Assignment 2: Technical writing

How the human voice works

The human voice has the ability to produce different sounds that
vary in tonal character and loudness. The sound of each individual
human beings voice is completely unique due to the size and shape
of the vocal cords. In order to produce a sound we must have a
power source, a vibrator and a resonator.
The power source in this case is our lungs. As we breathe in the rib
cage enlarges and the diaphragm contracts bringing air into the
lungs. As we breathe out the air is released from the lungs into the
trachea. This flow of air provides the energy for the vocal cords
found in the Larynx at the top of the windpipe to produce a sound.
The vocal folds vibrate at an immense speed due to the passing
airflow and this in turn generates a sound. However, when
whispering the vocal cords do not vibrate. In fact, the vocal cords
can produce a whisper when they are partly open or even if they are
completely open. As well as using our vocal cords for our normal
voice we also use the vocal cords in a variety of ways when we are
singing to produce the desired sound. The vocal cords increase in
importance when singing, they must vibrate in a particular way to
communicate particular emotions and genres of music. To produce
our unique human voice there must be a resonator, without the
resonator the human voice is simple just a buzzing. There are many
body parts that contribute towards the resonance and shape of the
human voice such as the chest, the oral and nasal cavities and the
sinuses.
The pitch of the voice is related to how fast the vocal cords vibrate,
the faster they vibrate the higher the pitch. The shape and size of
the larynx also contributes towards the pitch. Typically, females and
children have higher pitched voices as they have much smaller
vocal cords than that of adult males. The loudness of the sound
produced is related to the strength of the airflow through the glottis.
The glottis is the gap between the two vocal cords; it plays a
fundamental role in the production of sound. If the glottis is only
slightly open the velocity of the air passing through is higher and so
the explosion of air into the larynx is stronger creating a louder
sound. To produce different voice Phonemes including; Vowels, semivowels, voiced and unvoiced fricatives and plosives you can change
the articulation and pronunciation of words. This is achieved by
moving the teeth, tongue and lips in different patterns and is the
last step in the process of sound production.
A singer can train their voice using different activities that use the
Larynx and the Diaphragm effectively. In time a singer can control
the muscles in the diaphragm and vocal tract to enhance their

performance by improving the tonal character of the voice and the

power of their projection.