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"Play
Me Like A Larynx"
(. . . because I'm not a horn, guitar
or drum!)
by
Mark Baxter
Hello
there. Allow me to
introduce myself. I'm your larynx and, although I've
been with you all your life, chances are you don't know
me very well. I work all
day automatically protecting your lungs from food or
fluid getting in and coughing up whatever junk needs
to get out. I also make lifting easier by holding air
in your lungs which lets your body stiffen up. While
these things are very important, my biggest claim to
fame is that I can make sounds. Mostly I get used for
speech, but with a little coordination you can turn
my sounds into something melodic. If the sounds I make
are important to your music, it would be a good idea
to take some time and explore what it takes to play
me.
Although
I can be as loud as a trumpet, I'm not made of metal.
So it's not a good idea to blow as hard as you can in
me; I have some delicate parts. Just because I can move
around a pitch like a slide trombone doesn't mean I'm
one of those either. As you know, I come in different
sizes with names like Soprano, Alto and Tenor but that
doesn't mean I'm played like a saxophone. Although there
are no strings inside me, my vibrators can be stretched
just like the strings on a guitar. In fact, I don't
belong to any of the three categories of musical instruments:
wind, string or percussion. This is why there's a completely
separate category for what I do; it's called singing.
It's
simple. You don't blow on guitar strings to play a song
or strum a drum to keep a beat. Every instrument has
a particular set of physical requirements. Yet when
it comes to the voice people tend to play it with principles
that apply to other instruments. There are four components
to almost every instrument. Each has an actuator (something
to trigger the sound), a vibrator (something that wiggles
to make a sound), a resonator (something to enhance
the original vibration) and an articulator to shape
things on the way out. Actuators are guitar picks, violin
bows, drum sticks, hands and wind power. Vibrators are
things like strings, drum heads, mouth pieces, reeds
and vocal folds. Sound resonates in the enclosed space
of an acoustic guitar, a drum, a saxophone or in your
throat, mouth and nose. Articulators are anything from
wah-wah pedals to the plunger used at the end of a trumpet
to your lips and tongue.
Most
vocal problems are caused by over compensating the actuator
(sending me too much breath pressure). This is typical
behavior for beginners on any instrument. Music stores
are always filled with kids sitting there squeezing
their guitar picks and bearing down on the strings as
they show their friends how awesome they play. When
people first attempt to sing they also squeeze the pick
(neck tension) and bear down too hard on the vibrator
(drive the air). The difference is that, over time,
kids will relax their death grip on the guitar and develop
the necessary touch whereas singers tend to go in the
opposite direction. In search of control, singers tend
to push more, as if they're blowing into a trumpet.
The problem is that a trumpet is an inanimate object
and requires additional pressure for high notes. I am
a part of your anatomy and respond in unmusical ways
when overloaded.
You
can learn a lot about singing by studying the differences
between playing an instrument and using a part of your
body to make music. First, though, it's important to
remember that the laws of sound are the same for everything.
Instruments come already designed to agree with these
laws. To maximize tone, most instruments have vibrators
(that's me!) which float in or around a resonator. The
strings on a guitar, for example, are suspended over
the sound hole and barely touch the body at all. In
the same way, if you let me float freely in your throat
I'll sound as rich as I possibly can. I know it's not
easy to keep me hanging loose when you're pouring your
heart out, but the laws of sound don't care what's easy!
Singing accurate pitches also requires an agreement
with simple science. A pitch is nothing more than something
vibrating a steady number of wiggles per second. Scientists
call it a frequency. To sing high notes, you've got
to stretch my folds just like you would tune a guitar.
The tighter you stretch something, the faster it wiggles,
the higher the pitch it produces. At the same time,
everything gets thinner when stretched. This means my
folds need to get thin to make high notes and will thicken
to make low notes. Again, just like the strings on a
guitar. Now hold on, because here's where I assert my
independence from all these guitar comparisons. You
can also sing higher notes by feeding me more air pressure
-- like a trumpet. The problem with singing high notes
this way is that extra air pressure makes my folds thicken
up and become rigid whereas the mouthpiece on a trumpet
stays the same. Since nothing can be thick and thin
at the same time, I don't always give you the pitch
you were expecting. Sorry about that!
Providing
me with a consistent environment that aligns with the
laws of sound will allow me to serve you much better.
In short, the list of problems caused by approaching
me the wrong way is everything you don't like about
your voice. That's good news. It means that your sound
is based on misguided beliefs and dysfunctional behaviors
that can change. Learning what an instrument requires
is what lessons are all about. How you apply that information
is what defines you as an artist. There's nothing wrong
with pounding on a guitar like it's a drum, but the
instrument certainly has more to offer when played traditionally.
In the same way, I can be blown like a horn, stretched
like a guitar and smacked like a bongo. You'll get the
most out of me, though, if you play me like a larynx.
Mark
Baxter is a vocal therapist who offers private and
video lessons. To contact him, call: (800)659-6002.
Visit his website at: www.voicelesson.com
The
Origins of Valentine's Day
(Will the real St. Valentine please stand up?)
Valentine's
Day has been celebrated as a romantic holiday since
the 14th century, although mid-February has been a traditional
time to celebrate love and fertility for much longer.
The exact origins of Valentine's Day are actually somewhat
unclear, and the situation is made more complicated
by the fact that there are no less than three Saint
Valentines, none of whom can be easily associated with
love. The most accepted explanation for the origins
of Valentine's Day is that it has its roots in pagan
fertility festivals, which often took place at the close
of winter.
In
ancient times, many cultures celebrated a fertility
festival in mid-February. In Rome, the festival came
to be known as Lupercalia, and it included festive parades
through the streets with an assortment of pagan symbols.
During Lupercalia, men and women would draw tokens with
random names on each of them to pair off for games and
exchanges of gifts.
The
Christian church frowned on the pagan and erotic nature
of Lupercalia, and tried to institute a more staid festival
to celebrate St. Valentine, although since all three
Valentines were martyred on 14 February, it's unclear
which one was meant to be celebrated. The practice of
instituting a Saint's Day on a popular pagan holiday
was quite common, so that converts could celebrate their
new faith on traditional festival days. The question
of which St. Valentine is meant to be celebrated cannot
be resolved. One of the men cured the sick, another
was imprisoned and tortured for his Christian beliefs,
and the history of the third Saint Valentine is not
known. Some scholars suspect that the first two are
actually the same man, and in later years the myth that
St. Valentine secretly married couples who were ineligible
for matrimony was added.
Citizens
were not terribly enthused about celebrating yet another
Saint's Day, and Valentine's Day began to evolve into
a celebration of love and marriage. The tradition of
exchanging cards and tokens was continued, and during
the height of courtly love, people began to select their
own Valentine's mates. Couples exchanged Valentine's
cards and gifts with each other, and Valentine's Day
began to appear frequently in love poetry. The first
written link of Valentine's Day and love was provided
by Chaucer, who wrote a love poem to commemorate the
engagement of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia which linked
the pairing off of birds with the royal engagement and
Valentine's Day.
The
elaborate exchanges of poetry, cards, and gifts on Valentine's
Day cemented it as a holiday for the celebration of
love in European popular culture. Valentine's Day has
since spread all over the world, and many nations celebrate
love on the 14th of February with flowers, gifts, and
cards. It is one of the largest selling days for greeting
card companies, as most lovers no longer make their
own cards. In nations such as India where relationships
between unmarried men and women are not encouraged,
lovers often celebrate Valentine's Day secretly with
stealthy meetings and gift exchanges.
In Ottawa, of course, one attends Karaoke of Love at
Swizzles.
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It
would be impossible to tell you when I figured
out I loved to sing. I've always be that person
who randomly bursts into song, which is sometimes
a little startling for the person next to me!
I grew up singing along to Oldies 1310 in my parents'
car on our way to some hockey or soccer tournament
in the middle of nowhere. To this day I still
enjoy going for a cruise for no better reason
than to roll down the windows and turn up the
tunes, and look out when me and my girls get together
with a deck of cards and a couple of Zep CD's!
Stay
in touch with pals through our 
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Paw Pals support our singers by coming out
to 2 or more venues to enjoy the show.
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