They help you hold your breath when they are brought together. Skeletal muscles of the larynx are attached to the vocal cords. The tenser the vocal cords, the faster they vibrate and the higher the pitch. Deeper sounds are produced by decreasing the muscular tension on the vocal cords. The rima glottidis is wide when we produce deep tones and narrows to a slit for high-pitched sounds.
Vocal cords are thicker and longer in males than females, so they vibrate slower.
Therefore, men have a lower range of pitch than women. The greater the force of air on the vocal cords, the stronger the vibration of the vocal cords and the louder the sound. They amplify and enhance the quality of sound. The trachea lies anterior to the esophagus. The open parts of the C-shaped cartilage face the esophagus, allowing the esophagus to expand during swallowing.