Glossary
Break: The distinct, sudden change of tone quality as the larynx is pulled with too much air pressure and causes a loss of connection. The bridge or passage area is commonly referred to as the ‘break'.
Laryngologist: a medical doctor who specialises in the treatment and study of the larynx.
Larynx: maybe referred to as the voice box or Adam's Apple. Situated in the neck, it houses the vocal cords
Lip Trills: an exercise where the lips flutter freely without feeling build up of breath pressure as you sing up and down scales.
Octave: The interval or distance between two notes on the piano which are eight notes apart.
Range: The amount of notes which the singer is capable of singing from their lowest to their highest without disconnecting.
Resonance: the amplification of freely vibrating sound in the cavities of the mouth and head.
Style: A personalised way of approaching singing. i.e.in the jazz style or in an r& b style.
Tone: Vocal tone, or timbre, is a person's own voice colour, made up of pitch, emotional intensity and resonance quality.
Vocal Cords: 2 bands of pliable membrane which are located inside the larynx. They are able to adjust their thickness and length for each pitch required.
Vocal fry: the sound you get when you are sending very little air through the vocal cords.
Vocal Nodules or nodes: are tiny lumps formed on the vocal folds, usually one on each side, where there has been vocal strain. The best cure is re-training the voice and if the nodules are soft enough they may melt away. They will come back if the voice abuse continues though.
Voice Strain: an imbalance of air and muscle causing the larynx to be squeezed by the muscles in the throat pulling it out of alignment. Signs can be visual with a reddening of the neck and face and face contortions and audible by going off pitch, the need to get louder for the high notes or forcing the sound to become brassy and nasal. Voice strain can lead to vocal nodules and other problems such as MTD (muscle tension dysphonia).
