Larynx

What is the larynx? Take a big swallow. When you swallow, the larynx is the lump of cartilage in your neck that rises and falls. Did you feel it? Inside of the larynx resides the vocal cords. As you can imagine, the vocal cords are key to singing (hence their name). When air flies up from the diaphragm, the vocal cords try to resist opening until they no longer can. When the air forces them to open, they vibrate. The actual sound is made when those vibrations flow up and hit the cavities of the mouth, sinus, and head. That is how are "tone" is produced.


While you sing, the larynx needs to stay out of the way! It will rise and fall a little bit to adjust to pitch, but other than that, it should be inactive. When the larynx is out of the way, the vocal folds will be able to do what they need to do to produce nice sound. The throat should not feel as strained. If that is the case, you know that your larynx is not relaxed and out of the way.


The picture to the right is of the inside of the throat, both when the vocal cords are closed and when they are open. The picture below is a diagram that gives even more detail.


If we are aware of what is going on inside of us when we sing, we will be able to lengthen our abilities and greatly lessen our chances of injury. Love your larynx; take care of it.