The Vocal Cords

The vocal cords are the critical system in a healthy functioning voice. Singers who injure their voices generally have damaged their vocal cords, while singers who project with ease and power have vocal cords that are healthy, strong, and coordinated. Many singers are unaware of the simple and effective techniques that can be used to keep their vocal cords healthy:

1.Stay hydrated, drinking at least two liters of water daily

2.Avoid clearing your throat

3.If you feel your voice getting tired with a scratchy or tingly sensation, stop singing

4.Avoid using a glottal attack

5.Engage the the vocal cords by actively speaking the words of your song

The Structure of your Vocal Cords

Your vocal cords are capable of amazing feats. They can vibrate at more than 1000 cycles per second, and resist large amounts of pressure and energy with great speed and, dexterity. The vocal cords are surrounded by three layers of mucous that act as a lubricant; a special protective coating that allow the vocal cords to contact each other and cycle through the sound waves at very high speeds and volume. It's helpful to consider the “water structure” of the vocal cords, and recognize the essential role that mucous plays in the health of the vocal cords. In order for them to function properly, you must drink enough water!

Similarly, clearing your throat is to be avoided, because it scrapes off this precious mucous so necessary to the high speed vibration of the vocal cords. When you clear your voice because of “phlegm”, your body will immediately send more to continue to protect the vulnerable layers of muscle that lay beneath the outer layers of mucous. If you continue to clear and sing, these inner layers of the vocal cords will swell up, preventing an even closure and resulting in a broken sound. That is why if you feel your vocal cords starting to get inflamed with a scratchy or tingly sensation, it is important to stop singing right away. Sometimes it only takes a minute or two for them to recover, but sometimes longer, much longer to recover depending on the extent of the injury to the inner layer of the vocal cord.

Adduction, or Vocal Cord Closure

When you make a sound, the vocal chords begin to vibrate, or adduct, The opposite of adduction is abduction (when things are taken apart from each other). The critical moment for a singer is when adduction is initiated after breathing, because the first wave of vocal cord closure requires the most energy, and sets up the dynamics for whatever notes follow. In other words, when you start to sing, don’t blast your vocal cords with too much air, but try to engage them gradually on the flow or air, avoiding any muscular motion in your throat. When you initiate adduction properly, your voice flows effortlessly with power and emotion. This we will refer to as balanced initiation, where air meets vocal cord in perfect balance and energy.

The chief enemy of this balanced initiation of the vocal cords is the glottal attack. A glottal attack happens when the epiglottis closes and releases at the moment of initiation. This can be a little subtle to detect at first, but the easiest way to learn and understand it is to watch my video describing the vocal cords. You can feel the epiglottis closing when you swallow or cough, but the most dramatic feeling comes if you pretend to throw up (Yuck!). The epiglottis closes the throat and protects the voice and lungs from liquid intrusion. When you sing, it’s easy to use a glottal attack to initiate adduction, but it will lead to damage of the vocal cords, limit your range, cause you to run out of breath and sing of key. In other words, it’s simpler for the brain to figure out pitch with the glottal attack, but everything that happens after that first split second of initation is doomed! This is why:

Immense pressure can be restrained with the epiglottis, much more than the vocal cords can handle generally. Once the epiglottis is released, the vocal cords become overwhelmed with air pressure, and cannot sustain the adduction for very long.

The action of the glottal attack scrapes the mucous off of the the vocal cords, causing strain and inflamation.

The closure of the windpipe at the epiglottis causes the resonant spaces above the larynx to become blocked, preventing the pharynx and head voice from resonating, and preventing an even blend between chest voice and head voice.

Engaging the Vocal Cords

Singing is not all about relaxation. If you completely relaxed everything, there would be no sound! The art of singing well is the proper engagement of the “little” muscles that control the vocal cords, while relaxing the “big” outer muscles that interfere with proper functioning of the voice. The “Big Muscle” groups that can interfere with the functioning of the vocal cords are :

The jaw

The neck

The tongue

The epiglottis (when initiating with a glottal attack)

Some of the “Little Muscle” groups inside the larynx that control the voice at the Balance Point are the:

Thyroaratanoid (TA) muscle (primarly controling the chest voice and making the pitch lower)

Cricothyroid (CT) muscle (primarily controling the head voice and making the pitch higher.

It is an oversimplification to describe the workings of the vocal cords limited to these two muscles, because in reality there are several sub muscle groups working together to control the vocal cords, and the way in which the operate is highly complex. But for the purposes of understanding, it is helpful to imagine just two, with the TA muscle grounding you to your lower, chest notes, and the CT muscle grounding you to your higher, head voice notes. Here again, the video is most helpful to hear the action of these muscles. The key to the health of the vocal cords is the effective engagement of the TA and the CT muscles, without tightening the Big muscle groups that constrict the muscles surrounding the larynx and vocal cords. This engagement I refer to as “Good Grip”, and makes the voice have a somewhat reedy or edgy quality. It is the quality of speech, which I refer to as the Balance Point.

There is a misconception among many singers about the notion of grip, because many singers mistakenly believe that there should be complete relaxation in the voice box. If you sing this way, your voice will be very breathy and airy, and you will run out of breath quickly. The result of this insufficient adduction is a very tired voice, because inevitably, the lack of grip at the vocal cord level results in an activation of the big outer muscles, or a “Bad Grip” of the voice. All of this can be simply discovered by watching your face as you sing. Are there tendons sticking out in your neck? Is your face wrinkled as you sing high? Is your tongue shriveling up as you sing? Work to relax the big muscles you can see with your eyes, and engage the little muscles inside the larynx that give the voice the spoken, edgy quality of adduction.

The master concept behind the control of the vocal cords is the action of speech, or the Balance Point. When you talk with a sincere, natural voice, your vocal cords adduct. Singing requires a wider dynamic range of pitch and volume, and so it can be difficult to maintain adduction of the vocal cords. But the moment that the vocal cords stop adducting, whether due to too much air pressure, tension in the outer muscles, or some other imbalance in the voice, the listener can perceive that the artist is no longer "sincere", and the song looses it's meaning. Therefore, the quest for the proper vocal technique is a quest for sincerity or honesty, where the message of the song comes through you with power, clarity, and emotion. Having good coordination of the vocal cords and surrounding muscles is the key to this goal.

Tips To Get Selected In A Songwriting Contest

Songwriting contests offer the biggest platform for aspiring songwriters to transform themselves from amateurs to professionals in the world of music. The songwriters achieve popularity, exposure and many music brands approach such artists asking them to write songs for them. If you are a budding songwriter who wants to make it big by participating in the contest, then given below are few tips, which will improve your chances of winning the songwriting contest.

The very first step that you need to keep in mind while writing a song would be to identify your genre and write the song accordingly. Select the theme of the song, which you can relate to. According to musical experts, individuals can write the ultimate song only when they write about people, emotions that resonate with them. This would be a great approach, if you try to convey your feelings through the song. You can also make use of rhymes and choruses in alternating pattern.

Second important songwriting tip would be to use rhythmic portion to convey the story of your song. Punctuate the rhythmic lines of the song with easy chorus, which encloses the message of song. The next step would be to write down the musical backdrop required for the song. Select the kind of instruments which you would like to use in song such as a bass, guitar, piano or drum. However, the instruments you select should go with the words of the song.

If you love songwriting, you need to keep penning down your songs without waiting for results. Take part in a songwriting contest or log on to Internet web sites and locate popular song writing competitions. Participate in the professional song writing competition and submit your recorded CD or the written song.

Be selective about the songwriting contest you choose to participate in. Learn as much as you can about the rules, regulations, and requirements. Last but not the least, participate in a songwriting contest with the right spirit.

About The Author

Write Music That Appeals To Peoples Emotions

Whether you write music first or lyrics first, please remember this one thing. Melody is king!

I want to explain why I believe that statement to be true.

I know when it comes to songwriting all of the elements must fit together just so. There has to be a perfect marriage of lyric, melody, structure and feel. That is the hallmark of a great song.

But I have heard too many songs that seem to focus primarily on the lyrics. The writer has poured out his or her soul to create a truly touching and beautiful story. Then those wonderful lyrics are paired with a mediocre, or even (gasp!) boring melody.

The result? A mediocre, boring song!

Those lyrics might work wonderfully on their own. But a monotonous unimaginative melody drags them down.

Appeal To The Emotions

As a songwriter, writing melody that appeals to the emotions of your listeners should be your top priority.

Why?

Because it's the melody that our brains latch onto first. A melody on it's own can make you cry, laugh and everything in between. It truly can be a direct communication to the soul. An interesting mood-evoking melody commands our attention. It makes us sit up and take notice.

Only then do we start to pay attention to the storyline. To the lyrics. And if those lyrics are top-notch: Bingo! You've hit the jackpot.

Write Lyrics As Good As Your Melody

Now, this scenario can also be looked at from the opposite side:

You write music that is truly inspiring. You then settle for the first lyrics that pop into your head. You don't bother rewriting those lyrics. You figure that since they fit the melody and tell the story they are good enough.

I did this for years! And I was always secretly embarrassed by my lyrics.

As songwriters, we must strive for that perfect balance. And it takes time and effort to master. (I'm still working on completing my apprenticeship!)

Work On Your Weakest Skill

If you only want to write music or you only want to write lyrics, that's okay. Collaborating with writers who excel at what you do not is a great way to write songs. If you love to write melody, find yourself a great lyricist. Or vice-versa.

Most of us are better at one aspect of songwriting than we are at others.

For me, it's always been writing melody that seems to come naturally. As a lead guitarist I usually opted for the slow, melodic, soulful lead over the fast shred. Through the years I've written quite a few instrumentals that I am proud of.

Lyrics have always been a struggle for me. That's why I tend to spend a lot more time working on the words to my new songs than I do the melody.

But I spend quite a bit of time on writing melody too! Because I understand how important a great melody is.

Listen To Your Melodies

Listen to the melodies you are writing. Are they as strong as your lyrics? Perhaps more importantly, can they stand on their own?

A melody should be able to stand on it's own. It should be moving, interesting, somewhat predictable and a little surprising at the same time.

I say somewhat predictable because we all need familiarity. If every line goes off in a completely different direction you will lose most of your listeners.

People must have something that they can grasp immediately. Especially in the chorus.

So go and write music that moves you. If it moves you, you can be pretty sure it will move others too.

Happy melody writing!