Step 6 Exam Name* First Last Email* HOW YOUR VOICE WORKS1. To review how your voice works: the vocal folds, the ____ of the system, are located inside the larynx or Adamʼs Apple. Air pressure from the lungs (the ____ of the system) causes the folds to open and close very quickly, releasing acoustic energy containing a fundamental frequency (pitch) plus partials that are boosted or _____ (damped) in the containers of air in the pharynx (throat) and mouth. The vocal tract is the _____ of the system.* phonator, resonator, expedited, generator vibrator, generator, attenuated, resonator phonation, resonation, boosted, generator 2. Respiratory System = Generator (generates ____). Vocal Folds = Vibrator (____ air, converting aerodynamic energy to acoustic energy). Vocal Tract = Resonator (a ____ that boosts or attenuates harmonics to produce timbre).* partials, produces, container harmonics, pressurized, converter air pressure, resists, filter 3. Good singing is all about balance. In good singing, the voice functions efficiently as a system, due to the coordination of _____ activity.* aerodynamic and acoustic formant and harmonic acoustic and muscular 4. To sing higher pitches there must be a “hand-off” from TA-dominant to CT-dominant vocal fold vibration. The hand-off will happen naturally with the selection of the correct ___, minimal ____, and a stable ____ position that allows the cricothyroid or CT muscles to tilt the _____ cartilage and thus lengthen the vocal folds.* exercise, volume, soft palate, cricoid vowel, air pressure, laryngeal, thyroid syllable, flow, jaw, thyroid 5. Pitch is changed by alterations in the ____ of the vocal folds.* adduction, approximation and vibration formation, vibration, and length length, thickness, and tension 6. In the lower register, the TA muscles are more active and the vocal folds are shorter and thicker as the TA muscles contract the _____ of the vocal folds. To sing higher, the CT muscles become progressively more active, tilting the thyroid cartilage forward so the vocal folds become longer and tauter, while the TA muscles ___ activity.* adduction, increase body, decrease mucosa, initiate 7. Both muscle groups are active in the ____ register- the CT muscles work against the contraction of the TA to raise the pitch. To sing higher, however, the CT muscles and ____ must take over more and more of the work until, on the highest pitches, the TA muscle is largely quiescent. A smooth handoff requires coordinating both ____.* upper, CT, adduction and abduction middle, mucosa, formants and harmonics lower, ligament, muscle and resonance 8. Singers who prefer belting take the TA-dominant phonation too high, creating ____ and vocal abuse. Others who prefer the trained classical sound sometimes bring the CT-dominant phonation too low, creating a ____ tone in the lower register.* strain; anemic, breathy, and weak force; powerful, energized and strong air pressure; clear, vibrant and exciting 9. At SLaS, we teach mixed registration with _____ to the upper register rather than belting.* connected release smooth transition both of the above 10. A formant is an acoustic resonance of the vocal tract, measured as an amplitude peak in frequency when a singer sings into a ___. Another way of describing formants is to say that a formant is a pocket of air in the vocal tract that vibrates at specific frequencies due to the ____ of the adjustable containers- the mouth and pharynx. Harmonics are partials, higher frequencies produced along with the fundamental frequency or pitch, that provide _____ or tone color.* oscilloscope, thickness and opening, tone quality spectrogram, size and shape, timbre microphone, tension and size, chiaroscuro 11. Some harmonics are boosted in the vocal tract by their proximity to ____ frequencies and others are ____ or damped, depending on the size and shape of the pharynx (throat) and mouth resonators.* partial, increased harmonic, boosted formant, attenuated 12. When we sing from low to high, we must allow a shift from the first formant/ second harmonic coupling, F1/H2, to the second formant coupling with higher harmonics: F2/H3 (back vowels) or F2/H4 (front vowels). This is ______.* resonance transfer perceived resonance mask resonance 13. The _____ are the resonators in singing. They form an adjustable ______ that is divided by the tongue, the middle of which is called the _____. The size and shape of each of these rooms affect timbre (often called resonance) due to changes in the relationships between _____ as the tongue changes position.* jaw and soft palate, space, hump, resonators pharynx and mouth, tube, constriction, formants and harmonics throat and mouth, resonator, arch, articulators 14. The size and shape of each of these "rooms" affect timbre (often called resonance) due to changes in the relationships between formants and harmonics as the _____ change position. In a simplified model, we can think of the ______ (the distance from the vocal folds to the tongue constriction or hump of the tongue as it shapes vowels) as being the area where F1 or the first formant frequencies resonate. The ________ (the distance from the tongue constriction or hump of the tongue as it shapes the vowel, to the lips) is the area where the higher second formant or F2 frequencies resonate.* resonators phonators articulators 15. As the tongue moves from a high to a low position (from ____ vowels), the _____ cavity decreases in volume or space, and the mouth cavity (meaning the area in front of the tongue constriction) ____ in volume or space.* closed to open, pharyngeal, increases open to closed, mouth, decreases closed to open, mouth, decreases 16. F1 is correlated inversely with tongue height; the higher the tongue is, the more ____ the vowel is, Closed vowels, because the tongue is high in the mouth and pulled upward and out of the pharynx, create more _____ space and less ____ space. Because the pharynx resonating space is larger, ____ harmonic frequencies resonate in the pharyngeal cavity. The lower F1 frequencies, resonating in the pharynx, provide the “oscuro,” or darkness/depth in tone quality, rather like the bass EQ on a stereo. A ___ resonating cavity enhances lower frequencies.* open, mouth, pharyngeal, higher, smaller closed, mouth, pharyngeal, higher larger closed, pharyngeal, mouth, lower, larger 17. F2 is correlated with front to back tongue positions. The more forward the tongue is, the smaller the _________ container becomes, and the higher F2 frequencies will be stronger. When the tongue is both high and forward, as in the [i] vowel, the pharynx container will be ________ and the mouth container will be _________. Smaller containers boost ________ frequencies, so the higher F2 frequencies will stronger when singing an [i] vowel. F2 provides chiaro/squillo, or brilliance.* mouth, larger, smaller, higher pharynx, smaller, larger, lower mouth, smaller, larger, lower 18. _____ are a combination of F1 and F2, and both "containers" (the pharynx and the mouth) are active in formation. However, most are highly skewed toward one _____ or the other; that is what provides the defining characteristic. To create the best sound, singers must learn to “tune” the vowel formant frequency to a ______ that is in the vicinity of the formant, thereby increasing the acoustic energy of that harmonic.* vowels, formant, harmonic consonants, harmonic, formant pitches, vowel, harmonic 19. Without correct vowel or formant tuning, the vocal folds are unable to maintain adequate _____ and ____. When singing pitches from low to high, F1/H2, the potentially yell-like upper chest-voice resonance, must hand over to a second formant dominant resonance strategy- F2/H3, or F2/H4. When singing descending pitches, the process must be reversed or the vocal folds will not firmly ____.* intonation and control, abduct compression and vocal fold adduction, adduct pitch and tone, phonate 20. The tongue must be ___ so that we can sing vowels clearly. When we drop the jaw for higher pitches, vowels often become muddy and indistinct. The problem lies with the tongue. The AH-EE ______ exercise develops independence between the tongue and jaw.* high, flexibility low, flexion flexible, tongue independence 21. Vowel modification via adjustments of the ______ encourages a smoother transition through the primo passagio. If the vowel is not modified as pitch ascends the singer begins to employ extrinsic interfering muscular action to compensate, phonation becomes tight and squeezed, pitch usually begins to go flat, the singer feels laryngeal tension, subglottic breath pressure becomes excessive, and finally register breaks occur- all because resonance adjustments were not made by the process of ____. In reverse, when singing from a high note to a low note, it may be necessary to modify the vowel in the other direction, gradually moving toward a more open vowel to encourage firm ____ in the lower register.* jaw, vowel adjustment, abduction tongue, vowel modification, adduction resonator, phonation, closure 22. When a formant frequency is in the vicinity of a harmonic frequency, a boost of energy occurs. Singing becomes more powerful and effortless. We alter formant frequencies by movements of the ______- the tongue, lips, and jaw.* articulators resonators vibrators 23. Great painting requires a balance of bright and dark tones known as ___. In the same way, a perfectly produced vocal tone will have a balance of bright and dark, known as ____. The squillo is the ____ in the sound. If a singer is ____, they will not have squillo in their singing.* bright and dark, balance, depth, passive squillo-oscuro, chiaroscuro, edge, Undeveloped chiaroscuro, squillo-oscuro, brilliance, breathy 24. F1, resonating in the pharynx or throat, is associated with depth or fullness of sound, called oscuro. F1 can be affected by ___.* appoggio, adduction, and phonation laryngeal height, tongue height, and jaw-dropping vowels, consonants, and appoggio 25. F2, the squillo or brilliancy, is affected by the position of the tongue from _______.* low to high closed to open front to back 26. When resonance is balanced, the resulting sound has a beautiful balance of bright and dark timbres known as ___. (Italian for “bright and dark”) as a result of tuning the vowel skillfully.* twang flow chiaroscuro 27. Vowels can also be shaded; a darker version of the vowel (adding more “UH" [ʌ]) provides more oscuro; a brighter version of the vowel (adding more [i]) can add more squillo, or brilliance and ring to the vocal tone. This is achieved by moving the tongue ____. release when singing from low to high pitches. Dropping the _____ is necessary for higher pitches.* up or down, soft palate forward or back, jaw in or out, tongue 28. When singing from low to high pitches, the singer must maintain moderate ____ by moderating _____ via the muscles of _____. By not allowing air pressure and thus volume to be excessive, particularly when approaching the first bridge, the vocal folds can more easily ____.* phonation, appoggio, breath management, adduct and shorten volume, air pressure, appoggio, lengthen and thin air pressure, compression, volume, abduct and shorten 29. If a singer produces excessive _____ on the approach notes to the first bridge, it becomes difficult to maintain the same volume through the bridge and into the upper register. To maintain even tone quality, a singer must maintain consistent _____ throughout the entire range, as the folds constantly adjust from shorter and thicker to longer and thinner as pitch changes. Good ____ is fundamental in maintaining consistent vocal fold compression.* volume and air pressure, vocal fold compression, appoggio pressed phonation, volume, chiaroscuro airflow, vowel, flow phonation 30. When singers run out of breath, the problem often lies in ___ rather than breathing. This refers to the ____ of the vocal folds at the _____ of phonation and how close the folds remain during phonation. How well the folds adduct and how long they stay together during the vibrational wave (known as closed quotient) affect ____.* support, approximation, end, vocal tone projection, closing, continuation, supraglottal air pressure valving, closure or adduction, onset, subglottal air pressure 31. Singers usually don’t need to excessively emphasize breathing technique, other than learning to ____ the lower torso on inhalation and to ____ the immediate collapse of the ribcage and epigastrium as they sing. Singers need to learn to valve better- to control ____ .* lift, encourage, closed quotient push, eliminate, cord closure expand, resist, vocal fold adduction 32. If the folds are not appropriately ___ to begin sound, and if adequate ____ is not maintained during phonation, excessive air escapes through the folds. This means the singer will run out of breath and that the sound they are producing will be breathy and anemic. The ____ controls air pressure, rather than the other way around. If the vocal folds are not appropriately ____, no amount of breathing or blowing air is going to improve the sound.* vibrating, compression, appoggio, vibrating abducted, open quotient, closure, phonating adducted, closed quotient, glottis, adducted 33. We want appropriate vocal fold adduction- not too much ____ and not too little ___. Excessive air pressure is damaging to the voice. However, a lack of ____ in singing produces a breathy, weak vocal sound.* (hypo-adducted), (hyper-adducted), focus (hyper-adducted), (hypo-adducted), physical energy (pressed phonation), (anemic), energy 34. Firm glottal closure at the onset of tone is necessary for efficient tone production. The ____ onset produces a weak and breathy tone. The hard attack can produce ____ if combined with excessive ____. A balanced onset produces good chiaroscuro and healthy phonation.* aspirate, pressed phonation, air pressure breathy, overcompression, lung pressure both of the above 35. The folds must be brought together to the ____ of the glottis to initiate phonation. This is known as approximation or adduction. The vocal folds are adducted or drawn together from the posterior (back) end of the larynx due to the approximation and rotation of the ____ as the lateral cricoarytenoid (LCA) and interarytenoid (IA) muscles contract. The gliding and swiveling/rotating action of the arytenoid cartilages brings the attached vocal folds toward one another at the midline, allowing the edges of the folds to meet and leaving a slit along the middle for air to travel through. This process is also referred to as cord closure or _____.* center, vocal folds, adduction midline, arytenoid cartilages, medial compression opening, shoulders, abduction 36. It is important to note that the vocal folds don’t STAY closed; they vibrate open and closed many times per second in response to air flowing up through the trachea from below the glottis _____. However, they must remain in close proximity to one another while they are vibrating to create a clear tone. When we swallow, the folds close so that food or liquids are more effectively directed toward the _____ or food tube. When we inhale, the folds open. When we phonate (speaking or singing) the folds vibrate open and closed in a recurring __.* (supraglottally), trachea, cycles per second (subglottally), esophagus, vibrational cycle (supraglottaly), windpipe, vibrations 37. Vocal onset can be divided into three categories: 1.____ (aspirate or breathy onset, weak lung pressure) 2. ____ (hard attack, excessively high lung pressure, pressed) 3. ____ or Balanced Onset (the healthiest way of singing- efficient glottal closure and adequate lung pressure).* hyper-adducted, hypo-adducted, balanced hypo-adducted, hyper-adducted, aspirate hypo-adducted, hyper-adducted, appropriately adducted 38. The exercises in Steps One through Five addressed the imbalances of each vocal category. We used exercises such as ___ (for breathy singers) or ____ onset (to help singers who over-adduct). In Step Six we move forward to the more advanced and healthier ____ onset. The staccato and eliminating the helpers exercises in Step six will encourage a balanced onset and moderate vocal fold compression.* consonants, vowels, adducted adducted onset, aspirate, balanced aspirate, voiced-stop, silent H 39. The aspirate onset is created with excessive ____ through vocal folds that are not sufficiently ___. The breathy voice is usually associated with a ____ and weak glottal closure, resulting in a sound that is anemic; this is the ___ vocal category, and also typical of the Unbalanced-Light Lower category in the lower register.* airflow, adducted, high larynx, Undeveloped fluttering, closed, low larynx, undeveloped aspiration, vibrating, high soft palate, anemic 40. In Steps One through Five we addressed the aspirate onset with ____ exercises. These exercises encourage _____ muscle activation that adducts the folds to counteract a breathy tone.* staccato, TA and CT 5-tone, TA and LCA adducted onset, LCA and IA 41. In Step Six we discontinue the adducted onset and move toward the balanced onset with ____ and the “silent H.”* coup de glotte voiced-stop consonants staccato 42. Hyperadduction (Pressed): This onset is typical of the ____ category singer; the sound is forced, pressed, squeezed and over-compressed, with high subglottal ____. In Step Six we discontinue the aspirate onset and move toward the ____ onset with staccato and the “silent H.”* pressed phonation, lung pressure, abducted unbalanced-pulled lower, air pressure, balanced unbalanced-light lower, air blow, correct 43. With the ____ the folds are appropriately adducted, subglottal pressure is not excessive, and there is firm glottal closure. This is the healthiest way of singing. The warm, powerful, ringing ____ (balance of bright and dark resonances) of a trained singer are a result of a balanced onset, a relaxed, low larynx, firm glottal closure, and sufficient ____.* balanced onset, chiaroscuro, appoggio adducted onset, squillo-oscuro, compression aspirate onset, twang, cord closure 44. Through vocal training, we create new _____ by vocalizing on a series of ____ exercises. Our goal is to develop ____ registration.* habits, spiral learning, correct neuromuscular responses, sequential skill-building, balanced tendencies, results oriented, upper TOOLS FOR TRAINING VOICES45. When each sound or note is sharply detached or separated from the others you are singing a good ____.* staccato legato vibrato 46. When the sound is produced in a smooth, connected, flowing manner you are singing with good _____.* staccato vibrato legato 47. When singing staccato, we use the ____ onset. This is midway between the breathy and adducted onset or coup-de-glotte. It encourages a healthily balanced onset with no ____.* silent H, breathiness adducted, strain coup-de-glotte, effort 48. Efficient breath management in singing is all about creating a balance between ____ and the vibrating vocal folds. Staccato both requires and also encourages good ___.* air pressure, appoggio registers, adduction resonance, phonation 49. Appoggio is ____ the lower torso with the breath, then slightly firming the ____- muscles outward, subsequently maintaining that posture as long as possible. It is a feeling of ___.* lifting, tummy, activation activating, abdominals, energizing expanding, lateral oblique and transversus abdominis, suspension 50. ____ helps us find “just enough and not too much” engagement of the core muscles. To produce it correctly, the singer must apply the tenets of appoggio 1. ____ is low, with a 360-degree expansion at the level of the lowest ribs. 2. After inhaling, the lateral oblique and transverses abdomens muscles should ____ slightly. 3. This position is maintained throughout the performance of the staccato exercise. * Remember- when performing staccato, all the H’s are ____!* appoggio, exhalation, up and in, clear support, suspension, expand outward, clean staccato, inhalation, firm outward, silent 60. In Step Six, at this more advanced stage of vocal development, we ___ the tools or “helpers” used in previous steps. For example, students at this level should no longer need the ____ or coup-de-glotte used in prior steps for vocal fold adduction. Voiced-stop consonants such as G, B, and D, used in prior steps to encourage better ____, can be eliminated in this step. We also move past the Temporary Sounds (pharyngeal, imposed larynx) that require a ___ that is higher or lower than speech-level.* increase, balanced onset, compression, jaw position activated, staccatto, release, timbre eliminate, adducted onset, vocal fold adduction, laryngeal position 61. When we eliminate the "helpers," we rely on a balanced onset to ___ tone.* phonate initiate aspirate 62. “Flow phonation” can have the effect of ____ the vocal folds. Flow phonation can enable singers to generate maximum sound with minimal ____. Even when dynamics change to meet the requirements of the music, adjustments are made without engaging _____.* exacerbating, adduction, intrinsic muscles un-pressing, effort, extrinsic muscles vibrating, air pressure, appoggio 63. Flow phonation encourages chiaroscuro- the balance of bright and dark resonances- because it produces more of the higher ____ in the voice source spectrum. Flow phonation is considered healthy phonation because it requires low ____ and thus is unlikely to result in vocal damage. It requires a lower ____ than pressed phonation.* partials, effort, open quotient harmonics, sub-glottal pressure, closed quotient frequencies, adduction, breath pressure 64. Dr. Ingo Titze states “With flow phonation, the implication is that more airflow produces more sound output, but every singing teacher and speech-language pathologist knows that excessive flow makes the voice breathy and weak. It is, therefore, a question of optimizing the airflow, not maximizing it”. _____ must balance.* lower and upper register formants and harmonics airflow and glottal closure 65. Flow exercises are very helpful in counteracting over-compression and ____, but for singers who are already breathy and weak, it is much more effective to use exercises that focus on ____. Flow phonation enables singers to generate efficient sound without vocal damage, due to appropriate levels of airflow, low ____, and balanced onset.* abduction, appoggio, phonation threshold pressed phonation, vocal fold adduction, sub-glottal air pressure strain, release, adduction 66. With flow phonation, the vocal folds adduct largely as a result of the ____ lowered air pressure drawing the folds together. It works like this: airflow traveling through the folds causes a pressure drop. The decreased ____ sucks the vocal folds together.* Brentano Result, flow Bernoulli Effort, appoggio Bernoulli Effect, air pressure 67. Flow phonation is characterized by a lower ______(the amount of times that the vocal folds are together in the cycle of open/closed) compared to pressed phonation. However, flow phonation closed quotient is higher than that typical of ____ phonation.* open quotient, pressed vibrational rate, balanced closed quotient, breathy 68. Flow phonation encourages a higher ____ amplitude in the voice source spectrum than does pressed phonation. Flow phonation encourages ___ due to the high level of upper partials in the voice source spectrum.* fundamental frequency, chiaroscuro H1, squillo-oscuro both of the above 69. Singers in the ___ category are most likely to benefit from flow phonation work.* Balanced Unbalanced Pulled Lower Unbalanced- Light Lower TEACHING THE STEP70. OBJECTIVES OF STEP SIX: The student will develop a ____ onset. The balanced onset is neither aspirate (H) nor the coup-de-glotte used in prior steps; this is the onset of the developed voice. Staccato encourages ____ vocal fold compression and balance between air pressure and the vibrating vocal folds. In the Eliminating the Helpers section, we discontinue the use of any device to encourage ____, (the coup-de-glotte, voiced-stop consonants, etc, ) and focus on the balanced onset with ___.* adducted, increased, registration, consonants correct, decreased, abduction, vowels balanced, moderate, adduction, vowels 71. The “silent H” onset is not an _____ with excess air escaping; nor is it a ___. The silent H encourages a healthily ____ onset.* aspirate, hard attack, balanced hypo-adducted, hyper-adducted, balanced both of the above 72. With the “silent H” onset rather than an ___ H, there is no perceptible ___ in the sound. Staccato develops the balanced onset- neither breathy nor over-compressed. Staccato requires consistent ___. Staccato is very helpful for the Undeveloped or Unbalanced-Light Lower vocal categories because it increases vocal fold adduction. For the Unbalanced-Pulled Lower category staccato reduces overcompression. Staccato also develops better ____ and register balance.* adducted, quality, compression, appoggio aspirate, breathiness, appoggio, pitch control hypoadducted, difference, focus, compression 73. When we sing, we want to maintain the expanded position of the ribcage somewhat longer, delaying the _____ of the torso as long as possible. Appoggio is expanding the torso, then slightly firming the _____ abdominal muscles, and then maintaining that posture a little longer as you sing. It is a feeling of _____.* expansion, upper, holding collapse, lateral, suspension firming, abdominal, locking 74. When you say MMM, you are using a slight _____. Now, say “HMM-HMM-HMM-HMM-HMM” as if you are laughing quietly to yourself. This is the _____.* coup-de-glotte, "silent "H" attack, balanced onset both of the above 75. When you perform this exercise, the abdominals neither pull up and in nor push outward; they maintain the expanded position of ___. This is the idea of “pushing and pulling at the same time”- maintaining a balance between opposing muscle groups using ____ muscle engagement.* exhalation, opposed inspiration, pugilistic inhalation, antagonistic 76. Staccato means “_____”. When singing staccato exercises, remember the ____ is a “silent H”. You should feel a slight ______of the lateral abdominal muscles when performing staccato exercises.Staccato exercises encourage moderate ____. Continue to use the palm of the hand on the chin and the thumb and finger on either side of the mouth to prevent ____. 6. Continue to use the SLaS ____for stability and support.* short and attached, start, locking, transition, grinning, exercises energized and supported, sustain, engagement, volume, flipping, approach short and detached, onset, firming, compression, spreading, Breathing Belt 77. Eliminating the Helpers: With these exercises, we use vowels and a balanced onset, eliminating the "helpers" of previous steps that encouraged ____, such as coup de glotte and voiced-stop consonants.* appoggio clarity vocal fold adduction 78. Beginning with Step Six we no longer progress through Rounds (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). Instead, we are developing ___.* skills habits registers EmailThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Δ You can be a Successful SLaS Teacher Table of Contents
