Larynx
Vocal organ; the vibrating vocal folds act as a “cushioned pipe” producing the fundamental tone of the human singing voice.
What it means
The larynx is the organ in the throat in which the vocal folds are located and which produces the fundamental tone of the human voice. When speaking and singing, air from the lungs is pressed through the narrow opening between the vocal folds, the glottis, causing them to vibrate like a “cushioned pipe” and produce a tone.
Musical use
The larynx consists of several cartilages, muscles, and ligaments that can finely regulate the length, tension, and position of the vocal folds. This regulation determines the pitch and tone color of the voice and enables switching between registers such as chest and head voice. The larynx changes in size and position during development, which, for instance during the voice change at puberty, leads to a marked lowering of pitch, especially in boys.
The larynx should be distinguished from the lungs, which supply the air stream but produce no tone themselves, and from the resonating spaces in throat, mouth, and nose, which shape and amplify in sound the fundamental tone produced in the larynx but do not themselves produce vibration in the strict sense.
Performance practice
When singing, aim for a relaxed larynx that is not pulled up, since a tense position constricts the sound and tires the voice. Support the tone instead with breath and posture so the larynx can vibrate freely.