INSIDE THE

LARYNX

Pierrot mit der Guitarre by Honoré Daumier

Have you ever played an instrument you could see?

Did seeing it help you learn how to play it? Vocalists are at a
huge disadvantage because they never get to see the
instrument they are playing. This can lead to frustration, built
up mythology and inefficient methods for creating the sounds
we want to produce.

While none of the muscles inside the larynx can be

felt or directly controlled
controlled, having a clear concept of how
each body part works gives vocal learners and instructors
direct and clear guidance when devising methods to achieve
their vocal goals.

WHERE IS THE LARYNX?

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The larynx sits at the top of the trachea.

The trachea , or the windpipe, is a tube made of cartilage that

allows air to travel to and from the lungs.

The vocal folds, also called vocal cords, sit inside the larynx.
Their primary function is to protect the airway and
make sure nothing unwanted goes down the trachea
in the lungs.

WHAT IS THE LARYNX MADE OF?

"Stretch" Crichothyroid (CT)

"Thicken" Thyroarytenoid (TA)

"Open" Posterior Crichoarytenoid (PCA)

"Bring Together" Lateral Crichoarytenoid (LA)

"Bring Together" Interarytenoid (IA)

HoThe larynx is made of 3 main cartilages (one is

paired)
paired), 1 bone
bone, and 5 muscle groups.

The vocal folds are attached to the cartilages.. The 2 main

cartilages can rock and glide on top of each other to
change the vocal folds' shape.

There are muscles that help bring the vocal folds together
together.

The vocal folds come together to

a) keep unwanted particles out of the lungs
b) stop airflow
c) phonate (i.e. make sound, speaking, singing)

There are muscles that open the vocal folds.

The vocal folds open to

a) let air in (inhalation/inspiration)
b) let air out (exhalation/expiration)

The opening and bring together muscles are antagonistic

(when one activates, the other has to release). However,
except in extreme cases, the opening and bring together
muscles are always activated simultaneously. Their trade-off
happens rapidly in a back-and-forth manner, adjusting as
needed in response to breath and acoustic variables, and to
our desired outcome as encouraged by the brain.

There are muscles that stretch and thin the vocal folds

In phonation, when the vocal folds stretch they

a) change the pitch created by the vocal folds
b) increase tension on the vocal folds to create higher pitches

There are muscles that shorten and thicken the vocal folds

In phonation, when the vocal folds thicken they

a) contribute to a 'heavier' sound
b) contribute to a 'louder' sound
c) decrease tension on the vocal folds to create lower pitches

The stretching and thickening muscles are antagonistic (when

one activates, the other has to release). However, except in
extreme cases, both the stretching and thickening muscles
are always activated simultaneously. Their trade-off happens
rapidly in a back-and-forth manner. This article by Soren
Lowell and Brad Story explains in greater detail the
uniqueness of these muscle's antagonism based on simulated
trials.

Lowell, Soren Y. and Brad Story. Simulated effects of cricothyroid

and thyroarytenoid muscle activation on adult-male vocal fold
vibration. Journal of the Acoustic Society of America. April, 2006,
pages 386-397.

www.voicescienceworks.org

Visit the Interactive Larynx site for an in-depth look at how

each laryngeal muscle group moves

WHAT'S THE LARYNX'S PURPOSE IN THE

BODY?

Because protecting the airway is such an important job,

the body spared no fineries in this part of biology. That's
why there are multiple muscles that do the same task:
bringing the vocal folds together. In case one set of muscles
fails, another set can take over.

The vocal folds will also come together in tasks like lifting
heavy objects, defecating, and child birth. If air is not
allowed to escape past the larynx, pressure will build
in the torso offering more resistance for a difficult task. This
is why you may hear a grunt after an heavy lifting. This is the
air is escaping in a large burst after being held below the
vocal folds during the task.

The secondary function of the larynx is to create

sound
sound. Muscles in the larynx bring the vocal folds together
which interrupts air escaping the lungs. The number of times
they interrupt the airflow per second creates the pitch. See
our page on How We Make Sound for more information.

Note that the muscles of the larynx put the vocal folds into
position for vibration. They do not vibrate themselves to
create the pitch.

breathing speaking/singing

vocalfoldscome
vocalfoldsareopen
(abducted) togetherandvibrate
(adducted)

view:lookngdownthethroat,
ontothelarynx

www.voicescienceworks.org

View of larynx looking down the throat into the trachea

The vocal folds close for tasks like heavy lifting

HOW DOES THE LARYNX CONTRIBUTE TO

THE SOUND BEING MADE?

The Thickening Muscle (The

TA muscle)

When the heavy muscle that

shortens and thickens the vocal
folds is active, a larger bulk of
the folds is active in vibration.

This affects the quality of the

sound.

For lower notes, the folds vibrate slower and therefore can
remain shorter and thicker. For higher notes, the folds vibrate
faster. It can be easier to allow just the edges of the
folds to vibrate, meaning the TA Thickening Muscle
will be have to be less active.
This is likely where we get language like
"let go as you get higher", "don't push the top note", "turn it
over, transition early","don’t bring up the weight"

The Stretching Muscle (The

CT muscle)

The CT muscle connects the two

main cartilages that hold the
vocal folds. When the CT
Stretching Muscle contracts, the
cartilages can rock and glide on
top of each other resulting in the
vocal folds lengthening,
thinning, and stretching.
Top view of vocal folds
stretching, looking down the The amount of stretch that
throat into the trachea occurs helps change the
pitch being produced.

For the vast majority of people's vocal ranges (even down

into the lower part of their range), the CT stretching muscle
engages more dominantly than the others. This is particularly
important when considering the antagonism with the
stretching and thickening muscles. Because most people
speak in a limited and low pitch range, coordinating this
muscle as dominant in the coordination can often be the
most difficult to access in new singers, who rarely use it for
speech.

Side view of the CT muscle stretching the vocal folds

Trade Off Between Muscles

The heavy thickening muscle (TA) and the stretching thinning

muscle (CT) are considered antagonistic. As one increases
activeness, the other must decrease.

When people experience a crack or break in the

voice, it may be a result of the shortening muscle and the
stretching muscle having an unbalanced trade off in
muscle coordination.

However, except in extreme cases, both the stretching and

thickening muscles are always activated simultaneously. Their
trade-off happens rapidly in a back-and-forth manner. This article
by Soren Lowell and Brad Story explains in greater detail the
uniqueness of these muscle's antagonism based on simulated
trials.
Lowell, Soren Y. and Brad Story. Simulated effects of cricothyroid
and thyroarytenoid muscle activation on adult-male vocal fold
vibration. Journal of the Acoustic Society of America. April, 2006,
pages 386-397.

The vocal folds themselves are a highly specialized

combination of muscle, ligament, and mucosa. The vocal
ligament is of particular interest, because it is able to bear
significant amounts of pressure. This is one reason why the
human vocal folds are able to phonate over such a large
range of notes. In the image below, the thin pink line
represents the vocal ligament.

Language
around
laryngeal Stretchymuscle Thickeningmuscle
(CT) (TA)
muscle
interaction

When we
begin to
understand
laryngeal
muscle Asonetakesover,theotherhastoletgo

function, we
view.lookngdownthethroat

create ontothelarynx

opportunitie
s to speak
with greater clarity about the voice. Traditional voice
terminology uses terms like "head voice" and "chest voice" to
describe vocal registers. Laryngeally speaking, most of what
defines the difference between these two metaphors focuses
on a singular event in the voice known by various labels like
"break, crack, flip, etc." Everyone who has tried to glide
across their range from low to high has felt this event.
Without getting too deep into the weeds of the "registration"
discussion (see more on our Vocal Registers? page), when we
choose to view the voice as a wider collection of events than
just the one "break", new opportunities open up.

To discuss the differences in laryngeal activity in ways that

don't depend upon the "break", we like to use terminology
that focuses on muscle engagement and interaction. For
example, when a sound has more harmonics overall
(described as brighter, bigger, heavier, etc.), more of the
muscle mass of the vocal folds is in contact. By contrast,
when a sound has fewer harmonics overall (described as
warmer, richer, pure, etc.) less of the muscle mass of the vocal
folds is in contact. In this configuration, they might even be
in a ligament-dominant posture, meaning that the thickening
muscle isn't touching at all. The benefit of describing
laryngeal muscle interaction with this kind of language is that
it provides two points of distinct information that align with
science and are visible in a spectrogram such that a vocalist
can see them in addition to hearing them.

Other actions of the vocal folds can be described in similar

ways. We've found that when we allow our more
metaphoric/less specific language to recede from our
vocabulary and be replaced by specific language, learning
increases at a rapid pace, and future confusion tends to be
replaced by exciting questions.

Here are some of the events and language

that we use

Muscle mass variations

The amount of the vocal folds that touch during vocal fold
vibration impacts the energy in the harmonics produced.
When more muscle mass touches during vibration, all
harmonics have more energy, when less touches, all
harmonics have less energy.
We like to use our hands to demonstrate this, showing the
palms and fingers in vibration for the full muscle mass, and
fewer fingers for less muscle mass, flipping to the first fingers
alone for a ligament-dominant position.

When the thickening muscles (TA) touch during vibration,

they assumes the bulk of the strain on the vocal folds. When
the thickening muscles (TA) do not touch in vibration, that is,
when the folds are on their edges, the vocal ligament
assumes the bulk of the strain on the vocal folds.

Three important elements to remember:

1) The stretchy (CT) and thickening (TA) muscles are always
both in use, and in a constant, rapidly-changing dance with
one another. There isn't a moment when one stops and the
other starts (except in certain range extremes). There is,
however, a moment when the thickening (TA) muscles no
longer touch one another, and therefore are no longer in
vibration.

2) There are countless variations of how the thickening

muscle (TA) can be in vibration. When the full muscle mass
touches during vocal fold vibration, for example, vocalists
create the greatest amount of harmonic output. If that
outcome is desirable, knowing how it feels and sounds will be
important for recreating it. The same can be said of any
muscle mass configuration.

3) Without the most sophisticated equipment, a vocalist can't

be sure of exactly how much muscle mass is in vibration. We
use our ears and understanding of the instrument to get a
general idea of muscle use. The brain's need to narrow
potential options often leads people to create two or three
metaphors to describe what is actually endless varitety (head,
chest, and mix, for example). Finding ways to create clarity in
your thinking, and measurable repetition can be delightful
explorations.

Opening and Bring Together Muscles

The interplay between the opening (PCA) and bring together

(LCA and IA) muscles can influence sound output in
significant ways. The engagement of these muscles often
depends upon how acoustic back pressure aligns with breath
pressure from below (see our Acoustic Strategies page, scroll
down to "inertance"). When acoustic alignment is not
sufficient to meet breath pressure demands, the bring
together muscles (LCA and IA) further engage to ensure
continued phonation. This can often result in a "pressed"
sound. If the bring together muscles (LCA and IA) respond
slowly, or without focus, a "breathy" sound can result. Like
the stretchy (CT) and thickening (TA) muscle interaction, there
are countless variations in the rapid dance that the opening
(PCA) and bring together (LCA and IA) muscles engage in, and
each of these variations creates potential for artistic
exploration.

Johan Sundberg in The Science of the Singing Voice, uses the

terms "breathy", "pressed", and "flow" to describe three
potential postures of the opening (PCA) and bring together
(LCA and IA) muscles. Breathy and pressed are described
above. "Flow" phonation generally describes a posture
wherein acoustic back pressure and breath pressure are more
equalized, allowing the opening (PCA) and bring together
(PCA and IA) muscles to interact with greater ease. (Sundberg,
Johan. The Science of the singing Voice. Northern Illinois
University press, 1987, pg 79-85).

Maximum Flow Declination Rate

How quickly the vocal folds come together adds another

important element to the overall discussion. The scientific
measurement for this element is the "maximum flow
declination rate." Simply put, it means the rate at which the
flow of air from the beneath the vocal folds stops. For simple
shorthand, you can refer to it as the "closing rate".
Remember that each time the vocal folds are in full contact,
the air flow ceases for that moment. This "full closure"
moment is essential for creating sound. How quickly that air
flow cessation occurs influences energy in the harmonic
output. If the folds come together very quickly, all of the
harmonics have increased energy. If the folds come together
more slowly, the harmonics have less energy. Hearing the
maximum flow declination rate (MFDR or "closing rate") as an
unique contribution to sound can be difficult. Like laryngeal
muscle interaction, it's impossible to assess specifically
without sophisticated equipment. Software like VoxInSilico
and Voce Vista's EGG capacity create distinct visual
assessments to measure the "closing rate." Being aware of its
important contribution, however, can open the ears to new
variables in the overall sound, and lead to new language
choices. Acoustic choices like increased "twang" can lead to
increased MFDR (see Acoustic Strategies for more)

MFDR measures are an important aspect of the research that

Lowell and Story explored: Lowell, Soren Y. and Brad Story.
Simulated effects of cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscle
activation on adult-male vocal fold vibration. Journal of the
Acoustic Society of America. April, 2006, pages 386-397.

The Break

As mentioned above, the interaction between a muscle-

dominant vocal fold posture and ligament-dominant vocal
fold posture can sometimes feel like a singular event. This
transition can be one in which the strain on the vocal folds
transfers directly from the thickening muscle (TA) to the vocal
ligament, but, it can also be more gradual. When the dance
between the stretchy (CT) and thickening (TA) muscles meets
an abrupt transition such that the amount of vocal fold mass
leaps from a muscle dominant posture to a ligament
dominant posture, the entire mechanism (breath pressure,
vocal fold mass, and acoustics) destabilizes for a moment,
creating an auditory "break" in the sound, and a sharp
physical and emotional response. We choose to see this
event as a part of the mechanism as a whole, rather than