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III THE VOCAL CORDS
AND
LARYNX
The Vocal Cords and Larynx .A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF the anatomy of the vocal cords and larynx is not necessary for the purpose of clear and effective speech, for we are concerned with these organs in a s much as a knowledge of them can make clear in Our mind their function and purpose only.
Nevertheless, we can draw on our imagination to visualise the action of the vocal cords. We can think of the vocal cords as the type of stage curtains which are drawn back from the center towards the sides, so that the whole stage can be obscured, or as much as the central opening will allow.
Page-25 The vocal cords are precisely that : muscular curtains meeting in the center, attached to the thyroid cartilage or, as most know it, the Adam's Apple. These muscular curtains function so as to adjust the quantity of air or respiration; when drawn together so that the edges are equal they produce what is known as the vocal lone. When drawn together in this manner the breath exhaled" is forced between them, causing the edges to vibrate and so making possible the variation of vocal tone. The sensitivity of tone is achieved by the subtle tension brought into play by the arytenoids cartilages, which in our mental image might be likened to the cords which draw our theatre curtains back and forth. The sensitive arytenoids cartilages, by increasing or decreasing the tension make possible the change in the vibration of the vocal cords as also the frequency or pitch of tone.
It is, however, most important to be quite clear that the control of the vocal cords does not depend solely upon this mechanical function of muscles and cartilage. The whole function of control is a sensitive coordination of this muscular system harmonising with the breath, receiving its orders from a mental conception and impulse of the vocal tone required. The actual perfection of tone value depends, basically, upon the deep inner sense of the need, the truth, the urgency of expression in relation to the idea-subject to be manifested.
Page-26 To put it another way. one could say that the sincerity of utterance, the subtle poise, the feeling of a relaxed equilibrium maintaining an inner tightness and force consisting of all the coordinating factors spontaneously brought about by true sincerity will—in spite of the amount of mechanical training—always create the best conditions of harmony in the muscular response. In this way the muscles that control the vocal cords and the sensitive tension of the arytenoids cartilage respond automatically to the best of their ability, always endeavouring to express what the inner experience demands of them. I have gone to some length here to explain the function of coordination between the inner basic demand and the outer mechanical and automatic response because it has a definite bearing on what we will finally discuss in the last chapter: the Power of Mantra. A feeling of effortlessness should be experienced when one is in the right attitude and the tone produced is at its best.
There is now a further factor which comes into play, once we have understood the place and value of the vocal cords and the larynx; the cavity in the throat to which the vocal cords are attached, these which make up the vibrators. If the breath, the power which moves the vibrators, is too forceful and out of balance or out of proportion to any of the other factors, the tonal quality will suffer.
Page-27 The full tonal quality of the human voice does not depend upon the vibrators alone but rather the tonal quality from the vibrators is amplified through the resonators, those resonating cavities of the sinuses in the forehead and the cavities around the nose, for head notes and in the thorax region of the chest for all the deeper tones. These resonators supply the overtones or harmonies and have a subtle balance all their own according to the particular bone structure and how it can be made to respond to the other inner and outer factors. The vibration of the vocal cords in the larynx is amplified by the whole of the thorax, as the strings of a violin are amplified by the wooden body of the instrument. Sincerity of the subject matter, personality of speech carrying power and the musical quality of a voice correctly produced depend on the balanced regulated breathing in harmony with the thoracic resonance and the auxiliary resonators in the head. The supply of breath should be so regulated as to ensure that there is neither a shortage nor an excess of what is required to produce the most perfect tonal quality possible. The importance of regulating the breath supply cannot be overstressed for it is according to the perfectly balanced pressure of the breath that Page-28 the open production, as it is called, can be brought into play. A full use of the voice can only be achieved by the open production, that is, when the muscles of the throat are relaxed and the pharynx, the back of the throat, and the glottis are not constricted. Such a constriction occurs when the breath is exhaled too quickly, causing an instinctive closing of the pharynx, to try to regulate the breath. This instinctive tendency to close or to partly close the pharynx is the error which the untrained speaker makes in order to control his voice, but which makes him constantly reach for the inevitable bottle of water found on most speech platforms. The larynx is a delicate instrument and must be treated with the same respect that a virtuoso violinist accords his valuable instrument. If one intends to use the larynx effectively or with any degree of perfection, it must not be misused by forcing the breath through the glottis at too great a pressure, whether by nervousness, by over-anxious concern or by a dogmatic brow-beating effort to convince. Shouting should be avoided at all times, unless one wishes to damage the vocal cords. One can always feel when the true 'open production' is being maintained, by the vibration of the thorax. Like a doctor feeling the pulse of a patient, we can place our finger-tips on the sternum or breast-bone, where the tonal vibration Page-29 can most easily be tested. You should also be able to feel a definite vibration of the ribs; and even the shoulder blades. .We can say that an effective speech basis, a correct foundation is being established when the thoracic resonance is steadily maintained, and only on this basis can we build an effortless speech rhythm which has the melodious tonal quality of effective speech. It should be remembered that for speech it is not at all necessary to acquire conscious control of the breath by the intercostals muscles; the natural tension of vocal cords resistance is all that is required, and this takes care of itself as a natural reaction of the open and balanced production. This balance is kept, first, by a correct vocal tone and, second, by using short phrases so that no greater demand on the breath is made than is necessary. If one wishes to reach a high standard of voice production it is almost imperative that one consult a capable expert in voice production. One cannot judge one's own voice with any degree of accuracy. Usually a thin constricted tone will sound far better to the speaker than it will to those listening to him because we hear our own voice directly, feeling the full vibration through the bones of the head, but this vibration is usually not heard at all by others who hear the tone after it Page-30 has passed through the space of air and their own ear. In fact, we seldom listen to our own voices, that is to say, really listen critically, as we perhaps seldom really listen to the voices of others. It is a very good discipline not only for speech training but for pronunciation and awareness of words in general to make a point of listening to the differences in voices—even the different " voices " of the same individual—to try to become aware of from where they speak, i. .e. from the physical mind, from the emotional or heart centers or from the mind or intellect, etc. In order that the vocal cords and the larynx may do their work efficiently there are three important points of which to be more conscious :
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