Don’t sing the song to yourself before performing it on the stage – that is the conclusion which American scientists have reached. They say this may throw you off. Their study has, for the first time ever, proven that there is a connection between subvocalization and the accuracy of your singing.
People can sing for plenty of reasons: to express their emotions, to build new social connections and to communicate. Singing may be an additional tool in education for children and adults, a form of entertainment. It can also help to cope with neurological and speech disorders arising from stammering, Parkinson’s disease, brain damage and autism. Despite the significant role of singing in our daily life, little is known yet about the vocal imitation of pitch – quite an important process in singing.
Useful singing: 17 facts you didn’t know
Today, we are going to tell you even more facts about singing and why regular karaoke is a secret behind good mood, positive emotions, and good memory.
As a rule, singing is based on reproduction of a melody from memory, mostly using a mixture of musical and auditory images which precede and shape the sound. The researchers discovered that the mental image, forming in our mind before singing, influences not only the way we’re going to sing, but also the sensory and motor activity in the larynx. Subvocalization (pronouncing things to yourself as you’re reading or singing), in particular, can initiate motor planning as a person is getting ready to sing a note or a melody.
In some cases, subvocalization does come in handy because it helps the performer to be prepared for steep changes in a song, especially if such changes come together with dance moves. However, the scientists believe that it directly impacts pitch and accuracy of your singing. Subvocalization, in a way, sets the muscles in the larynx in a specific position which matches the musical mental image in our mind. Yet, the song in our mind might sound noticeably different from the way we should actually perform it. Experienced singers normally learn to get rid of subvocalization, but it may cause novices extra trouble.
