Emliy C., Malde, Ch. 5, Part 1 (Pgs. 125-145)

Emliy C., Malde, Ch. 5, Part 1 (Pgs. 125-145)

• What is the key to success in resonance?
• Awareness
• What are the 9 moveable structures that affect the shape of your resonator?
• Balance of the head over the spine
• pharyngeal constrictors (back of throat muscles)
• velum/soft palate
• mandible/jaw
• tongue
• lips
• buccinator muscles (cheek insides)
• larynx and the muscles that move it
• aryepiglottic sphincter (opening of larynx into lower part of throat)
• Describe the vocal tract at rest.
• Lips closed or slightly open. Jaw slightly open so small space between teeth. Tongue lies in cradle of jaw, touching bottom teeth all the way around. Cheeks free/long. Soft palate suspended so air can move through nose or mouth. Muscles of pharynx nestle easily against neck vertebrae. Larynx mid between highest/lowest point. 
• Which movements of the vocal tract are essential to all styles of good singing?
• Free jaw movement for articulation. Tongue lie easily in jaw cradle but moving constantly for new vowels/consonants. Pharyngeal muscles released. Free head movement, but balance at Atlanto-Occipital joint. 
• Which movements are specific to classical style?
• Lips released/forward, cheeks long/free; more variation in jaw opening. Larynx is lower and soft palate higher. 
• Which movements do non-classical singers make?
• Wider lateral opening of mouth so cheeks pull back on lips. Larynx, soft palate, jaw will be closer to speech. Jazz: manipulate larynx movement and soft palate for color effects. 
• Keeping the head in balance does not mean keeping it _________________________.
• immobile.
• What are the two effects of resonance by the balance of the head?
• Can move larynx and change curve of throat. 
• What happens if you allow the back of the head to pull back and down (Chin up)?
• Larynx will be pulled up through connection to hyoid bone. 
• Describe the pharyngeal constrictors, as a whole.
• The muscles that surround the pharynx; three thin sheets of muscle that nestle against front of spine and back of throat and curve forward sloping down at the sides. Horseshoe-like in shape with opening at larynx. 
• Describe the location of the SPC.
• Superior pharyngeal constrictor: connected to base of skull behind nose opening, just in front of A-O joint. Sides connect to muscles of inner cheek/buccinators, which connect to lips. 
• Describe the location of the MPC.
• Middle “ “: Level of the corner of the jaw. Sides connect to hyoid bone at base of tongue. 
• Describe the location of the IPC.
• Inferior “ “: Continuous with esophagus on bottom and connect to the cricoid cartilage at sides. 
• What is the survival function of the pharyngeal constrictors?
• Assist in swallowing and regurgitation. Swallow: top to bottom. Vomit: bottom to top engage. 
• What is the job of the pharyngeal muscles for singing?
• Stay out of the way!
• What is the one muscles that can open the throat slightly? How does it do this? Where is it located?
• Stylopharyngeus can help stretch middle of pharynx. Originates at styloid process on bottom of skull behind ear. Extends obliquely down and forward along outside of SPC, inserting between upper/middle pharyngeal constrictors. Contracting: pulls out and back on MPC, stretching it slightly. 
• What should we avoid doing to try to get louder?  Why?
• Don’t tense sides of the vocal tract. Hardening the surface doesn’t increase resonance; it’s the chamber of air that is the resonator, not the surfaces of the vocal tract. 
• What are our choices if we want more volume?
• Use faster air flow, and/or change shape of chamber of air to make resonance stronger. 
• Describe the velum (location and function)
• Valve that opens/closes passages to nose. At top of throat above opening of pharynx into mouth. Uvula hangs from back edge. 
• Describe the movements of the soft palate.
• Neutral: air flow freely through nose/mouth. Highest: closes off nasal cavity. Lowest: closes off mouth cavity. 
• How many muscle pairs control the movement of the soft palate?  To what are they all attached?
• Four. two lift/stretch it and two pull it down. All attach to uvular muscle, forming body of soft palate. 
• What are the muscles called that lift the soft palate?  Describe their location.
• Levator veli palatini muscles. Originate at base of skull behind nose, pass through SPC, insert into top of uvular muscle. 
• Which muscles stretch the soft palate from side to side?  Describe their location.
• tensor veli palatini muscles. Palate stretchers originate slightly farther forward on skull. Then they descend to pterygoid hamulus, a bony horn that projects from skull behind nasal cavity, and turn to attach to sides of uvular muscle.
• What is the secondary effect of tensing the two muscles listed above?
• Also increases vertical space of the pharynx. 
• What are the muscles that lower the soft palate? What is the effect of engaging these muscles?
• The palatopharyngeus and palatoglossus muscles. The sound becomes more nasal. 
• Describe the location of these muscles.
• Palatopharyngeus connects to the sides of uvular muscle to lower pharyngeal constrictor, pulling soft palate down. Palatoglossus connect to uvular muscle to sides of tongue at back, pulling palate down/forward. 
• Describe the mandible.
• Single bone, horseshoes shaped, taller at back than front. At top of posterior portion, there are two rounded condyles, one on each side, connect jaw to skull with joints just in front of ears. In front of these are coronoid processes, inside cheekbones when jaw is closed. 
• Describe the location of the temporal mandibular joint.
• The joint where jaw connects to skull. TMJ. In front of ears. 
• What are the three most important muscles that move the jaw? What are their functions?
• masseter and temporalis muscles close the jaw. Digastric muscles open the jaw wide. 
• Describe the location of the masseter muscles.
• Originate on underside of cheekbones and insert into sides of jaw along back. 
• Describe the location of the temporalis muscles.
• Originate in a fan shape from the sides of skull above the ears, run obliquely inside cheekbones, and insert into coronoid processes of jaw. 
• Describe the location and function of the muscles that open the jaw.
• Engage the muscles below the jaw to open it beyond resting. Most important is digastric, originating inside mastoid process (bony hump on skull right behind ears). Run obliquely down, passing through fibrous loop attached to hyoid, then run under tongue to attach at jaw front behind chin. Make wide open V when viewed from side. 
• Geniohyoid and mylohyoid muscles. Geniohyoid: originate at jaw front behind chin center. Then run under tongue to insert into front of hyoid. Mylohyoid: originate from mandible inside above digastrics and geniohyoids. Ribers meet under middle of tongue in raphe (fibrous band). Runs from back of chin to hyoid, where mylohyoids back insert. Forms floor of mouth. 
• How do these three pairs of muscles move the jaw?
• Lower the jaw by pulling chin back/down towards hyoid. 
• Which are the consonants that require the masseter and temporalis to contract slightly?
• [s, z, f, v]
• Do any consonants require the teeth to be closed?
• Nope. 
• What is the jaw position for most consonants?
• Neutral position; natural elasticity of masseter/temporalis muscles will close jaw sufficiently. 
• Which muscles moves the jaw forward and from side to side? Describe their location & function.
• The lateral and medial pterygoids. Both muscle pairs arise on skull base behind nose. 
• Lateral: attach to condyles of mandible in front of TMJs. Assist in opening jaw by brining condyle forward in TMJ. Fully engaged, jaw juts forward. 
• Medial: attach to inside of mandible at lower back corner. Help close jaw. 
• When Medial and lateral engage on one side, move jaw to the opposite side.