Keeping the larynx from floating up

[Jarom]

My larynx has been stubborn lately and it wont seem to dampen or stay neutralized on certain notes. It rely loves to float up the higher I go. What are some tricks to keep it from raising.

also its very easy for me to lower or raise my larynx when speaking but when singing especialy in head tones its another story

[Martin H]

@Jarom

Your larynx needs to rise the higher you go.

[David_kylie]

@Jarom

Your larynx needs to rise the higher you go.

thats what i noticed also...u can try kepping it lower but it will go up to some extent

[D.Starr]

Never believed in manipulating the larynx in any way.

I just make sure support is there, hold back the air and modify the vowel in the most simplistic terms.

[Owen Korzec]

You need to support correctly in order to get the larynx to stop raising. If you just force the larynx down by itself, yes you will lower it, but you will not get the true benefit, you will just falsely darken your tone and it will sound odd, and additionally you may sing flat or lose notes in your range because the support energy is not making up for it. The lowered/neutralized larynx is not something you should ever manipulate directly, it merely happens as a RESULT of support, correct vowel modification, and removing excess tension. Proper support makes the larynx go down naturally. Too many vocal methods miss out on this point, which if I'm not mistaken is deeply rooted in old classical training.

Another point often misinterpreted is the larynx never actually lowers as you rise in pitch. It has to raise, you just want it to raise LESS.

[Danielformica]

this

The thing is you can't just "believe" what other teachers, methods, etc say and believe it's the truth without trying it all different ways for yourself. Look at about :54 high note," lower larynx" not higher. . And saying support is why the larynx stays down is just not fact. I'm not picking on you Owen, just showing you can trust,but you should also feel it for yourself.

[Owen Korzec]

Dan I've tried manipulating the larynx to stay as low as that dude on high notes and it just doesn't work for me, my range stops at the A3 and sounds like a comedy voice if I try to do that. I go by what works for me and that happens to be going by sound and feel and sheer practice, not getting hung up over the actual height of my larynx in mirror which I will never see when I perform. But if I do look at my larynx in a mirror practice at home, it dances around freely - it likes to stay lower on lip bubbles and then when I sing it rises falls stays it just depends but I never want to feel like I am exercising muscular control on it, I want to make sure my ear and emotion are in control of it and I've trained it respond naturally rather than mathematically

[Danielformica]

Keep working it will come. You never want to hold it down or manipulate it down, the vowel will adjust it for you. It's not going to be like Corelli that guy was 1 in a million but it will float and not rise as much. And no math please

[Owen Korzec]

exactly Dan I've agreed with you all along

[Martin H]

In my opinion it's best to let the larynx go where it needs to go to reach the pitch. Then you can alter it within a certain limit to change the sound color.

[Felipe Carvalho]

Depends on the notes, trying to make a high C dark is not very smart... Darkening lower near the passage area is easier, one thing that may help without you trying to alter the vowel or the larynx height directly is using a more "imperative" voice. Lets say that you are giving an order to a pet for example, and you really want it to be obeyed. A command.

[Owen Korzec]

Depends on the notes, trying to make a high C dark is not very smart... Darkening lower near the passage area is easier, one thing that may help without you trying to alter the vowel or the larynx height directly is using a more "imperative" voice. Lets say that you are giving an order to a pet for example, and you really want it to be obeyed. A command.

What's wrong with a dark C? Most of the high C's I've heard sound dark - at least in an illusory way - although the larynx may raise and higher formants may end up amplified more, don't you think the whole vowel setup is best kept darker, like modifying toward an "ouh" kind of sound?

Also cool reference.

[RowboCaup]

I have to agree with Dan on this one. Here is a tip for keeping the larynx in a relaxed/low position:

As you are vocalizing, imagine the resonance/air in your mouth as a small balloon. The balloon is lifting up against the hard/soft palate, and becoming larger as you go up. The balloon becomes larger by feeding it more resonance/air, NOT by yawning.

Good luck!