Learn about The Human Voice System

Male Speaker: The human voice system is like a musical instrument. At its centre is a vibrating element that produces sound with varying tone and loudness. The vibrating element in the human voice is the vocal cords. When air is exhaled from the lungs and through the larynx, it causes the vocal cords to vibrate. During normal breathing the vocal cords are held apart and no sound is produced. But when the moving cartilages are drawn together by muscles, a vibrating gap is formed that generates sound. The cartilages tilt to control vocal cord tension and like the strings of a musical instrument, the greater the tension, the higher the pitch. The lower the tension, the lower the pitch. Loudness depends on how fast the air moves past the cords. When we yell, we have to push the air rapidly through our vocal cords. Speech is formed by a combination of tongue, mouth and lips all working together to control the flow of air and sound from the vocal cords.



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