Hello all,
Having worked with Dr. Titze, I have a few remarks about vertical
laryngeal position. Dr. Titze told me that an elevated laryngeal
position works for him. Apparently, he tried to sing with a low
larynx for years and it didn't work for him.
In his teaching, he often remarked that the strong acoustic energy
found in many of the great voices both past and present is due to the
low or, as Miller calls it, the "stable" larynx. So, Dr. titze may
sing with an elevated larynx...but he seems to advocate the
low/stable larynx as a means toward gaining strong acoustic energy
(ring) from the tract. I know this sounds strange, but, that's what
he taught us. I think the low/stable postion could definitely work
for Dr. Titze. I must therefore assume that he never had a voice
teacher who could help him attain that position in such a way that he
was comfortable with the technique and felt confident doing it.
High larynx does have an affect on the spectrum. A high larynx
induces a low velum. A low velum adds ANTIRESONANCES to the
spectrum, which in turn, impede on vocal ring! Put in a simple way:
HIGH LARYNX = LOW VELUM
LOW LARYNX = HIGH VELUM
The above equation is a physiological REFLEXIVE action. Many people
get confused by this equation. Oren Brown mentions this reflexive
action in his book "Discover Your Voice." Current physiology tells
us that this equation is a fact. As far back as 1857, Garcia
notes, "when the larynx descends below the position of rest: the soft
palate rises...." (quoted from Stark's "Bel Canto" pg. 39).
In my own voice I have done much spectrographic analysis regarding
vertical laryngeal position. When my larynx is in what I call
the "stable" or "comfortably low" position, I constantly get strong
acoustic energy in the 2500-3500 Hz area known as the singer's
formant. Thus the "stable" position works for me and I have no
problem being heard over an orchestra.
See Austin's article- "Nasal Resonance: Fact or Fiction from the Nov.
2001 NATS Journal for more on low velum and antiresonances.
Take Care All,
Taylor L. Ferranti
Certificate of Vocology
DMA Candidate (Voice Science/Voice Performance)
Louisiana State University
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