Resonance And Its Importance In Voice

Written by: Roselyn Mathew / Voice Therapy / October 25, 2023 / 8 minutes read

Resonance, in very simple terms, is the vibration of a structure when its frequency is being  matched. In the human body, there are different cavities which can contribute to vocal resonance. A change in resonance changes the quality of a voice. 

Different types of vocal resonances and resonators

Nasal resonance 

Nasal resonance refers to the amount of resonance that is provided by the nose while speaking.  This is determined by the amount of air that is flows through the nose while speaking. There  are 2 types of nasal resonance or nasality in voice. These are: 

• → Hypernasality 

Hypernasality means that most or all the sounds are produced by air passing through the nose.  Sounds /m/, /n/ and /ng/ in English are nasal sounds, which mean they should be produced by  letting air flow through the nose instead of the mouth. All other sounds in English are oral  sounds which means air must be only exhaled though the mouth while producing these sounds.  In hypernasality, the oral sounds are also produced with nasal emissions, and these change the  resonance quality. Hypernasality can occur due to structural issues like a cleft or fistula, through  which air escapes from the mouth to the nose while speaking. It can also occur when the velum  or soft palate is weak and does not have adequate movement or strength to block the air from  going to the nose while speaking. It can also be just habitual where a person by habit allows air  to pass through the nose instead of the mouth while enunciating oral sounds. 

• → Hyponasality 

Hyponasality is the opposite of hypernasality. Here, the nasal sounds are produced by making  air flow through the mouth instead of the nose. Hyponasality seems to sound less severe that  hypernasality as only three sounds in the English language (/m/, /n/ and /ng/) are affected.  Hyponasality is generally caused due to any blockage of air from exiting the nose such as a  deviated nasal septum.  

Any disruption in the nasal resonance, whether hypernasality or hypernasality causes a shift in  the nasal resonance and will disrupt the quality of the voice. It is important to have an  adequate nasal resonance. 

Resonance of sinuses 

Sinuses are air filled cavities in the forehead, nose and cheek region. There are 4 paired sinuses.  These are maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid and frontal sinuses. The vibration of these sinuses while 

speaking or singing can change the quality of the voice. Certain studies have shown that  although there is a shift in the voice, the difference it causes is minimal.  

Oral resonance 

Oral resonance is the resonance of the oral cavity. All oral sounds use oral resonance. Overuse  of oral resonance creates hyponasality and using less oral resonance causes hypernasality.  Hence, it is important to have an adequate balance of oral and nasal resonance. 

In the human body, there are different cavities which can contribute to vocal resonance. 

Pharyngeal resonance 

Pharyngeal resonance is the vibration of the pharyngeal cavities or pharynx while speaking.  Pharynx is a structure that is behind the nasal structure and extends to the esophagus. Based  on its position, pharynx is divided into 3- Nasopharynx (pharynx behind the nasal cavity),  Oropharynx (pharynx behind the oral cavity) and hypopharynx or laryngopharynx (pharynx  behind the larynx and laryngeal area, which is in the throat). Even though pharynx is a long tube  and extends from the nasal area to the throat, pharyngeal vibration or resonance is generally  focused on creating the vibration of the area that is generally below the lower nasal and upper  oral area. An excess or lack of vibration in the pharynx creates a disruption in having an  adequate resonance.  

Laryngeal resonance (resonance in the laryngeal area) 

A laryngeal resonance happens when there is a greater vibration in the laryngeal area. This can  be felt by touching the throat. The presence of laryngeal resonance is not felt most of the time  because of the vibration of the vocal folds. Vocal folds are a pair of small muscles that are in the  larynx. Voice is produced due to the vibration of the vocal folds. Even if there is no laryngeal  resonance, vibrations are still felt on the throat due to their vibration. Therefore, it is difficult to  immediately understand the presence of a laryngeal resonance. It is generally advised to not  have much laryngeal resonance as it might put more pressure on the laryngeal area and can  make the speaker tired quickly.  

Head resonance 

Head resonance means the vibration of the structures that are above the neck. These include  the oral resonance, nasal resonance, resonance of the four sinuses and upper pharyngeal  resonance. Using head resonance creates a brighter or a lighter resonance where the voice  produced will sound like a higher pitched voice. Singers generally use the head resonance while  singing higher notes. Also, women generally speak with a head resonance.  

Chest resonance 

Chest resonance is the vibration in the chest cavity while speaking. Chest resonance is also  referred to as dark resonance. The voice made using the chest resonance sounds like a lower  pitched voice. Males generally speak with a chest resonance. Singers use chest resonance while  singing lower notes. Chest resonance can be felt by touching the chest while speaking. If a vibration is felt it means that the speaker is using a chest resonance. If there is no vibration, it  means that the speaker is either using a head resonance or a laryngeal resonance.  

How is voice shaped by these resonances?

The voice quality changes based on which resonance is used more than the others. For  example, voice becomes low sounding when chest resonance is greatly used and becomes  nasalized when the proportion of nasal resonance is more. When we speak or sing, we use  different resonances in different proportions. The art of using resonance effectively while  communicating or singing is to balance the resonances. 

Conclusion

Resonance is an important factor in having a good vocal quality. The human body has different  resonating chambers. It is essential to create a proper balance in resonances to ensure that the  speaker or singer has the voice that they desire.

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