What changes physically when you sing?

Question

Recently I was wondering: What changes physically, when a singer change pitches?

It seems to me that you just open your mouth and the pitch comes out. From what I can tell, it's mostly a mental game, but still, something has to change physically to change the pitch. Sure there are exercises for legato, tone, vowel quality, range, etc. But how do human beings change pitch? Is it the vocal folds? The shape of the mouth? Does it have to do with the throat?

FYI: I'm a voice major in college, so I know how to sing (and do sing, daily). I'm not asking how to get better at singing. :-)

Just curious.

Answer 1

If you are singing properly - everything should change when you change pitch. You brain coordinates with your ear and they both coordinate with your entire body. You know how to sing so you already know this.

The main pitch change comes from the shortening and lengthening of the vocal chords in order to adjust the vibrations per second. For pitch to rise, the vocal folds must vibrate more quickly. To do this, the folds get thinner by being stretched longer. To experiment, get a thick rubber band. When it is not stretched, it is like your vocal chords at rest. When you stretch it and pluck it, you get a pitch (this is like vibrating your vocal chords). If you stretch it more and more, the pitch goes up and up, just like your cords. If you reduce the tension, the pitch goes down.

Every voice can be stretched a little bit higher, but there is a point at which the vocal chords no longer come together. That is the lowest you can go. (There are some chord distortions that can result in other sounds, but everyone has a bottom). YOu can see this with the rubber band. If you stretch it a little bit then let out the tension and finally push the ends towards each other, you will see that the two sides of the rubber band eventually push apart. This is like singing so low you can't sing anymore (you might get a breathy sound on one or two more pitches but that is really just air blowing across the separated chords). On the other side, you can keep pulling the bands apart. This shows how most people have the ability to add a few notes on top but not on the bottom. You can stretch beyond comfortable. However, unlike the rubber band that can stretch until it breaks, your physiology will prevent your chords from ever streching that far.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

I too am a vocal performance major in college. I know it has something to do with the vocal chords either coming closer together (I assume for a higher note), going farther apart, and at what rate they vibrate as air goes past them (producing vibrato). However, I haven't taken Vocal Pedagogy yet, and the first half of the class is analyzing the muscles in the throat and what they do. Ask the professor for the class at your school to clarify your question, or go the the music section of your library and find a book about the anatomy of singing. I picked up just such a book they other day, but put it back since I didn't have time to read it.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Many parts of the body are used with singing. It starts with breathing.

The diaphram supports the breath as it goes up. Vocal chords vibrate. You mind and your mind's ear hear the pitch you need to sound and the inner parts of your mouth help to round out the sound.

Your relaxed body perfects the sound since a tense body would make the sound pinched.

A relaxed throat is also involved. Sound a note and tap your throat and you will hear this.

Answer 4

well your diaphram (sp?) pushes out more air when you sing higher notes. your vocal chords also vibrate more fruencuently and faster when you sing high notes, then when u sing low notes