Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Pamela Thomas

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Donald Carlow wrote at 2008-12-05 20:19:55
Pamela Thomas--One of the things I struggle with in singing is what to aim for. I am 5 ft. 8 inches tall, have a smallish neck and larynx and physically would fit a tenor tessitura, however, the upper range--above A flat eludes me. Also my voice sounds heavy and thick at times. i am also puzzled over what should be the position of the larynx. During speaking the larnygeal cartilage raises relative to the hyoid bone, but I understand in singing this is not to happen. As a physician, I understand the anatomy and the physiology very well, but continue to be puzzled as to what to aim for in sound quality as well as laryngeal position. Douglas Stanleys' book says it should neither rise nor fall very much and that the hyoid and thyroid cartilages should remain well separated for all pitches and vowels. Your thoughts would be appreciated--Don Carlow

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