Vocal Presentation By Laura Shelley Becky Winship Tonia

Vocal Presentation By Laura Shelley Becky Winship Tonia Tolley

Organs of Speech There are 10 organs used in the articulation of speech, and this is known as the articulatory system. These include the lips, teeth, tongue, Alveolar ridge, hard palate, velum, uvula, epiglottis, larynx and pharynx.

Lips To help form different sounds, by using our teeth or tongue with the lips or even just the lips to make; Labial, bi-labial + labio-dental sounds. Sounds like: ‘P’ ‘B’ ‘M’ ‘W’ ‘F’ ‘V’

Teeth Responsible for creating sounds like; ‘F’ ‘V’

Tongue Do rs Bl Ap ex ad e um Plays a huge part in the sound of speech, it has a huge variety of possible movements forming shapes against the upper palate, lips + teeth to make sounds.

Alveolar Ridge The ridge between the upper front teeth. We use this to make a ‘S’ sound

Hard Palate A thin horizontal plate of bone in the roof of the mouth used to make the sounds; ‘T’ ‘D’ ‘J’ ’N’

Velum Soft Palate Separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity, helping sounds to become clearer and less nasal.

This is the dangly bit at the back of the throat. It works with the throat, palate and lungs to create guttural sounds. In other languages it closes to stop air escaping through the nose when making certain noises. Uvula

Glottis Is a combination of vocal folds and space between vocal folds to make the sound ‘H’

Larynx & Pharynx A tube shaped organ in the neck that holds the vocal cords. To speak the vocal cords tighten and open again. Air from the lungs is forced between them and makes them vibrate creating the sound of the voice. The pharynx moves air into the larynx to help vocal cords vibrate.

How to Stand Correctly Correct positioning makes it easier to develop and produce a better sound. • Feet should be shoulder width apart and in parallel, one slightly behind the other. • Knees flexibly loose but still straight. Knees shouldn't be locked. • Abdomen flat and firm, held in a comfortable and expandable position. • Shoulders should not be slouched but held comfortably back and down, chest held high. • Arms and hands relaxed and still at sides. • Neck and head strong and facing forward. It may help to imagine a string attached to the top of your head, and you tie it to the ceiling, and you cannot move your head or the string will break.

It is also similar when sitting: one foot should be slightly behind the other, not slouching but sitting tall with abdomen flat and firm, shoulders loosely back and chest held high, arms relaxed with hands on lap, neck and head strong facing forward. To help correct posture, stand flat against a wall, lean forward on your toes slightly and breathe. You should automatically breathe using your diaphragm and stomach instead of your shoulders. You could also lie flat on the ground and breathe to get used to using your diaphragm to breathe

Preparation Firstly, in a morning give your body and vocal chords time to wake up before singing. Muscles need to be ready to support singing. Breathe using the diaphragm not the chest; this helps us to control the air when singing. Always warm up the vocal chords before singing. Simple and gentle humming is always good to start with before advancing to the more complex exercises within your range. Do not tense or strain, this can damage your voice.

Staying Healthy Eating and drinking well is important to keep your vocal chords hydrated and healthy. Smoking and drinking can dehydrate the body and vocal chords. It can also be harmful to smoke or drink alcoholic beverages before singing, and so it is recommended that a singer does not do so, and leaves time for the body to hydrate beforehand. Singing when you are ill can strain the vocal chords because you might not be able to feel your throat and vocal chords properly, and therefore you wouldn't be aware of just how badly you may be forcing your voice.

Mind Set A singer should not obsess over whether you are singing right or not because this can put pressure on and strain the vocal chords if you force it - be confident in your voice. Focus on how singing actually feels, not so much on how you want it to sound.

Voice Production The main parts of voice production: • The Power Source: Your Lungs • The Vibrator: Your Voice Box • The Resonator: Your Throat, Nose, Mouth, and Sinuses

The Power Source The power for your voice comes from air that you exhale. When we inhale, the diaphragm lowers and the rib cage expands, drawing air into the lungs. As we exhale, the process reverses and air exits the lungs, creating an airstream in the trachea. This airstream provides the energy for the vocal folds in the voice box to produce sound. The stronger the airstream, the stronger the voice. Give your voice good breath support to create a steady strong airstream that helps you make clear sounds.

The Vibrator The larynx (or voice box) sits on top of the windpipe. It contains two vocal folds (also known as vocal cords) that open during breathing and close during swallowing and voice production. When we produce voice, the airstream passes between the two vocal folds that have come together. These folds are soft and are set into vibration by the passing airstream. They vibrate very fast – from 100 to 1000 times per second, depending on the pitch of the sound we make. Pitch is determined by the length and tension of the vocal folds, which are controlled by muscles in the larynx.

The Resonator By themselves, the vocal folds produce a noise that sounds like simple buzzing, much like the mouthpiece on a trumpet. All of the structure above the folds, including the throat, nose, and mouth, are part of the resonator system. We can compare these structures to those of a horn or trumpet. The buzzing sound created by vocal fold vibration is changed by the shape of the resonator tract to produce our unique human sound

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