There is a musical definition for the word “attack”. It refers to the initiation of a musical tone. On a violin, it’s when the bow begins to slide across the string. For the voice, it is the onset of vocal tone, when the breath sets the vocal cords in motion.

Attack, or vocal onset, is a complex event that coordinates several neuro-muscular processes. The breathing apparatus initiates a controlled exhale while the vocal cords come together in just the right way to allow them to use that air to produce vibrations, which then travel up the throat (at the speed of sound) and out through the mouth. Ideally, the throat and mouth are sufficiently open and configured in a way that resonates the vibrations from the vocal cords to produce a full and pleasing sound, along with the pronunciation of vowels and consonants.

 

The addition of consonants presents further complexity. All consonants involve interruption of vowels. 3 out of the 4 types of consonants discussed above interrupt the vocal tone while 2 of the 4 interrupt the breath flow altogether. 

Interruption of the air flow can happen either at the level of the glottis (vocal cords) or higher up with actions of the lips, tongue and soft palate.

When an attack is performed at the level of  the glottis, it can be “aspirated”, “glottal” or “balanced”. 

• Aspirated means that the air already flowing through open vocal cords begins producing tone when the cords come together. This is what happens when you pronounce an “H”. Think “Ho, ho, ho”.
• When we say the glottis is closed, we mean the vocal cords are adducted tightly together, preventing any air from flowing. A “glottal attack” (aka “glottal stroke”) begins with a closed glottis, which then releases just enough and in just the right way to allow the released air to begin vibrating the vocal cords. In speech and song, we often start vowels this way, such as the word “after”. Without the glottal stroke, it would be pronounced “hafter”, which is a different word.
• While the two extremes of attack (vocal onset) are the glottal and the aspirated, a more ideal way to initiate tone is usually somewhere between these two where the breath pressure, vocal cord adduction and vowel pronunciation all happen simultaneously. This is called a “balanced” or “simultaneous” attack.
• These various forms of vocal onset are useful in vocal pedagogy.

 

How can consonants help with the attack?

One challenge a singer can face is if the breath pressure overwhelms the precise and balanced adjustment of the glottis that is resisting that pressure. The result can be a weaker voice, noisy roughness in the tone or wear and tear on the vocal cords. The solution is usually to strengthen the adduction of the vocal cords and to promote better coordination between the glottis and the breathing muscles.

A consonant that stops and then restarts the vocal tone can help in this regard by limiting the air flow. This allows the muscles of the larynx to find a more optimum register balance while the breathing muscles learn to regulate the air flow appropriately.

• An example of this would be to sing “GA” on each note of an arpeggio, repeating four times on the top note. The consonant stops the air flow, taking pressure off the vocal cords and allowing them to find an optimal adjustment when the tone re-starts. The resonance adjustment will also benefit if the vowel is well-formed. 

 

Using the attack in pedagogy

 

There are times when re-articulating (stopping then re-starting) the tone can help strengthen vocal muscles in very specific ways. Two areas of possible benefit are:

• The registration - muscles within the larynx, and
• The suspensory muscles that help to keep the throat open for optimum resonance

Registration and open throated singing are improved at the same time when we practice precise vocal attacks.

 

Improving the registration with attacks:

Vocal cord adduction and damping are precise muscular adjustments that are important for singing higher in the range - the “connected head voice”.

Every vocal attack is an opportunity for the instrument to rapidly find the precise adjustment needed for that pitch, intensity and vowel combination. This is an unconscious process that you can set in motion with exercises that involve vocal attacks.

Generally speaking, aspirated attacks promote more of a head voice response while glottal strokes shift the balance more to the chest voice. 

Paradoxically, in the higher pitches, BOTH these extremes of vocal onset will support your ability to find that adductor reflex that damps the vocal cords to shorten the portion which actively vibrates, which is a necessary part of the register balance for high notes.

• Glottal strokes stop and restart the flow of air, which is challenging on a high note! They need to be done gently, not forcefully, but even then it is easy for the vowel and resonance adjustment to collapse. Concentrated attention to maintaining vowel quality will help the voice coordinate damping.
• Interjecting small “H”s into the tone allows the air flow to continue while requiring the vocal cords to come together again to restart the tone. One would think this to be an extraordinarily difficult task on a high pitch, but the instrument rises to the occasion and seems able to use that air flow efficiently and effortlessly. Don’t overwhelm the voice with "H"s that are too big or by singing very loudly, but do maintain vowel quality.

So, strangely enough, using repeated glottal strokes on an octave leap can accomplish a similar benefit as using aspirated articulations. A little experimentation can find whichever works best in the moment. Generally, I would use “H”s up high and glottals in the lower range, but it’s worth learning how to execute both. Remember, aesthetics are unimportant when we are working to improve functional vocal freedom. Vowel quality and steady improvement in ease of execution will tell you if you’re on the right track.

 

Using the attack to improve activation of the suspensory muscles:

We grow by taking on challenges and the same is true of our voices. The fine and intricate coordination that takes place spontaneously during the onset of vocal tone is remarkable even in its most rudimentary forms, but the power of spontaneous action can be harnessed to generate even further refinements.

There are muscles attached to the larynx that can pull it in several directions at once, thus suspending it securely in the throat and allowing for it to assume a wide array of possible positions. When in tension, these muscles also provide greater firmness to the walls of the throat, which helps to resonate specific frequencies that brighten the vocal tone.

The length and width of the resonating space in the throat also influence vocal tone quality. Generally, the longer and wider the space, the richer and louder the sound. For this reason it is considered preferable that the larynx stays moderately low rather than creeps upward during singing.

A mechanistic approach to “keeping a low larynx”, however, is generally not effective. A dynamic, flexible registration and good vowel WILL allow the larynx to find its optimum position.

A vocal registration that is beginning to coordinate dynamically can be improved, along with the resonance adjustment, by singing arpeggios staccato, using either aspirated, glottal or balanced attacks for each note. Balanced and aspirated attacks with minimal “H” are probably most useful, but experimentation with the glottal stroke can also yield good results. A moderately loud volume will help you to keep the throat open.

This works by exercising the singer’s vocal coordination and by generating spontaneous action. It will feel very chaotic at first, which presents opportunities for the instrument to discover new coordination patterns it hasn’t achieved before. This is the essence of treading the path to vocal freedom.

 

A word about yodels

Yodels are another form of re-articulation. The sudden shift from chest to falsetto can strengthen many of the essential vocal reflexes and muscles. It can also provide a context for singing both registers from a similar resonance adjustment, which helps them to coordinate together.

In my years spent in Ken Nielsen's studio, we used yodels extensively, with good results! Perhaps one day soon I will compose a chapter on yodels.