Unit 17: Developing Voice for the

Actor

THE HEALTHY
VOICE
A P R E S E N T A T I O N B Y : L I B B Y, K H R Y S T A L L E ,
JOANA AND JOHNSON

ARE YOU A SHOWER

SINGER OR A PROUD
WHAT
is the difference between a singer that brings music to
SINGER?

your ears, and an unfortunate vocalist who tends to cause

shooting pain to your head? Lets see the difference between a
good singer and a bad one
The UGLY (1:00)
The GOOD (2:03)

THE DIFFERENCE A HEALTHY

VOICE

Many think that being a good singer is down to pure luck in your genetics,
however, a solid technique and strong knowledge of the principles of voice
production and health in general can really help any aspiring singer to
improve. Throughout this presentation we will start to introduce you to the
main principles in voice production, and how knowing how each component
works can help you to make the best choices with your singing.
Breat
h
Contr
ol

These principles include:

Articulators

Vo
ca
l
Fo

Breathing

Th
e
Lar
yn
x

Reso
nator
s

The
Healt
hy
Voice

Physical Wellbeing

PRINCIPLES OF
VOICE
PRODUCTION

BREATHING IN SINGING
Breathing is really important in singing because without breath, without air, we have no voice. Breathing
controls your voice and if you cant control it properly, it makes it difficult for you to sing to the best of your
ability. The best way to breathe whilst singing is by using diaphragmatic breath.
When you breathe in your belly expands and when you breathe out your belly goes in. You must keep your
shoulder relaxed. (Dont let them rise and fall).

Anatomical Diagram of the

diaphragmatic breathing process
Diaphragmatic Breathing when
lying down

Breathing Technique in Singing an explanation

Breathe deeply from your lower lungs - imagine a rubber ring around your
waist (your diaphragm)
Breathe in and try to push the ring outwards.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose and mouth.
Avoid raising your shoulders as you breathe in - keep them relaxed and
level.

THE LARYNX
The Larynx is the voice box, the organ in the neck that plays a crucial role in speech and breathing. This
box contains our vocal folds.
The openings for air through the Larynx are known as the glottis and epiglottis, located below and behind
the tongue. They play a necessary part in closing off the glottis during swallowing.
The Larynx has three important functions:
1.

Control of the airflow during breathing

2.

Protection of the airway below it

3.

Production of sound for speech (helps your voice to be loud, clear and more powerful.)

Doing voice warm ups can improve your voice and clarity of speech.
The tongue trill is a good exercise to use, in which you place your tongue behind your upper teeth and exhale
and trill your tongue with a r sound. This warm up can help as it increases the vibration of your vocal folds
and engages the movement of your Larynx. Due to this, when you sing, you may notice your voice becoming
much louder and more clear.

THE VOCAL FOLDS

We now know that we speak with the help of the Larynx, and inside it are the two vocal cords which are the
top parts of the vocal folds. The folds are formed by thin bands of smooth muscle on opposite sides of the
airway, covered by a thin mucous membrane.

They widen from the front to the back of the larynx, where they are attached to the arytenoid cartilages,
which appear as a pair of bumps in the posterior wall. They are spaced widely during inhalation but close to
each other during voice production and swallowing.

The voice is created when the air in the lungs is pushed out between the contracting vocal cords. The air
pushing out between cords produces vibrations of the cords, resulting in the production of sound. The
intensity of the airflow being produced by the lungs determines the frequency at which the vocal cords can
vibrate. For example, a less-forceful air flow will not aid a fast enough vibration to produce sufficient sound.
The vocal cords form the opening to the trachea, and are protected from the entry of food or other particles
by the epiglottis (a flap of cartilage which bends to close the opening each time the tongue moves back to
allow swallowing.)

T H E R E S O N AT O R S A N D A RT I C U L AT O R S

A resonator is: an apparatus that increases the resonance of a sound,

especially a hollow part of a musical instrument. They are responsible
from transferring the buzzy sound of the vocal folds vibrating together
into a sung note. The voice can be compared to acoustic instruments
such as a guitar or trumpet, as they have specific chambers for resonating
the given tone. It may be weird to think of ourselves as an instrument but
essentially that is precisely what our voice is.
The resonating system changes the buzzy sound of the vocal folds
vibrating into a recognisable voice. The vocal tract resonators include the
throat, mouth cavity and nasal passages. Through these, the vocal sound
is changed and amplified to create a specific sound (e.g head voice has a
much lighter and open sound quality). When our voices are healthy, the
three main components of the resonators work in harmony to give
effortless sound production during singing and speaking .

ARTICULATORS

To produce a correct sound through singing, you must engage

your vocal tract articulators (the tongue, soft palate, teeth
and lips).
They modify the voiced sound being produced and help to
produce recognisable words. The teeth and tongue form words
after the resonators produce sound. The tongue is compiled of
several groups of muscles in order to be manipulated to form
various different words. For example, the front of the tongue
is flexible and as a result of this can work closely with the
teeth in forming some words. Muscles around the back of your
tongue help you to make guttural sounds such as g and k.

Used for softer

singing in either
register
throughout the
range

Head
Reso
nanc
e

Bright and edgy

sound with clarity
and projection

When combined with nasal

resonance, creates forward
placement
Conversational vocal quality in
singing

Mout
h
Reso
nanc
e

Nasa
l
Reso
nanc
e
Ches
t
Reso
nanc
e
Adds a richer, and darker tone
quality to the voice. Much
stronger than Head Resonance

T H E R E S O N AT O R S A N D A RT I C U L AT O R S
The soft palate plays a large role in sound resonance. It is important to know how to move it and
coordinate that movement with your tongue muscle, as overall it will improve the sound quality of
both sung vocal sounds and speech.
You need the soft palate to lift for a correct resonant tone. If it soft palate doesnt lift, you will make
a sound that has too much resonance in your nose - a nasal sound
If your soft palate drops, it can make a seal against the back of your tongue - all the air and sound
is transferred out of your nose. Therefore in order to create an open resonant sound you must lift
the soft palate when singing
Some of you may have trouble finding the soft palate, as it can feel hidden in your throat. If you
have trouble locating your soft palate, fake yawn. If you can feel the back of your throat opening
up this is most likely your soft palate being lifted. When singing open vowel sounds such as an
Ah or O, your soft palate should naturally lift to create an open and resonant tone with no strain
on the vocal folds.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOUD LIKE

TO KNOW ABOUT HOW THIS
APPLIES TO PERFORMANCE?

HOW YOU CAN WORK ON STRENGTHENING

YOUR VOCAL PRODUCTION
There are various exercises available that contribute to the strengthening of areas
such as diaphragmatic breathing, the intercostal muscles and the lung expansion.
They are simple exercises that take less than 10 minutes, and by doing them every
day you will undoubtedly be contributing to a much more controlled and refined
vocal technique.
Attached are two videos demonstrating the breathing exercises Puff The Magic
Dragon and Arpaggio Breath Management. Each in turn, when practised on a
regular basis, can help you to maintain a continuous support of breath whilst singing,
contributing to a much stronger airflow and overall sound quality.

PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON

ARPAGGIO BREATH MANAGEMENT

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE

EXERCISE?

HOW TO
MAINTAIN A
HEALTHY VOICE

MAIN FACTORS IN MAINTAINING VOCAL

HEALTH
Describe

Explain

Analyse

Drink plenty of water

Water hydrates all vital organs in

your body for correct function, and
the folds are some of the last to
receive this, therefore you must
drink sufficient amounts of water.
The thin mucus membrane
covering your vocal folds must be
kept diluted to keep your throat
clear.

A thicker mucus membrane means

the folds will not vibrate efficiently,
and therefore an incorrect and
clogged sound will be produced. It
is recommended that you drink
around 2-3 litres of water a day to
benefit both your physical and
vocal health.

Do not smoke

Smoking is full of risks and linked

to both throat and lung cancer.
Inhaling smoke can irritate the
vocal folds, due to the heat and
chemicals used. It increases the
amount of particulate toxins
exposed to the vocal folds.

The repeated action of inhaling

hash smoke causes a large amount
of damage to the vocal folds. It
results in both inflammation and a
rough sounding voice. For
example, a lot of rock singers have
damaged their voices beyond
repair with the combination of
vocal strain and smoking.

Rest your voice

Resting your voice is key, do not

misuse or abuse your voice.
Screaming or shouting involves
your vocal folds slamming together
repeatedly causing strain and
damage. If you continue to strain
to hit notes even when your voice
is tired, it can contribute to

You should give yourself a vocal

nap each day in order to reduce
the amount of strain on your voice.
Hoarseness on your voice is a sign
that your vocal folds are irritated,
and that you need to rest.

Describe

Explain

Analyse

Warm up before heavy use

Warming up your voice involves

gentle exercises such as humming,
lip trills and scales that gradually
incorporate all aspects of your vocal
organs. They tend to get more
intense as the warmup goes on to
engage the vibration of the vocal
folds and movement of the Larynx

From a singers perspective, its key

to warmup before heavy voice
performances as otherwise you will
strain to hit notes in the higher
register. If you think of your vocal
cords as a muscle, you wouldnt be
able to stretch fully on first go, so
you must warm the cords up
gradually until they reach peak
performance.

Use good breath support

Breathing is key in producing good

vocal sound, you must have a strong
airflow in order for the vocal folds to
vibrate at the correct frequency to
create the right pitch. Diaphragmatic
breath support aids this by ensuring
a strong air flow from the diaphragm

If your airflow isnt sufficient, you will

not be able to allow your vocal folds
to vibrate at the correct frequency,
meaning the note produced may
come out sharp or flat and less
powerful. If you have no foundation
in breath support then consequently
you will strain your voice to reach
notes that should be relatively easy
within your range. Therefore its key
to master breathing in the principles
of a healthy voice.

Maintain a balanced diet

Eat healthily, including vegetables

fruits and large amounts of water. In
addition to this you should include
wholefoods and protein. Avoid dairy
products as these contain lactose,
which increases your mucus

As a performer, a balanced diet will

help you to maintain your weight and
overall physical wellbeing. By having
a good physical health, your stamina
will improve and you will become
sick less often. In addition to this, it

THANK YOU
L I B B Y, K H R Y S T A L L E , J O A N A A N D J O H N S O N