Sarah King - McCoy - CH9-10

CH9

Summary: The pharynx consists of multiple muscles to assist with swallowing, chewing, speaking, and singing. The tongue is kind of like the epicenter of activity because so many muscles aid in controlling it. But because there are so many muscles connecting to so many things, it gets a little jumbled and problems can arise. The goal with singing is to have as little tension as possible so problems can be minimized.

Key words:
Articulation – how the tongue and jaw move to create the phonemes of speech and singing.
Superior/Inferior longitudinal tongue muscles – intrinsic muscles, top and bottom layers, respectively, of the tongue muscles, they have long fibers running from the anterior to posterior of the dorsum; when contracted simultaneously the entire dorsum is shortened; contraction solely in upper curls the tongue upwards.
Horizontal tongue muscle – intrinsic muscle, run through the medial/lateral plane of the dorsum, contraction narrows the blade and is responsible for curling the sides upward to form a long furrow.
Vertical tongue muscle – intrinsic muscle, run from the top of the tongue to the bottom, contraction flattens the tongue.
Palatoglossus – originates in soft palate and runs within the walls of the pharynx to insert into the underside of the tongue, it can both raise the posterior of the tongue and/or lower the soft palate.
Faucial pillars – located near the back of the tongue, look like pillars along both sides of the opening to the throat.

Application: Being aware of which muscles do what is useful for pinpointing problem areas with muscles that are trying too hard. Personally, I struggle with a bit of TMJ syndrome, which makes it difficult for me to quickly open my jaw to its fullest extent (I can get there, but it takes a bit of time and a few pops). Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do about it without professional help. However, despite this personal setback, I still find it beneficial to know what the rest of my facial muscles are doing.

 

CH10

Summary: What would singing be if not for hearing? That made no sense, but whatever. This chapter talked about hearing, specifically zeroing in on the physical makeup of the ear and how it processes sounds. Pretty interesting stuff.

Key words:
Hearing – how the ear and brain monitor and control phonation.
Outer ear – collects and transmits sound to the middle ear; external portion called the pinna or auricle is flesh and cartilage and its complex shape helps collect and direct sound from the outside world to the middle and inner portions of the ear; pinna connects to bony canal 25mm long passageway through the bones of the skill; a thin membrane called the eardrum or tympanic membrane is stretched across the end of the canal, soundwaves travel through the bony canal and impact the tympanic membrane, causing it to vibrate.
Middle ear – mechanically amplifies and transfers sound to the inner ear; air-filled region that contains three of the smallest bones in the body: the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrups), together which form the auditory ossicles that connect the back of the tympanic membrane to the oval window of the inner ear; two muscles within the inner ear: tensor tympanum (courses from the malleus to the bony edges of the auditory tube) and the stapedius (connects the posterior wall of the middle ear to the stapes), these muscles serve as a protective unit for the ear by inhibiting excess movement of the ossicles from very loud sounds.
Inner ear – maintains balance and converts sound vibrations to nerve impulses that are sent to the brain; fluid-filled region that serves two functions: balance and hearing, balance maintained through the vestibular organs, the utricle, saccule, and semi-circular canals; the cochlea is the hearing organ of the inner ear, it is spiral-shaped and looks like a snail shell 😊

Application: Listen up, folks! Being able to hear properly is no joke! The feedback loops we receive when speaking or singing allow us to adjust our sound on the go, so if something ain’t quite right with the mechanism for hearing you might be in a bit of trouble.