Because breath pressure is such an important component of phonation, especially singing, below are two variations of an exercise for exploring the sensations of different levels of air pressure.
Take a deep breath and with your hand clasped firmly over your mouth (no leakage through your nose either!), exhale through your mouth and notice any outward movement of your hand. This is positive pressure. When you inhale, pay attention to the suction action on your palm. This is negative pressure. Try the same thing, forming the consonant “F”. Again, make note of the effect these actions have on your lower lip. Since your vocal folds are direct recipients of this pressure during phonation, these exercises should help give you an idea of how air pressure moves the the vocal folds.
Vocology: The Science and Practice of Voice Habilitation. Ingo Titze and Katherine Verdolini Abbot. National Center for Voice and Speech. 2012.
Leave a Reply