Hey singers!
Are you like me, all agog about vocal technique?
Well if you're agog, then you might just be
a vocal pedagogue!
But you don't have to surround yourself with larynxes.
You just need to sing with a neutral larynx.
♬
Hi singers,
I'm Justin Stoney the founder of New York Vocal Coaching
joining you for episode 110 of
Voice Lessons To The World.
Today's question comes from Joel C. in Kerala, India.
Joel writes, "Dear Justin I've heard that I need to sing
with a neutral larynx at all times.
Is this true and how do I do it?"
Amazing question, Joel.
Many singers have been taught that
they must sing with a neutral larynx.
Yet, often, without knowing why or what that all means.
And that's our task for today.
To gear ourselves up for full laryngeal control.
But first you might ask wait a minute, Justin.
What's a larynx again?
Let's go to the lab!
♬
If you're not familiar with your larynx,
no problem!
Let's figure it out.
The larynx is just the anatomical term
for your voice box.
It's easy to find, don't be scared or
grossed out by it.
Just place a finger in the middle of your neck
then try swallowing.
It lifts up.
Then dry yawning.
It drops down.
Inside your larynx are your vocal folds.
When we sing they vibrate hundreds,
sometimes thousands of times per second.
That's why we can't just let our larynxes
go running off to the races.
Instead, we must understand larynx positions.
♬
We've been talking about larynx position
on this show for many years now.
If you want a serious J. Stone throwback
go and watch episode 4 of Voice Lessons To The World,
Larynx And Style.
"Larynx And Style".
But the basic idea is this,
we don't want the larynx to be a pitch changer.
[buzzer]
We want it to be a style changer.
[ding]
In other words, for overall good technique
we don't want the larynx to rise too much
as pitches rise.
And we don't want the larynx to drop down too much
as pitches drop.
In fact that's the very definition of poor vocal technique.
A larynx that runs amok sounds like this...
♪ MAY ♪
Oh man!
The larynx just moves about willy-nilly.
What we really want is something more like this...
♪ MAY ♪
Right!
The larynx hardly moves at all
even as I traverse two entire octaves of my range.
But even though that's good technique
do we always want the larynx to stay neutral?
♬
Some of you have been told
that you must sing with a neutral larynx
at all times or else!
♬
In other words, you've heard that
a neutral larynx is the only larynx position that's healthy.
And to sing with any other larynx
is bad, wrong, or damaging.
Well let's make sure we dispel this vocal myth.
There are in fact several other occasions
when it's okay to raise the larynx.
Here's a few!
Style.
♬
Certain styles will require our larynx
to go north or south of its neutral position.
For example, I've got to do this...
♪
♪ If you like the way you look that much ♪ [high larynx]
♪ Then maybe you should go and love yourself ♪ [high larynx]
I can't do this...
♪ If you like the way you look that much ♪ [low larynx]
♪ Then maybe you should go and love yourself ♪ [low larynx]
I also have to do this...
♪
♪ I'll go out and make it or steal it or take it ♪ [low larynx, operatically]
♪ Or die ♪ [low larynx, operatically]
I can't do this...
♪ I'll go out and make it or steal it or take it ♪ [high larynx]
It just ain't right.
Different styles call for different larynx positions.
Next, the extreme top of vocal registers.
♬
Vocal registers are various vibratory abilities
that your vocal folds possess.
For example, chest voice, mix voice, falsetto, [demonstrates]
and flageolet. [demonstrates]
For more on this be sure to revisit our
Vocal Register World Tour.
Now for the most part it's good to keep
your larynx under control within each vocal register.
But know that at the extreme top of any vocal register,
the extreme top, [flageolet]
the extreme top, [chest voice]
it's natural for the larynx to rise a bit.
Next, softer passages.
♬
Low larynxes are built for volume.
That's why opera singers generally sing with lower larynxes.
Higher larynxes are not built for volume
that's why it can be damaging to the voice
to sing loudly on a high larynx.
It's also why contemporary singers often
sing with high larynxes and also a microphone.
It's not bad technique to raise the larynx a bit
for very quiet notes.
In fact it can be good technique indeed.
A good rule of thumb is this...
Allow lower larynx positions to accommodate
your loudest sounds.
♪ MAY ♪
And allow higher larynx positions to
accommodate your softest sounds.
♪ MAY ♪
Finally, low notes.
♬
Just like many singers have the habit of
raising their larynx for high notes,
there's a similar habit of lowering the larynx for low notes.
This often causes lower pitches to become
dark, breathy, and unfocused.
What's the solution?
You guessed it.
To raise the larynx a little bit in the lowest
part of your range.
♪ MAY ♪
Nah...
♪ MAY ♪
Yeah!
But although it's clear that the larynx
must be free to move to many different positions,
the neutral larynx is still the front-runner,
the pace-car,
the champ!
Why?
Let's take a look!
♬
It's no freak accident that so many
voice teachers and pedagogues get quite revved up
when it comes to the neutral larynx position.
It's pretty darn important.
Here's three reasons.
It sounds the most like you.
The neutral larynx position should be
your most authentic sound.
What does that mean?
Well...
♬
♪ My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky ♪ [high larynx]
It's nice, but it's stylized.
♪ My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky ♪ [low larynx]
Nice but also stylized.
♪ My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the sky ♪ [neutral larynx]
Ah, now that's the least stylized, the most authentic.
The highest degree of Justin Stoney-ness.
Next, it's absent of manipulation.
Both raising the larynx and lowering the larynx
require some degree of effort.
Not necessarily bad effort, but effort nonetheless.
If I do,
♪ MAY ♪ [low larynx]
I've got to do something.
If I do,
♪ MAY ♪ [high larynx]
I've also got to do something.
Ideally I find the balance.
♪ MAY ♪
Which will require the least laryngeal adjustment.
And finally, it should be your technical
and stylistic home base.
As we've explored, any larynx position can
be valuable.
But we need a home base, a place to get back to.
Whether we're talking technical or stylistic,
the neutral larynx is both our starting line and our finish line.
If we ever steer or veer off course,
it's our north star.
♪ Let me go home ♪
♪ I'm way too far from where you are ♪
♪ I wanna go home ♪
It can get us back to where we need to be.
So now that we've really looked under the hood
it's time to start your engines.
Because next, you get to test drive the neutral larynx
in this week's Voice Lessons To The World challenge.
♬
For this week's challenge we've got an exercise
that will help you keep a neutral larynx
as you ascend in pitch.
The exercise is a two-parter.
It goes like this,
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
In the first half of the exercise we're purposely
going to lower the larynx.
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
This works against the tendency
for the larynx to rise as pitches rise.
Then in the second half of the exercise
we're going to try to keep it neutral.
♪ AY ♪
For most singers the larynx will really want to rise
in the second half of the exercise.
So you have to still imagine it dropping.
Let's give it a try.
Guys will be down here,
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
And ladies up here,
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
And here we go!
♪
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
♪ AY ♪
Good.
♪
That's it!
♪
Dropping...
And neutral...
♪
Right!
♪
Dropping...
♪
And neutral...
♪
Right on.
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
♪ AY ♪
That's right.
♪
Stay neutral.
♪
Excellent.
♪
Right on.
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
♪ AY ♪
That's right.
♪
Mhm!
♪
Yep, keep it up!
♪
And come on down...
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
♪ AY ♪
Right.
♪
Coming down...
♪
Dropping...
♪
And neutral...
♪
A few more!
♪
That's it.
♪
And two more...
Last one...
♪ AY - UU - AY ♪
♪ AY ♪
♬
Woo yeah!
Today I think we've really given your technique a tuneup.
Keep us posted on Facebook, Instagram,
and all the usual suspects.
And remember to send your questions to us at
Questions@VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com.
Here's some other ways to keep your vocal journey fired up.
For voice lessons or Skype lessons with the NYVC staff [♪]
visit us at NewYorkVocalCoaching.com. [♪]
If you'd like a vocal course that you can do at home check out the [♪]
Voice Lessons To The World Vocal Course. [♪]
This twelve part program takes you on a singing journey [♪]
from beginner to master level vocal exercises. [♪]
You can find it at VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com. [♪]
Or, if you'd like free vocal tips sent to you each day [♪]
sign up at DailyVocalTips.com. [♪]
And now, here's Justin with this week's vocal benediction. [♪]
If you can keep your larynx in neutral,
then maybe you can also keep your soul in neutral.
Your soul in neutral?!
You've been breathing too many exhaust fumes, Justin.
Nah, I mean,
are you in overdrive all the time?
Racing to get ahead?
Never appreciating all the blessings around you?
Then pull it back, live in neutral for a while.
Or are you constantly stalling out?
Never living with passion or joy.
Then it's time to get your fire back.
Remember, your voice is a winner,
a masterpiece,
a one of a kind.
If you don't love it yet, then maybe
you can at least stop hating it
and get yourself to neutral.
Remember, a blank canvas is where all true art begins.
So if you can find neutral, [♪]
anything is possible. [♪]
♬