10 Facts About the Voice. Part 3.

By November 11, 2011How To Sing, KTVA Blog

Hey guys!

Here is part 3 of our 5 part series, 10 facts about the voice!

We also have a GREAT singing lesson video with Joshua, check it out below!

10 Facts About the Voice, Part 3:

  1. Most vocal teachers can’t actually sing themselves.
  2. That when we sing, sound comes out of our mouths at approximately 750 miles per hour.  It is 1/2200 second, from the time that the sound is made until it exits your mouth.
  3. When we approach higher notes, sound pressure builds up in the head and often causes people to lose perspective of their pitch.  Much like when we have head phones on and hear the same music in another room, which sounds “flat” compared to what we heard in our “pressure” headphones.
  4. Most people think they can’t sing because they aren’t “naturally gifted”.  It is true, some have more gifts than others, but its like walking. Almost everyone can walk if they try.
  5. You should not eat up until 1 1/2 hours before a show. This will hurt support and cause regurgitation.
  6. You should avoid any carbonated beverages before and during performances.
  7. Adult men and women have different sizes of vocal folds; reflecting the male-female differences in larynx size.  Adult male voices are usually lower-pitched and have larger folds.  The male vocal folds (which would be measured vertically), are between 17 mm and 25 mm in length. The female vocal folds are between 12.5 mm and 17.5 mm in length.  The difference in vocal fold size between men and women causes a difference in vocal pitch.
  9. The vocal chords (also called vocal folds) are sometimes called ‘true vocal folds’. This is because you also have “false vocal cords”.  These are a pair of thick folds of mucous membrane that protect and sit slightly superior to the more delicate true folds. They have a minimal role in normal phonation, but are often used to produce deep sonorous tones in Tibetan chant and Tuvin throat singing, as well as in musical screaming and the death growl vocal style.
  10. The oldest known account of  “singing”  that can be verified is 3rd millennium BC (approximate dates shown) the earliest written literature dates from about 2600 BC (classical Sumerian).   The earliest literary authors known by name are Shuruppak and Urukagina, dating to ca. the 27th and 24th centuries BC, respectively.  Certain literary texts are difficult to date, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead which was recorded in the Papyrus of Ani around 1240 BC, but other versions of the book probably date from about the 18th century BC.  The 2600 BC Sumerian texts from Abu Salabikh included the Instructions of  Shuruppak on how to sing the “Kesh temple hymn.”


Check out this AWESOME vocal lesson!!!

Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy professional singing lessons