THE HUMAN VOICE
The human voice consists of sound made by the human vocal system. The voice can be subdivided into four parts: the breath, the vocal cords, the articulators and the resonators.
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1 The lungs must produce enough airflow to vibrate the vocal cords. Air is the fuel of the voice. The lungs don’t have muscles. The diaphragm, a muscle just below the lungs, helps them inhale and exhale. There are two types of breathing: thoracic and diaphragmatic (or complete). To play wind instruments or sing, we use diaphragmatic breathing.
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2Vocal cords are the vibrators that produce fine pitch and tone.
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¡Así son nuestras cuerdas vocales!
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3 The articulators (tongue, palate, cheek, lips, etc.) articulate and filter the sound.
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¿Qué son los resonadores vocales?
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4 Finally, the resonators amplify and intensify the sound. We use the air-filled cavities of our body to improve the timbre or the intensity of a sound. The end result of resonation is, or should be, to make a better sound. Some parts of the body that can be resonators are the trachea, the larynx, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses.
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The vocal cords, together with the articulators and the resonators, are capable of producing a lot of sounds. The tone of voice may be modulated to suggest emotions such as anger, surprise, or happiness. Singers use the human voice as an instrument for creating music. All together, these organs form the human vocal system.
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REGISTER AND VOCAL RANGES
Register
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A register is a particular series of sounds where a singer can sing comfortably and produce the same quality (timbre, power, clarity…).
VOCAL RANGES
Voices are classified into ranges. The differences between them are distinguished between men’s and women’s voices and the individual register of each singer.
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Soprano: A high female (or young boy’s) voice.
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Alto: A low female (or young boy’s) voice.
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Tenor: A high (adult) male voice.
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Bass: A low (adult) male voice.
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There are intermediate vocal ranges between the main ones:
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Mezzo-soprano: In between soprano and alto..
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.Countertenor: A male voice that is unusually high, light, and agile, even for a tenor.
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.Baritone: A male voice that falls in between tenor and bass.
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Listen to the four main voices in the following video:
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Young children sing in the same register as a soprano. During adolescence, the voice changes and the vocal cords lengthen. They lengthen more in boys than in girls, which is why men have a deeper vocal register.
Choral music
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A choir is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music is the music written specifically for a choir to perform. Choirs are often led by a conductor or choirmaster and can be categorized by the voices.
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Mixed choir
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Mixed choirs (i.e., with male and female voices) are perhaps the most common type. They usually consist of soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices, often abbreviated as SATB.
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Bohemian Rhapsody – Pentatonix
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Male choir
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Male choirs have the same SATB voicing as mixed choirs. However, boys sing the upper part (often called treble or boy soprano) and men sing alto, also known as countertenor, in falsetto. This format is typical of British cathedral choirs.
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Nearer, My God, to Thee | BYU Vocal Point ft. BYU Men’s Chorus
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The King’s Singers – Overture The Barber Of Seville
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Female choir
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Female choirs usually consist of soprano and alto voices, two parts in each voice.
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Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) | BYU Noteworthy
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Children’s choirs are often two-part (Soprano – Alto) or three-part (Soprano 1, Soprano 2 Alto) and sometimes include more voices. This type of choir includes boys’ choirs.
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“Diamonds” de Rihanna (escrito por Sia) | Portada de One Voice Children’s Choir
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INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES
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1. CRUCIGRAMA DE REPASO
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2. PREGUNTA / RESPUESTA
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3. EL APARATO FONADOR