KATIA LOSITO
VOCAL COACH, SINGER, REVIEWER
The Voice Straw
The Voice Straw is a tool for vocal training and voice rehabilitation used by singers, actors, and speakers. It helps remove tension, strain, breathiness, cracking, and vocal breaks. Scientifically proven to enhance the technique of singers, voice actors, and anyone who uses their voice extensively in their work. It is a must-have for anyone looking to improve sound quality and vocal endurance.
The Science Behind the Straw
Based on exceptional scientific studies peer-reviewed, including pioneering work by vocal scientist Dr. Ingo Titze, we realized that The Voice Straw would become the most crucial tool in a singer's toolkit. The straw is a training and rehabilitation instrument that works on pressure and resistance in the throat. While there are many straws out there, The Voice Straw offers some unique features that truly harness the science it's based on.
What does the straw do?
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It trains the posture of the vocal cords
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It changes the position of the vocal tract - Lengthens the epilaryngeal space"
Why is it important?
Phonation through the straw is entirely based on equalizing pressure. The diameter of the straw opening is slightly smaller than the average approximation of the vocal cords' opening. The smaller the opening, the greater the resistance (aerodynamic pressure) achieved. When the vocal cords vibrate, there are various intervals between opening and closing. What we aim for is to obtain the average opening of the vocal cords' movements. Whatever the average opening of your vocal cords is, it should be very similar to the diameter of the straw, which is why you need to experiment with sizes. The idea is that you shouldn't have too large a diameter because it wouldn't encourage the efficiency of your vocal cords. This is why switching to a smaller diameter straw makes sense, as it effectively closes the vocal cords and puts them in a square position.
Due to the significant amount of back pressure, it will be impossible for you to squeeze your voice. What you are doing is focusing the work on the muscles that position the vocal cords squarely, which lowers the phonation pressure threshold.
We are reconfiguring the posture of the vocal tract.
When using the straw, it's not possible to cough, squeeze, or make a glottal attack because the back pressure does not allow it. If you have a breathy voice, the straw will ensure that the vocal cords adduct properly. The degree to which the vocal cords come together is determined by the diameter of the straw itself.
The back pressure does two things:
1. Lowers the larynx
2. Increases the epilaryngeal space.
The space increases more in length because it pushes aside the false vocal folds and allows the larynx to descend. So we are looking at the relationship between the epilaryngeal tube and the pharynx. The beauty of what the straw does is that it elongates the tube. You have the sensation of a long and narrow tube (the same long and narrow tube as the straw) and the sensation of what inertia does (acoustic pressure). When you remove the straw, you should have trained the muscles to give you a better ratio in the pharynx.
Our Thoughts
We believe that the muscles activated by the straw are the TA muscles. The LCA muscle performs posterior compression to help prevent squeezing, while the TA muscles are responsible for squaring the vocal cords. Who wouldn't want to train their TA muscles to tone and square the vocal cords? The straw is a perfect tool for targeting the TA muscles and maintaining coordination with other muscles.
Activating the TA muscles serves to counter:
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Lack of tone
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Aging
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Breathy sound
We are NOT trying to excessively activate the TA muscles. We are seeking to coordinate the muscular balance between the TA and CT muscles, LCA, and IA to achieve the best possible configuration.