Evening star., 1932-01-24
VO|CEPECUL|AR|T|ES.
SHOWN BY MOVIES
Experiments Reveal Cause of
Twang, HarshnesS and
FaIsetto OF Singers.

Sound movies" of the vocal cords
in action are revealing the causes of
the New England twang, the harsh
voices of the deaf and the falsetto
of singers, according to report just
made public by the Carnegie 1nstitu-
tion of Washington.
TIE experiments are being conducted
under a Carnegie grant by DR.. G. oscar
Russell of the Ohio State University
and. according to the report are de-
molishing many traditional i'--S as to
the causes of voice differences. Nov
ing pictures Of the voice organs are
taken while the subject is talking or
singing, so that it is possible to check
up on what happened in the throat
with each vocal change.
The New England "twang" generally
has been attributed to an habitual
throwing of the voice through the nose,
but Russell reports, the experiments
show that this has nothing to do with
It. 1t is due to construction of the up
per larynx which, in extreme forms,
may cause the loss of the voice alto
gether and which also is responsible
for strident, cutting and shrieking
voices.
Contract on Vocal Cords.
The muscular walls Of the upper
larynx, his synchronized pictures show,
contract with considerable force on the
vocal cords so that they cannot vi
brate freely. The only way they can
vibrate is through narrow slit lett
open between the larynX walls. Within
this constructed space they are forced
to clash together, very much like Gym
balls, producing a Strident or claShlng
tone. This has formerly been con-
sidered due to the sinuses or head
cavities.
But ynis construction of the upper
larynx is only the first step. Its ell
fects spread to other muscles, especially
those Immediately under and behind
the tin of the chin. The tension on
these he says, can be felt with the
thumb when a tone gets out OF the
range of singer and becomes Strldent
1t brings about a condition where one
muscle involved in voice production Is
pulling against another.
Nature Balks.
"When nature is called upon to pull
at cross purposes in this manner" Rus
sell saws, the time comes when nature
balks. 1t is well illustrated by the olo
exercise trick of clenching the flst ana
bending the elbow, meanwhile trying
TO null the arm toward you and at the
same time utilizing another set OF
direction. The time comes when the
strain can be kept up no longer, and
the arm automatically relaxes without
the subject being able to control what
happens Much the same thing seems
to take place in the voice. After TINS
tight. CONSTRUCTED tone is held fer a
time the voice is likely to break. The
muscles controlling the vocal lips, or
cords. refuse to function any longer,
11,- n n1n
much as the arm does, and the mdl-
yidual's voice is noticed to give way
entirely. To all intents and purposes |
he is as bed off as If he had lost his
voice entirely, although the loss may be |
only a temporary one. II he persists
in using the voice under those circum- |
stances. a condition may develop where |
he is able to do no more than whisper I
for days, or even months, at time.
Beating Creates Heat.
The beating of the vocal cords against |
each other like a pair Of cymbals, Rus |
sell points out, creates considerable heat. |
This nature tries to Offset by pouring |
cut considerable quantities OF mucus.
This gathers in the slit through which |
the vocal cords must vibrate. The re- |
suit is the "rasping voice" If the con- |
dition continues long enough, this may |
become chronic. The New England |
twang. he says. is a midway point in |
this process I'VE have long known" |
he says, that marrow. stopped organ !
pipe when blown too loudly is made to |
squeal with this peculiar nasal quality. |
The same effect appears to be produced |
by a tight construction Immediately !
above the vocal cords and along their
edges" Where it is not carried to the
same extreme, he says, it results in
what is known as the white voice" of
singers.
Other vocal organ behavior shown for
the first time by the moving pictures
goes far to explain the hollow" voices
Of the deaf and the falsetto. The for
mer, Russell finds, probably is due to
too great relaxation Of the vocal cords
such as brings loW-pitChed tones. The
auditory deficiency of the deaf, it is
explained. probably is greatest for low
tones Thus the victim concentrates
on producing these in order to have
what sounds TO him like natural voice.
The falsetto, he found. is the most
difficult voice anomaly Of all TO inter-
pret since what actually happens is
hidden. There seems to be some rela-
tionship between it and the hollow"
tcne although the falsetto seems to
require moderate tension Of the vocal
lips.
The basic question, Russell says, is
as to Just how these organs operate,
and this cannot be thoroughly under
stood until hundredth second pictures
can be taken of them in action.
T. R. H