Emily C., Malde, Ch. 4

Emily C., Malde, Ch. 4

• What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic laryngeal muscles? What are their functions?
• Extrinsic muscles: connect to outside of the larynx and move it up and down in the neck.
• Intrinsic: connect the laryngeal cartilages and delicate move things within the larynx. 
• Describe the cartilages of the larynx. Include information about structure, size, function.
• Cricoid cartilage: “ring” shape with 9-17/11-21 mm diameter. Taller in the back than front. It hinges below the thyroid cartilage.
• Thyroid cartilage: “Adam’s apple,” is open at the back. Has superior and inferior horns on top and bottom. 
• Arytenoid cartilages: Perch atop the back of the cricoid and hide behind the thyroid cartilage. They have the vocal process (connecting to the cords) and the muscular process where it connects to the cricoid cartilage. Shaped like triangles. 
• Epiglottis: Shaped like a teardrop with point down, connecting to the center of the thyroid cartilage. It prevents food and liquid from entering the trachea. Singing purpose is just resonance. 
• What is cartilage?
• Tough, elastic tissue with distinct shape like bone but more flexible. 
• What is ligament?
• Short/flexible/tough fibrous type of connective tissue that connects bone to bone, bone to cartilage, or cartilage to cartilage. 
• What is muscle origin?
• Point of attachment of a muscle that remains relatively fixed during contraction. 
• What is muscle insertion?
• Point of attachment of muscle that moves most during contraction. 
• What is dynamic equilibrium?
• When opposing muscles work with each other: one contracts/recoils while other releases.
• What is muscle antagonism?
•  (a.k.a. co-contraction), when opposing muscles work against each other. 
• What are opposing muscles?
• Muscles that work in opposite directions. 
• What are paired muscles?
• Muscles that occur on both sides of the body (mirror-like). 
• What is stabilized physiological tremor rate?
• Rate of vibration innate to the body that occurs when muscle antagonism is sustained. 
• Describe the following muscles (location and function)
• 1. posterior cricoarytenoid: Originate from back of cricoid cartilage and insert into muscular processes of arytenoid cartilages. They swivel arytenoids so vocal processes spread apart (they abduct/open). 
• 2. lateral cricoarytenoid: Insert into muscular processes of arytenoid cartilages but originate from sides of cricoid. When contract, they swivel the arytenoids to close vocal processes (adduct/close). 
• 3. transverse arytenoid: Lie behind the arytenoids, connecting them in a side to side manner. Slide the arytenoid cartilages snugly together, completing closure of glottis. 
• 4. oblique arytenoid: Lie behind the arytenoids, connecting them in a criss-cross manner. Slide the arytenoid cartilages snugly together, completing closure of glottis.
• What are the two parts of the Thyroarytenoid muscle? What are their functions?
• Vocalis muscle: primary vibrating bodies of the vocal fold and snuggle up to the vocal ligaments on either side of the glottis. When contracted, they increase tension in folds. 
• External TA muscle: on outside of the vocals muscles. When contracted, they make vocal folds shorter/thicker. 
• What are the two parts of the Cricothyroid muscle? What are their functions? What are their attachments?
• They are “bellies” that, when contracted, rock the thyroid cartilage forward at its joints with the cricoid cartilage. The paired cricothyroid muscles arise from the sides of the cricoid cartilage at the front then connect to thyroid cartilage at the sides obliquely. 
• How is pitch determined?
• By the rate of vibration in a muscle instrument. 
• What happens as we descend in pitch?
• The vocal cords thicken, there’s less tension, or the vocal chords are larger/longer. 
• Summarize the activities of the 3 laryngeal muscles responsible for pitch.
• External TA muscles: make folds shorter/thicker/looser, lowering pitch.
• Vocalis muscles: add tension, raising pitch.
• CT muscles: make folds longer/thinner/tenser, raising pitch. 
• Define register. (What happens at the laryngeal level?)
• A series of tones that have the same vocal production. Pitches can vibrate at the same rate but with a different shape, governed by TA and CT. 
• Name and describe the 4 registers of the voice. (Please include the subdivisions of modal.)
• Glottal Fry: CT completely released.
• Modal Voice: CT and TA engaged concurrently.
• Chest: TA more.
• Mixed/middle: TA and CT active. Balanced tone.
• Head: CT more. 
• Falsetto/flute: TA completely released, and pitch determined by just CT. Only vocal ligaments vibrate. 
• Whistle: TA completely released and CT fully engaged. Pitch determined by damping back of vocal folds, shortening vibration length. 
• How does heavy vs light differ from loud vs soft?
• heavy/light: chest/head voice. loud/soft: volume of chest/head voice. 
• In classical singing, we blend the actions of the TA and CT using __________________.
• dynamic equilibrium. 
• What are the 3 possible types of onset/offset. Describe them.
• Balanced: air from lungs meets glottis just as it’s closing.
• Glottal: onset delayed momentarily because folds are already closed. “Click” onset.
• Aspirate: phonation delayed when air reaches glottis before closing. 
• How do the vocal folds come into vibration?
• Interaction of vocal folds with expiratory breath causes vibrations. When folds are adducted by intrinsic muscles, breath pressure builds and forces folds apart, which come back together from Bernoulli principle and elastic recoil. 
• What causes a breathy sound?
• When vocal folds are either closed too loosely or space between arytenoids is left open. 
• What causes a strident sound?
• From heavy vocal production, with an increased tension in voice. 
• What causes a tight sound?
• Laryngeal muscles are working too hard to close the glottis. 
• What does the larynx have to do with dynamics?
• Loudness/softness regulated by speed of breath flow and reaction of vocal folds to it. Soft/slow, loud/quick. 
• How can intonation be fixed?
• Experiment with the following:
• narrow range vs. wide range and shifts between registers.
• carrying registers too high or low can affect intonation.
• When adjusting to new registers, watch out. 
• Resonance also affects intonation. 
• What causes vibrato?
• Stabilized physiological tremor rate. 
• How can vibrato be controlled?
• If body is in balance, neck released, breathing muscles are functioning properly, and laryngeal muscles engaged w/out excess effort, vibrato is natural. 
• What are nodules and how can they be prevented?
• They’re calluses on epithelium membrane covering the vocal folds. Speaking and sing with good technique and try to keep yourself in a healthy environment.