Thin and Thick Fold Phonation

[gno]

Steven gave me great excersizes using thick fold phonation to help my low end which have helped me already. The concept is new to me and I'm trying to wrap my brain around it.

The lower in pitch you go, the thicker chords you need. It's like strings on a piano or guitar. If you loosened up the high E string on a guitar the sound becomes thinner and softer in volume. Thicker strings for lower pitches restore volume and overtones.

As you go higher in pitch, your chords get thinner. This makes sense not only from the example above, but because you are stretching the chords for the higher notes it is easier to let the chords thin as they stretch.

Relating to CVT - I assume the more metal you produce, the thicker the chords. I assume the Overdrive mode (Pulling Chest) keeps the thickness of the chords intact as you go up. Plus it takes more air to vibrate the thicker chords that pulled very tight. Overdrive has a limit in pitch to high Tenor C. I assume that is because there will be a point at which there is simply not enough chord left to make thick as you stretch the chords beyond this point.

If you are singing the same note and switching between overdrive and neutral, I assume what you are doing is changing the thickness of your chords?

Am I on the right track?

[analog]

guitartrek,

that was my thought initially. This gets discussed from time to time on the CVT forum. Here is a link with some great(educated) responses:

http://forum.completevocalinstitute.com/viewtopic.php?t=5891

[gno]

Thanks analog. While it seems it is true that you can only maintain thick chords to a given pitch, the male's F1 comes into play which sets it own limits on how the harmonics are resonated.

[Steven Fraser]

Steven gave me great excersizes using thick fold phonation to help my low end which have helped me already. The concept is new to me and I'm trying to wrap my brain around it.

The lower in pitch you go, the thicker chords you need. It's like strings on a piano or guitar. If you loosened up the high E string on a guitar the sound becomes thinner and softer in volume. Thicker strings for lower pitches restore volume and overtones.

As you go higher in pitch, your chords get thinner. This makes sense not only from the example above, but because you are stretching the chords for the higher notes it is easier to let the chords thin as they stretch.

guitartrek: glad to hear they helped. I want to offer you some additional details about singing lower pitches, because the analogy with the guitar string is only a loose (pun intended) one.

The relationship of low pitch and thick cord is best stated when put this way: 'When the vocal bands short and thick, the pitch which results will be a low one.'

Consistent tone quality, though, is not so much about how thick/thin the bands are, but about maintaining consistency of 1) the open & closed phases of the glottal opening, 2) the speed with which the glottis closes, 3) tuning the vowel so that the harmonics and resonances align, and 4) retaining ariepiglotic resonances (ring or twang, depending on larynx position in the throat). The purpose of the deliberately thick-fold exercise is to work out the subtle changes in adduction and registration so that these other aspects do not change radically. Or expressed positively, that the lowest regions of the voice have the desired tone quality consistency (connection) with the neighboring part of the voice, and the range overall, compensating for the acoustic disadvantages of the lower range.

In this low section of the voice, the tendency is to let the vocal bands get overly loose as they get shorter. This causes items 1 and 2 in my list to change... the open phase gets longer, and the bands close more slowly than previously. Working the thick fold configuration with an ear to maintaining quality helps the singer discover just the right balances of muscle action required for that region. For normally higher voice (i.e., tenors who have no trouble with high C ) this sometimes feels a bit like making the lower voice a bit more muscular or gutteral. If overdone, it will.

Similarly useful to experience is #3- the alignment of the harmonics with the resonances. Whereas the mid voice usually aligns F1 to harmonics 2 to 4 (depending on vowel,) in the lower voice F1 aligns with harmonics 3 to 6. This transition has implications for the vowel color, the sensation of the vowel in the body, and the overall vocal strength. Because harmonics 4-6 have less energy than 2 and 3 do, the tone will feel less 'fat', and will be less powerful. The compensation for this is to be certain that the glottal closed phase stays equivalent, or is even a bit longer than it is in the mid voice... in colloquial, older terms, is 'chestier', by letting the vocal bands be short, but with more TA involvement.

Interestingly, work in this lower area to maintain clarity and vocal strength also will affect the rest of the voice. This work puts the vocalist in greater awareness of the action of the TA, and registration-related sensations overall. THe usual result is that finer control of the powerful top is the result, and the entire voice experiences additional strength and security.

Keep us posted, will you?

[VideoHere]

guitartrek: glad to hear they helped. I want to offer you some additional details about singing lower pitches, because the analogy with the guitar string is only a loose (pun intended) one.

The relationship of low pitch and thick cord is best stated when put this way: 'When the vocal bands short and thick, the pitch which results will be a low one.'

Consistent tone quality, though, is not so much about how thick/thin the bands are, but about maintaining consistency of 1) the open & closed phases of the glottal opening, 2) the speed with which the glottis closes, 3) tuning the vowel so that the harmonics and resonances align, and 4) retaining ariepiglotic resonances (ring or twang, depending on larynx position in the throat). The purpose of the deliberately thick-fold exercise is to work out the subtle changes in adduction and registration so that these other aspects do not change radically. Or expressed positively, that the lowest regions of the voice have the desired tone quality consistency (connection) with the neighboring part of the voice, and the range overall, compensating for the acoustic disadvantages of the lower range.

In this low section of the voice, the tendency is to let the vocal bands get overly loose as they get shorter. This causes items 1 and 2 in my list to change... the open phase gets longer, and the bands close more slowly than previously. Working the thick fold configuration with an ear to maintaining quality helps the singer discover just the right balances of muscle action required for that region. For normally higher voice (i.e., tenors who have no trouble with high C ) this sometimes feels a bit like making the lower voice a bit more muscular or gutteral. If overdone, it will.

Similarly useful to experience is #3- the alignment of the harmonics with the resonances. Whereas the mid voice usually aligns F1 to harmonics 2 to 4 (depending on vowel,) in the lower voice F1 aligns with harmonics 3 to 6. This transition has implications for the vowel color, the sensation of the vowel in the body, and the overall vocal strength. Because harmonics 4-6 have less energy than 2 and 3 do, the tone will feel less 'fat', and will be less powerful. The compensation for this is to be certain that the glottal closed phase stays equivalent, or is even a bit longer than it is in the mid voice... in colloquial, older terms, is 'chestier', by letting the vocal bands be short, but with more TA involvement.

Interestingly, work in this lower area to maintain clarity and vocal strength also will affect the rest of the voice. This work puts the vocalist in greater awareness of the action of the TA, and registration-related sensations overall. THe usual result is that finer control of the powerful top is the result, and the entire voice experiences additional strength and security.

Keep us posted, will you?

steve, please help me out.what does "ta" stand for??

[gno]

Thanks Steven - I am doing your thick fold excersizes everyday - and not trying to overdo them. I can't yet start on a B, as I'm cracking - I'm starting on a D and working down to a B or below. I find that after my full vocal workout, I can't do the excersizes as well as say in the middle of my workout. It seems that the excersize are kindof like building muscle and my voice just plain gets tired. But the next day I'm a little stronger. Does this make sense?

One unexpected and fantastic outcome is that my speaking voice is starting to become clearer and stronger than before. Sometimes my speaking voice cracks - this is actually starting to go away!

I guess I must be a Tenor - After working with the Ken Tamplin DVD for a couple months I'm routinely singing high C's and beyond. That combined with my weaker low voice leads me to beleive this. If it wasn't for this forum I wouldn't be singing up there like I am now. This forum is awesome!

Thank you for your contributions to this forum.

[markgrubb@gmail.com]

what does "ta" stand for??

Thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroarytenoid

[Steven Fraser]

Thanks Steven - I am doing your thick fold excersizes everyday - and not trying to overdo them. I can't yet start on a B, as I'm cracking - I'm starting on a D and working down to a B or below. I find that after my full vocal workout, I can't do the excersizes as well as say in the middle of my workout. It seems that the excersize are kindof like building muscle and my voice just plain gets tired. But the next day I'm a little stronger. Does this make sense?

guitartrek: I am not surprised that you are experiencing some cracking... its an indicator that the coordination is not quite right yet. My recommendation is to back off a dynamic level... its more important to make it firm/clear than to make it loudly.

This exercise is not so much about building strength, as it is about building a vocal coordination which has greater Thyroarytenoid (TA) involvement. Yes, some additional strength is expected when a muscle is used, but what we are really trying to do is establish a different level of balance of activity of the TA and CT (Cricothyroid). In kinesiology terms... we are exercising both sets of muscles through the complete range of motion, and encouraging a different level of activity of both as we do so.

As to the length of doing it... 5 or 8 minutes in a practice session should be sufficient. If you want to do more, alternate each downward scale with a high voice exercise... falsetto or light head voice. This is on the other end of the range of motion... CT is contracted and TA is stretched. You can think of this as working the 'ends' of the coordinative range.

If you decide to do the alternating approach, then I'd recommend a total of about 15 mins, followed by exercises which coordinate... full-range sirens, arpeggios, messa di voce, etc., for another 10 minutes. Following that, take a few mins break, and then work on songs. This approach should lessen the issue with the mid voice exercises, as you are likely overdoing the lower part a little bit... and (as we try to keep in mind) the goal is to build the coordinated voice... the whole thing.

[chele1000]

Thanks Steven! You are awesome! I think it's starting to make sense. :)

[gno]

Wow - another great piece of knowledge to broaden my understanging. I suppose most people here know what Steve is talking about, but it is once again new to me. So the CT muscles stretch the folds for higher pitch, and the TA muscles make the folds shorter for lower pitch. The two muscles are doing opposite things, like the tricep and bicep, and the better the coordination of the two, the more control we have throughout the entire frequency range. So to alternate between low and high pitch will work out both ends of the spectrum.

Steven - What actually thickness the chords? Are the chords a muscle too? Or is it simply increased intensity of the CT and TA working together (or against each other)?

[VideoHere]

yes, this is good knowledge. thank you.

[Steven Fraser]

Wow - another great piece of knowledge to broaden my understanging. I suppose most people here know what Steve is talking about, but it is once again new to me. So the CT muscles stretch the folds for higher pitch, and the TA muscles make the folds shorter for lower pitch. The two muscles are doing opposite things, like the tricep and bicep, and the better the coordination of the two, the more control we have throughout the entire frequency range. So to alternate between low and high pitch will work out both ends of the spectrum.

Steven - What actually thickness the chords? Are the chords a muscle too? Or is it simply increased intensity of the CT and TA working together (or against each other)?

guitartrek: From what you wrote above, you got the action of the CT and the TA in their correct relationship as stretecher and shortener of the vocal bands, respectively.

The term 'vocal cord' is a misnomer. When the vibrating vocal bands were first seen, it was thought that the white part (a ligament which looks like a cord) was the only part involved in the phonation. Hence the name. However, we now know that for modal voice, the glottal wave begins at the bottom of the vocal band, down a bit from the top surface. Its the thickness, tension and length of the entire vocal band that determines the phonation.

Generally, as the streteching/thinning of the vocal bands occurs, the fundamental pitch goes up. The edges of the vocal bands (the 'cords') are not muscle, but a very slender, flexible tissue. If you are interested in these sorts of things, I can point you to excellent resources that will show you all the parts.

The thickness of the vocal bands comes principally from the shortening action by the TA. If this shortening is resisted by the CT, an isometric relationship between the two muscles is set up, and this balance of work by the two muscle groups gives a great deal of control and flexibility to the kind of vocalism which is possible. Of course, it can be overdone, but its useful to know that the 'full voice' has both CT and TA in balance.

[gno]

Steven - yes I'm interested. Any online resources?

The voice is like the most complex musical instrument there is - by a long shot (except for the fact that it is pretty much not multi-timbral). There is so much to it and so many ways it can express.

Am I right about thickness of the folds? Let's say you are singing on C4 (an octave down from Tenor high C) and you sing lightly, then increase the volume - are you basically increasing the intensity of CT and TA (along with greater breath support) and in turn thickening the folds? Or will the folds always have the same thickness on a given pitch no matter what the TA and CT activity?

[Steven Fraser]

Steven - yes I'm interested. Any online resources?

The voice is like the most complex musical instrument there is - by a long shot (except for the fact that it is pretty much not multi-timbral). There is so much to it and so many ways it can express.

Am I right about thickness of the folds? Let's say you are singing on C4 (an octave down from Tenor high C) and you sing lightly, then increase the volume - are you basically increasing the intensity of CT and TA (along with greater breath support) and in turn thickening the folds? Or will the folds always have the same thickness on a given pitch no matter what the TA and CT activity?

guitartrek: This will get you started on the laryngeal muscle actions involved in crescendo:

http://www.ncvs.org/e-learning/nats-pdfs/messa_di.pdf

IMO, while head knowledge is usful, its better just to do it. Practice the exercise maintaining pitch and tone quality.

[doomhead]

Steven, Are these excercises that Guitartrek speaks of posted somewhere here on TMV? Are they the same as the "crescendo" excersises that is mentioned in your post above? I would like to add this into my workouts too. ANy advice on how to do them? just pick a note and try? and repeat on other notes?

[Steven Fraser]

Steven, Are these excercises that Guitartrek speaks of posted somewhere here on TMV? Are they the same as the "crescendo" excersises that is mentioned in your post above? I would like to add this into my workouts too. ANy advice on how to do them? just pick a note and try? and repeat on other notes?

doomhead: they are over in the thread 'low register help'. Just start at the top, and read the original question. My posts start at the 3rd one. That should be a good introduction

http://www.punbb-hosting.com/forums/themodernvocalist/viewtopic.php?id=657

As to messa di voce, here is a URL to an article I posted some time ago...

http://www.themodernvocalist.com/profiles/blogs/vocal-terminology-messa-di

I hope this helps get you started.

[VideoHere]

Steven - yes I'm interested. Any online resources?

The voice is like the most complex musical instrument there is - by a long shot (except for the fact that it is pretty much not multi-timbral). There is so much to it and so many ways it can express.

Am I right about thickness of the folds? Let's say you are singing on C4 (an octave down from Tenor high C) and you sing lightly, then increase the volume - are you basically increasing the intensity of CT and TA (along with greater breath support) and in turn thickening the folds? Or will the folds always have the same thickness on a given pitch no matter what the TA and CT activity?

guitartrek, i found this on y.t.

i'm doing the m.d.v. but they are without a doubt the most difficult exercises to do and do at all consistently. don't even go near it till you've warmed up.

hope this helps.

[Steven Fraser]

i'm doing the m.d.v. but they are without a doubt the most difficult exercises to do and do at all consistently. don't even go near it till you've warmed up.

hope this helps.

VIDEOHERE: :-) its for this reason that the m.d.v. is such a great exercise. Yes... challenging, as the requirement is nothing less than consistent tone and pitch while increasing and decreasing volume. Have patience. By just trying to do this, you will get better at it.

As I recall, yours is a larger voice. Sometimes those are a bit unwieldy. Do not hesitate at the beginning to start the note comfortably loudly, and increase/decrease just 1 notch. if the cresc/decresc are smooth, and tone quality is consistent, and pitch does not go sharp as you get louder or lower as you get softer... that is good for now.

in a couple weeks, you will feel like you can do the 1-notcher pretty well. Soften by 1 dynamic mark, and do 2 notches up and back. Every couple weeks start a wee bit softer.

[gno]

guitartrek, i found this on y.t.

i'm doing the m.d.v. but they are without a doubt the most difficult exercises to do and do at all consistently. don't even go near it till you've warmed up.

hope this helps.

Thanks VIDEOHER

I'm going to try this next time I practice.