Larynx Placements (1,912 views)

[clem]

Whether it's Ian Curtis dropping his larynx to the floor, Fat Mike keeping it permanently at chin level, or Graham Bonnet using more of a neutral position, larynx placement can greatly affect vocal sounds. 

Which examples of different larynx positions stand out to you?

[Steingrim]

In general, my head tilted forward to push down on my larynx helps with producing strohbass. I've seen a small child do that to get into fry mode to emulate an adult's deeper voice. The adult did the same, to one-up the child with an even deeper note. I suppose that push actually brings the larynx higher, relative to the chin.

Keeping the larynx in place seems to help with singing modal bass notes.

[Baronessa]

Glenn Hughes being as annoying as humanly possible:

[Steingrim]

Mar 7, 2022 14:14:33 GMT Baronessa said:

Glenn Hughes being as annoying as humanly possible:

Not the best counter tenor ever..

[fallenalien]

On her first albums Grimes higher larynx placement gave her a really interesting bright, almost child voice. A really pleasant sound and a good contrast to some of her darker productions on albums like "Visions".

Not sure it's a healthy technique.

[Platypus]

i gotta shoutout the king of flooring, Brad Roberts

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

[Steingrim]

Axl Rose takes his "bass baritone" voice to a number of phrased F#5s in "There was a time". It has been described as his "Mickey Mouse" voice. Any clues as to how he manages to do that ? Something to do with larynge position, maybe ?

I found something about "pharyngeal resonance" but I'm not sure what that is.

[Captain Planet]

Glenn Hughes inadvertently sounding exactly like a woman:

[clem]

Mar 7, 2022 18:08:13 GMT Steingrim said:

Axl Rose takes his "bass baritone" voice to a number of phrased F#5s in "There was a time". It has been described as his "Mickey Mouse" voice. Any clues as to how he manages to do that ? Something to do with larynge position, maybe ?

I found something about "pharyngeal resonance" but I'm not sure what that is.

His Mickey voice is a very heady mix. Depending on what kind of shape his voice is in, he can blend it in with the rest of his range pretty well with compression and rasp. But if he's in rougher singing condition, it can sound quite disconnected and thin.

It sounds like Axl pulls his larynx down in his lower register more than when he's singing the trademark highs as well though.

[Ultimoot]

Mar 7, 2022 18:08:13 GMT Steingrim said:

Axl Rose takes his "bass baritone" voice to a number of phrased F#5s in "There was a time". It has been described as his "Mickey Mouse" voice. Any clues as to how he manages to do that ? Something to do with larynge position, maybe ?

I found something about "pharyngeal resonance" but I'm not sure what that is

To put it simply, the glottal compression with fry makes a harmonic or overtone sound with also a stretchy chest sound. Hence why.

Mar 7, 2022 18:49:29 GMT clem said:

It sounds like Axl pulls his larynx down in his lower register more than when he's singing the trademark highs as well though.

He actually got the low C with neutral larynx though.

Besides he usually has a lower larynx for low notes which should stand for itself as low notes use a low laryngeal space.

[Steingrim]

Both of you seem to be talking about a heady mix. The wikipedia entry on "pharyngeal voice" suggests a modified falsetto.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voce_faringea

This video compared heady mix to "masked head voice". www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMCiWo5zXug
The first example of the latter, the "yellow note", sounds like just falsetto to me.

Axl Rose's sustained F#5s in "I.R.S." sound nice to me. Maybe he is better at it than the singer in the example ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kPHj6QrLbU&t=203s

[Captain Planet]

Mar 7, 2022 19:50:57 GMT Steingrim said:

Both of you seem to be talking about a heady mix. The wikipedia entry on "pharyngeal voice" suggests a modified falsetto.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voce_faringea

This video compared heady mix to "masked head voice". www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMCiWo5zXug
The first example of the latter, the "yellow note", sounds like just falsetto to me.

Axl Rose's sustained F#5s in "I.R.S." sound nice to me. Maybe he is better at it than the singer in the example ?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kPHj6QrLbU&t=203s

The title of this video sums up everything you need to know about Axl Rose's technique: "Embrace NASAL... Think THIN... Mix Well".
He also talks about larynx placement at 4:05

['S]

The way she pulls him up with his nose represents where she pulls her own voice up to pretty nicely. Still sounds cool to me anyway.

[Steingrim]

@captain Planet : That makes sense. So he's being nasal rather than employing some kind of very special technique, then.

[Ultimoot]

Mar 7, 2022 20:03:55 GMT Captain Planet said:

The title of this video sums up everything you need to know about Axl Rose's technique: "Embrace NASAL... Think THIN... Mix Well".
He also talks about larynx placement at 4:05

And let me repeat myself, again, he also uses pharyngeal grit, it's not just being a more nasal all the time influences it, and pharyngeal space can only contribute to timbre.

[Steingrim]

Mar 8, 2022 10:02:30 GMT Ultimoot said:

Mar 7, 2022 20:03:55 GMT Captain Planet said:

The title of this video sums up everything you need to know about Axl Rose's technique: "Embrace NASAL... Think THIN... Mix Well".
He also talks about larynx placement at 4:05

And let me repeat myself, again, he also uses pharyngeal grit, it's not just being a more nasal all the time influences it, and pharyngeal space can only contribute to timbre.

playthetunes.com/axl-rose-vocal-range/

"The secret behind this uniqueness lies in his usage of his pharyngeal resonance, commonly known as mask. The mask is located in the back of your throat, on your pharynx. Using the pharynx resonance can make distortion in your voice, which makes them sound nasally and whiny.

Other professionals would often strike symmetry between chest voice, head voice, and the pharynx to create a whole and well-blended sound. Axl Rose, however, leaned on the usage of the pharyngeal resonance in his singing, especially when doing a falsetto."

"pharyngeal resonance" seems to suggest something more than just timbre.