Dear David Grogan
The papers you cite, in my understanding, combine a number of concepts
relating to laryngeal height, not all necessarily relating to the
relationship between lung volume and laryngeal height. Understanding the
1998 work by Jenny Iwarsson and Johan Sundberg is enhanced by reading Jenny
Iwarsson's 2001 paper 'Effects of inhalatory abdominal wall movement on
vertical laryngeal position during phonation', which appears in JOV 2001
vol 15(3) pages 384-394 (immediately following the Thomasson & Sundberg
paper you cited).
As I recall, and I have not re-read the papers before responding to this,
Iwarsson & Sundberg 1998 were interested in the issue of tracheal pull
resulting from diaphragmatic descent. The Iwarsson 2001 paper suggested
that the co-relationship was not so clear-cut as the 1998 paper had
found. Whether this is due to technique, standard of subjects, body types
or other factors, individually or combined, is unclear. Certainly, the
work is very interesting. Whilst you are right, mike, that the work does
not necessarily imply that the larynx *must* rise with decreasing lung
volume, the question is of disposition. Singers do not traverse their full
vital capacity but operate predominantly within a particular range. If
there is an association between dispositional laryngeal height and lung
volume, working predominantly within a certain lung volume range might
assist a classical singer's timbre and function. It's completely
speculative on my part, of course, but there might be a relationship
between the way one breathes and the sound that comes out. ;-D
Kind regards
Sally
|
|  |
