The muscles controlling and surrounding the larynx represent one of the most important control system affecting the human voice. For most singers, learning to stabilize the larynx is essential for vocal health, the increase of range, and the proper blending of chest and head voice. In this article I will attempt to shed some light on larynx position and offer some exercises that can help you improve your voice by stabilizing your larynx. Keep in mind that full time voice students may spend years on this! But a little awareness goes a long way in saving your voice from the harm caused by singing on a high larynx.
The Problem of a High Larynx
Consider the larynx to be a basket floating in a complicated web of tendons and membranes inside your throat. Your goal is to not allow the larynx to rise too much as you sing from low notes to high notes. To find your larynx, put your finger on the V that you feel in the front of your throat (commonly, the adams apple: the original problem ?) If you swallow, you feel it rise. We refer to this as constriction, because you are squeezing the space around the larynx. Good for eating, bad for singing!
You can tell if you're singing on a high larynx if you notice:
A heavy chest voice and a large break between your chest voice and head voice
Vocal cords that feel scratchy and producing a lot of mucous
Your voice feels worse the next day after singing
Your head voice feels breathy, airy, and unfocused
There are some differing views on whether or not a high larynx is harmful or not, with some techniques suggesting that it