What is sub-glottic pressure?
What is sub-glottic pressure?
The opening between your vocal cords is called the glottis. When we close our vocal cords to create phonation we are closing the glottis so that the vocal cords can vibrate and create sound. What causes the vocal cords to come together and close the glottis? It is the breath that comes up from our lungs controlled by the diaphragm that draws the vocal cords together. So the term “sub-glottic pressure” is divided this way:
“sub” refers to the breath pressure that is beneath the vocal cords, “glottis” is referring to the opening between the cords and “pressure” is the air coming through the glottis to make sound. We have to create the correct amount of sub-glottic pressure to successfully sing in our different ranges. Sub-glottic pressure is at it’s greatest when we sing high because the vocal cords stretch very thin and vibrate very quickly so more breath pressure is needed. In our middle range less breath pressure is needed to create sound because the vocal cords are stretched less. Most people speak in their middle range because it requires less effort. When we sing in our low range, the vocal cords are the least stretched and because the cords are vibrating more slowly, the singer needs to move more breath rather then rely on the sub-glottic pressure to hold back air. Singing in our high range requires the most breath support to properly create sub-glottic pressure which is why so many singers strain their voices when they sing high.
So what is a singer to do? We at Jameson vocal studio believe that singers need to achieve the right kind of sub-glottic pressure to learn proper breathing technique. Your vocal cords will react to whatever range you want to sing in but if you lack adequate breath support you will not be able to achieve the beautiful sound you want. Don’t get frustrated, contact us today!!
“Develop the coveted seamless legato line using Lip Trills”
Lip trills really help to move and anchor your breath by using correct sub-glottic breath pressure. It’s a great way to create that seamless legato line which you need to develop for world-class singing. The objective is to make sure your lips keep trilling throughout the entire vocalize. If your lips stop, you can bet your breath stopped as well. Stopping breath is the same as dropping your support. So, stand with correct posture, rib cage high, good, deep, low, down and out breath and start phonation or singing by trilling your lips. In the lower range it might be a bit more difficult because you need to move more breath. Remember to keep the breath moving and those lips trilling!
COVID and breathing problems
It has come to our attention that many people who have had Covid are struggling with breathing problems. We’ve also heard that many voice teachers are helping these people recover from their breathing issues. Of course first and foremost you need to see your doctor for help and advice. In addition to seeing your doctor, a voice teacher that knows and talks a lot about proper breathing technique can be a wonderful source of help for you. Most people don’t know how to properly inflate their lungs or how to increase their capacity for air. If you are a person that would like help and advice on increasing your lung capacity and strengthen your breathing muscles, please contact us for help today!