A Remarkable Instrument – The Voice!

When judged by its size, our vocal system fails to impress as a musical instrument. How then can singers, speakers and sound healers produce all those remarkable sounds?

Amazingly flexible, the human voice creates sounds as rich and complex as those of conventional musical instrumentsbut with much smaller equipment. The human vocal system would not receive much acclaim if instrument makers placed it in a lineup of traditional orchestral instruments. Arranged by size, for example, the voice box (larynx)-and the airway it sits in-would be grouped with the piccolo, among the smallest of mechanical music makers. And yet experienced singers compete well with all man-made instruments, one on one and even paired with full orchestras. Recent investigations of how our singing voice generates a remarkable range of sounds have revealed surprising complexity in the behavior of the vocal system’s elements and in the ways they interact.

For more than half a century, scientists explained the voice’s ability to create song by invoking speech acoustics, where the resonator of sound (or

Amplifier) work independently. Source and resonator feed off each other-playing an unexpectedly crucial role in generating human sound. Such insights now make it possible to describe how great singers produce those amazing sounds

My expertise in this area is as a professional artist since 1969 with 4 Grammy nominations, a voice coach and sound healer. Yes, the human voice is small and it does manage to produce beautiful sounds. Yes, a human’s sound source is the vibrating vocal folds of the larynx; the resonator being the sound-boosting airway above the larynx; and the radiator is the opening at the mouth. So yes, the human voice can create an impressive array of sounds because it relies on non-linear effects, in which small inputs yield surprisingly large outputs.

But what the scientists are forgetting is that we “are” sound. Our bodies are held together by “sound vibrations” or “harmonics” if you will – and this coupled with heartfelt intention is what takes the human voice into a sphere onto itself. We are all meant to use our voices not only to communicate and enjoy but to allow the resonance of those harmonics to heal ourselves and others either through speaking, singing or toning. I have always felt that pursuing and finding your voice is one of the bravest and most honorable journeys that we can take – the journey of Finding Your Voice.

Inspiration is the breath function most beneficial to singing beautifully.

Instinctively the voice knows how to make all the sounds it is capable of making. Learning to recognize and control that instinct is the goal of studying the voice.

Kate Hart