Vol. 13 No.2

VASTA

Vocal Sensations

by Oren Brown

A young mother with vocal nodules was recently referred to me for treatment. She has three small children, teaches school and leads the singing in her church. The nodules were very large with considerable edema in the surrounding area. She had been working with a certified speech-language pathologist for about six weeks with no change and complained of pain in her throat after each treatment. Her inskuction had been to try to place her tone so that she could sense a resonance in the mask. Her exercises started from below, with an attempt to bring that sound up into her higher voice.

It is recognized that a quality of sound known as resonance is the result of vibrations that originate in the vocal folds. As these sounds kavel through the pharynx and mouth (the vocal tract - the principal resonance spaces) some of the frequencies match the resonance frequency ofthese spaces. These sounds are radiated with a high amplitude from the resonators and, in the human voice, are called formant frequencies. If any frequency differs from the formant frequency as it passes through the resonator, the resonator dampens it. You have probably experienced this kind of phenomenon in the shower where some notes of a scale will resound with fullness while others are dull, depending on the resonance frequency of the shower space. Sundberg discusses this in great detail in his book, "The Science of the Singing Voice."

Sympathetic vibrations should not be confused with resonance. An object responding with sympathy will vibrate in response to the sound waves emanating from the sound source but will not add at the amplitude of the original. As illustration, sometimes a dental prosthesis will respond in this manner, much to the distress of the owner.

Resonance is defined as "the intensification and enriching of a musical tone by supplementary vibrations." In spite of this fact, the concept still persists in many areas, especially among singing teachers as well as those who attempt to make the speaking voice "project, that voices can be improved by trying to "place the sound." Such an approach is "putting the cart before the horse." This is particularly true if the source of the sound is not a healthy one.

Webster tells us that sensation is, "A mental process (as seeing, hearing or smelling) due to immediate bodily stimulation often as distinguished from awareness of the process." We feel a resonance sensation as a result of the resonance. To focus on sensation as a means to an end would be like trying to have a fireworks display without any knowledge of explosives. The desired effect can be gained only by getting to know the ingredients. A correct production at the source is therefore the forerunner to the sensation.

For both speaking and singing, it is important to know how the larynx functions in order to understand how energy is released. The source of the sound is the vibration of the vocal folds which adjust automatically, just by thinking. The only way I know how to help something that is automatic is to keeR out of its way. I sometimes call this "non-interference. There are numerous exercises for establishing a sense of release in the vocal tract, including jaw, mouth, tongue and larynx. In fact, the whole body needs to be free in order to have freedom of vocal emission. This is because vocal sound is dependent on breathing - a flow of air - as the source of energy.

Assuming that you know how to breathe within a framework of good posture, the flow of air will activate the vocal folds. This can be very gentle, as traditionally tested by holding a candle in front of the mouth while phonating. With the right adjustment, the flame will hardly flicker. One should not even think about sensations in other parts of the body until after an easy, sighing release of sound has been established.

Resonance sensations are very light at first since the sounds will be on the soft side. The resonance will become stronger as the vocal folds develop a firmer tonus. When you become free of any muscular interference, you will be activating only those muscles vital to free phonation. That is when resonance can begin to serve as a signal that the sound is being produced in a healthy manner. To try to hear yourself the way you sound to others is a fatal mistake - an impossibility.

The "ring" in the voice is the result of overtones in the fundamental. This is part of the physics of sound. Sundberg states that the lowering of the larynx seems to explain the formant peak, the "ring" in the voice. Any movement of the larynx up or down will affect configurations in both the mouth and pharynx. He further states that because the ring originates by resonance effects alone, no extra effort is called for. Resonances outside of the vocal tract, such as the sinuses or chest, cannot contribute to the acoustic output due to the degree to which sound is weakened as it passes through the tissues. Vernard performed an experiment in 1964 to evaluate the importance of nasal resonance in singing. He found no significant differences in comparing the recordings of voices that sang with the sinuses blocked and the same voices singing with no impediment.

If a sensation of resonance in the mask does not contribute to the total output, why should one try to put the sound there? Rather, one should concentrate on what is happening at the source and in the vocal tract, that space between the vocal folds and the lips. The sinuses and nasal passages are adjacent to the vocal tract, not a part of it. If the velum should drop so that air passes through the nose, there would be a problem of nasality.

As far as "placing' is concerned, the distance of some six to eight inches between the larynx and mask would hardly amount to a pin point in the entire distance that sound travels in one second. Webster says that "place" means "to cause (the voice) to produce free and resonated singing or speaking tones." Another meaning is defined as, "to direct to a desired spot." The two terms "cause" and "direct" have very different implications. "Cause" is applicable to resonance sensations, but "direct" would be a wrong interpretation as applied to voice production.

A further consideration is the fact that sound waves travel in all directions, like light from a light bulb. They move down, back, sideways or up, just as fast as they move forward out of the mouth. A freely resonated sound will set the air particles into a lively response as soon as it leaves the mouth. When speaking or singing while facing upstage, the sound waves must pass back around the outside of the head. If they are well resonated, the air will seem alive with sound and it will carry out to the audience.

When a sound wave meets a surface, its direction is deflected. A hard surface will deflect more of the sound than a soft one. Therefore tension in any part of the vocal tract tends to enhance one part of the overtone pattern to the detriment of the overall balance. Such changes might be heard as harsh or muffled, depending on how the resonance was altered. This implies that the desired result can best be attained by creating a condition of release. Find a freedom from all actions that are not directly required for vocal adjustments or articulation formations.

When an optimum phonation pattern has been found, the sound source will generate waves which, in turn, will activate resonance sensations in the pharynx, mouth, sinuses, head and chest areas. In fact sensations can be detected in varying degrees throughout the entire body. The more efficient the sound source, the stronger the sensations will be. It is in response to these sensations that performers often judge the effectiveness of their production.

To pay attention to any particular part without consideration of how it fits into the whole can produce much more harm than good. "Tone placement" is a very misleading term. Dame Joan Sutherland said that the physical sensations in her high tones differ from those felt in the middle of the voice. Jean de Rezke stated that the sound should come from the back of the head. At another time he said that singing is a question of the nose. Garcia had three fine singers, one of whom felt the sounds coming from the top of his head, another from the back and the third from the sides!

No two people can ever share the exact same sensations since no two people have the same anatomy. Further, how is it possible for anyone to feel sensations being felt inside another? The closest one can come is to imagine what it might be like judging from one's own experience and then guess by an empathetic reaction.

Most people develop vocal nodules by over-use of the voice. It is a truism in learning to sing that the harder you try, the less well it will work. A condition of vocal nodules means that the vocal folds have an abnormally thick area. In the physics of sound, a thicker mass will create a lower sound. To try to carry that lower sound up merely complicates production since high tones require a lighter, thinner vocal mass. This thick, heavy condition of the vocal folds cannot produce the partials which create the overtones that we recognize as resonance. To strive for resonance sensations under these conditions is counter productive. To strive for a "result" before developing what produces it is anathema.

When a student is able to perform in either singing or speaking with sounds that are easily produced, let him or her tell you where the resonance sensations are felt, rather than you as teacher trying to predetermine what and where the resonance should be and how to "put" it there.