A comparative microscopic examination of the tip of the tongue and
the lips shows a remarkable difference, for these structures are beset with
innumerable sensory nerves, whereby every slightest alteration of tension
and minute variations in degrees of pressure of the covering skin is
associated with messages thereon to the brain. The sense of movement in
articulate speech is therefore explained by this fact. There is every
reason then to believe that auditory tonal images are the sole primary and
essential guides to the minute alterations of tension in the muscles of the
larynx necessary for the production of corresponding vocal sounds. By
humming a tune we concentrate our attention and thereby limit the activity
of neural processes to systems and communities of neurones employed for the
perception of tonal images and their activation in motor processes; and
this helps to fix the tune in the memory.
PSYCHIC MECHANISM OF THE VOICE
A musical speaking voice denotes generally a good singing voice, and it
must be remembered that articulation cannot be separated from phonation in
the psychic mechanism. In speaking, we are unconscious of the breath
necessary for the production of the voice. Not so, however, in effective
singing, the management of the breathing being of fundamental importance;
and it is no exaggeration to say that only the individual who knows how to
breathe knows how to sing effectually.
Pages:
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102