Emily C.: DYV, Ch. 18

Discover Your Voice: Chapter 18

Emily Cottam

Chapter Summary: The threshold of hearing is at 0 dB, and the threshold of pain (safety) is 120 dB. Lowest sound that can be heard as pitch is from 16-20 Hz, and highest is 16,000-20,000 Hz. It takes more energy to create an audible low than high note. Hearing once lost is never recovered. There is a muscle in your ear that protects your ears from the sound of your own voice; that’s why you should strain to make louder sounds. Train yourself to be aware of the sensation of singing, not the sound. If exposed to a higher volume of sound over a long period of time, you can become “accustomed” to that sound, and in order to perceive something as loud, it must become even louder than before. When singing, try bringing intensity of consonants to the level of the vowels. “It’s better to change muscular adjustments than to use more energy to sing higher notes.” Start pitches from the top, don’t push up to them. Let the listeners “come to you.” Diplacusis is when the two ears of an individual register the same pitch differently, and can be connected to allergies and Meniere’s syndome. It really goes without saying--take care of your hearing. 

Key Concepts: Understanding how hearing works for both the singer and audience can help make a performance even more successful; being sensitive to how we naturally perceive our own sound and how an audience reacts to our singing can result in a balanced performance. Take care of your hearing. 

Key Terms: tensor tympani, auditory fatigue, overamplification, diplacusis

Making Connections: One thing that I struggle with in practicing is that I tend to focus a lot on what I sound like. Recently, I’ve been trying to focus on how it feels when I’m singing rather than what I sound like, and as a result, I leave practice with a less tired voice than before.