one note played at the same time). But not all notes sound good together. A basic understanding of how chords are formed will go a long way to helping you figure out vocal harmony parts. All you have to do is listen carefully to the notes and, one by one, match each note of your melody with a harmony note. Vocal harmony adds a rich quality to music. Most people can hum or sing the melody of a song, but they do not know how to add harmony notes. If you can listen to a pitch--that is a musical tone--and match it with your voice, you are well on your way to singing harmony. The process of harmonizing vocally is both artistic and scientific and can make your music sound much more interesting. Harmony adds layers and textures that lend a colourful quality to music.

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