• Question: How is it that we can change the pitch, volume or even change our voice completely? I find it absolutely amazing for us to be able to do it, but it boggles my mind how!

    Asked by winchester to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hello Winchester. I guess it’s on the same principles as musical instruments. Depends on shape of upper airways (width of throat, shape of nasal passages, shape/size of uvula (funny hangy down thing at back of throat)), ability to control vocal cords to allow different amts air across them and muscles to force air over them. Also involves lips and lung capacity.

      I guess the fact that there are so many points at which you can control sound accounts for the variety.

    • Photo: Andrew Maynard

      Andrew Maynard answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hi winchester,

      Isn’t it incredible! Many musicians think the human voice is the most expressive and versatile musical instrument we have!

      Lots of things come together to make the human voice work as it does – our lungs to provide the flow of air that alters the volume, our vocal chords (or vocal folds as they are sometimes known) that can tighten and relax to change the pitch (a bit like loosening and tightening the strings on a guitar), and the larynx where the vocal chords are housed, that allows the air flow (and volume) to be altered. Then there is our mouth and tongue that allow us to modify the sound.

      In changing our voice completely, there are lots of air spaces in the head that trained people can use to alter the tone of the sound they make – this is how opera singers get so much volume and such an incredible tone from their voices.

      Definitely mind boggling!

    • Photo: Marianne Baker

      Marianne Baker answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Tis pretty brilliant, I agree, winchester.

      So we have muscles in our throat that tighten or relax our vocal chords; little stringy structures a bit like two halves of a blade of grass, if you split it down the middle.
      You know that noise you can do if you put a piece of grass between your thumbs and blow? It’s a bit like that I suppose!

      As air moves through the gap between the chords, they vibrate and the pitch depends on how tight the muscles are pulling them.

      We learn to control it over time. It’s very cool.

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