Inside Voice Pitch Line
Your voice moves up and down along a single line of pure tone. You can feel the focal point of each tone as it moves up and down the inside voice pitch line.
- Pitch
- Inside Voice Pitch Line - The Thread of the Voice
- The sensation of resonance
Throat pain is pointless
One of the most common vocal mistakes is to associate differing sensations of throat pain for success in reaching a pitch of a note. High notes feel one kind of tense while low notes may feel gravelly. Louder might feel painful and gruff or soft may feel too quavery.
You’ve unlocked larynx tension, so that you can feel the difference between the inside voice and a pressed voice. These sensations are more subtle than the tension in the throat you may have been using.
At first, you may feel a bit lost when you notice you're not using pain or tension as your pitch locator. But, rest assured, the pure center tone of your healthy voice sounds and feels SO MUCH BETTER.
Increase Vocal Range
In order to find your full vocal range, your vocal folds and the muscles that move them must be free of tension.
You can't both stretch and push your vocal cords together at the same time.
To make a lower pitch, your vocal cords/folds contract and become thicker to vibrate the air slower.
To make a higher pitch, your vocal folds stretch, become thinner, and vibrate the passing air at a faster frequency.
Pitch: low and high sounds
The sound waves created in the larynx follow universal laws of harmonic motion.
High sound waves move high in space as well and create a higher sounding pitch. Low sound waves move lower in space and create a lower sounding pitch.
Exercises
Exercise #1: Up and Down*
When you are working with the new sensations of breath pressure and inner resonance, you can become momentarily confused.
*Even if you are a seasoned vocalist, please take time to go through this elementary exercise, as there WILL be times you will confuse the easiest signals.
NO one is exempt from these simple errors. Practice makes perfect.
Practice moving your voice voice up and down.
- Say “up” when you move up in pitch.
- Say “down” when you move down in pitch.
- Repeat a few times slowly to recognize the sensations of resonance and vibration inside of your body.
- Look into the mirror. Do you also tip your head up when you say, “up” or tip your head down when you say, “down"? Your head should remain in its neutral position.
- Practice saying “up” and “down” without moving your head.
Inside Pitch Line = "Thread of the Voice"
Your inside voice moves up and down along a fine, small unbroken line. We call this line the “Inside Pitch Line,” and the “Thread of the Voice."
When your body is properly aligned, the critical points of your vocal core are open and easily allow the sound waves created in the larynx to move into their perfectly sized resonating pockets.
You can feel the small, clear path of your inside pitch line/voice thread when you bring your voice to its lowest volume to just above a whisper.
This small sensation is your primary point of focus AND the most important part of your voice training!
Every tone you make should emanate or grow from this small, center core line of tone.
You will feel the vibrations of the resonance inside of your vocal core as well as on the outside.
This small sensation is your primary point of focus AND the most important part of your voice training!
Every tone you make should emanate or grow from this small, center core line of tone.
You will feel the vibrations of the resonance inside of your vocal core as well as on the outside.
Exercise #2: Inside Pitch Line and Resonance
In this exercise, you feel the vibration of your inside pitch line. as it moves up and down your body.
Preparation
Assume the “home” and neutral positions of the parts of the vocal core:
- Mind focused only upon the vocal core.
- Head passive with horizontal line between the ears, back of head is "soft."
- Eyes open and soft with eyebrows at rest.
- Lips are closed and relaxed in a small, easy smile.
- Jaw "hangs" or "falls" downward and creates a slight space between the teeth.
- Tongue rests flat on the floor of your mouth.
- Larynx is passive. Breath is silent.
- Chest naturally rises and falls with the flow of the breath. Shoulders passive.
Exercise
- Observe your in and out breathing cycle with all points of vocal core at rest.
- Make a humming sound on one note.
- Check your larynx to be sure you are not pressing inward.
- Quietly and slowly, move your voice “up” or “down” in pitch while you track the sensations of the vibrations inside your vocal core.
- Place your fingers on the outside of your vocal core; on your face, head and chest to detect the vibrations.
- Take note of where high, medium and low notes naturally resonate in your vocal core.
Take your time and enjoy this exploration. This quiet, small space is your vocal home. All sounds grow from these small sensations.
Confidence
You will grow more confident now that you know your voice follows a logical, observable and repeatable process. Instead of using the sensation of tension and stress as your guide for your voice volume and pitch, you will follow the thread of the voice up and down.
Train your inside pitch line daily and watch as begins to lengthen. You will soon be able to feel more high and low pitches as well as more volume and stronger core tone.
Cracking voice and gaps in the pitch line
Does your voice crack when it moves from low to high, or high to low?
Did you lose a whole portion of your pitch line?
When our voices crack, it means the small muscle movements to open the resonating spaces are not coordinating. This is quite easy to fix. There is NOTHING wrong with your voice!
If you are one of the lucky ones who can immediately detect and reproduce the unbroken thread of your voice, just you wait. We will find yours as we extend your vocal range and add volume.
Everyone has cracks and gaps in their pitch line. This is why you are taking voice lessons: to learn the specific techniques to negotiate these gaps and cracks.
If your voice cracks while you explore your inside pitch line:
- Stop moving the tone up or down.
- Return to smallest, pure sound above a whisper. Sustain.
- Resume movement in either direction (up or down in pitch) at optimum tempo.* (Move pitch up or down only as fast as you can maintain the clear inside voice.)
Assignment
- Find your inside voice.
- Softly, move your voice up and down the inside voice pitch line.
- Place your fingers on your face, head and chest.
- Feel the subtle resonance and vibration inside and outside your vocal core as you move up and down in pitch.
- Notice where each pitch comes to a focal point.