When a person's voice changes. Breaking a voice in a boy - what you need to know

The otorhinolaryngologist and phoniatrist, MD, tells Gennady Ivanchenko.

Whistles and flutes

The voice is born using several body systems: the larynx, the vocal folds (in everyday speech they are called ligaments), the lungs, chest and nasopharynx. A stream of air escaping from the lungs causes the vocal folds to oscillate with a certain frequency, while the chest and nasopharynx serve as resonators. The larger and thicker the vocal folds, the lower the sound. Although not always. For example, Caruso, for example, had two times more vocal folds than any other profundo bass, while Caruso sang as a tenor.

In boys, as in girls, the larynx is small, folds are small, and only their edges vibrate under the influence of an air stream. Experts call this the falsetto mechanism of the birth of sound. The larynx is like a whistle. Nature conceived so that a child who still has all the sound-generating systems so small can still be heard. And in fact, the squeals of children are so clearly audible that, for example, going to a school break, you can simply go deaf.

Folds - hormone-dependent structure

But at the age of 13-14, under the influence of a variety of hormones, mainly genital, in boys the vocal folds begin to grow, lengthen and thicken. These folds are a hormone-dependent structure. It is not for nothing that the eunuchs have a high voice, children’s - they themselves have a complex of quite adult men, and the vocal folds do not reach adult sizes, because the body does not produce sex hormones.

For the same reason, the voice of older people becomes higher - because there are less and less sex hormones in the body. And for women to old age, on the contrary, the voice sounds in lower tones, again there are not enough hormones, only women who change the folds so that the sound is high and sonorous.

An adult can speak and sing with falsetto even with a normally developed vocal apparatus. True, without a habit it is not very convenient. But it’s fashionable, not without reason that some radio hosts say so and Presnyakov Jr. sings. For an adult, such a mechanism of sound formation is still more natural when the entire fold vibrates, the voice wave travels both horizontally and vertically. Therefore, an adult voice turns deeper, more beautiful, varied in color. In ordinary speech, we use 2-3 tones above and below our main tone. And the singer takes two octaves.

Fear of the new

For a teenager to switch from falsetto to a full-fledged process of sound formation is difficult. But the problem here is rather not, but psychological: the boy got used to the sound of his childish voice, and the new voice - baritone or bass - scares him. When talking, he uses the old mechanism of the birth of sound, then the new one.

Since the children grow unevenly, one guy may also be a small sprout, and the bass has broken through with might and main, and the other has waved a mile and a half, the larynx is still small, the voice is still childish. Such boys, who are ahead of their peers or lagging behind them, have the hardest time, they are shy of their voice more than others. But for the majority, breaking the voice is a normal physiological process: the voice has become lower and rougher - well, okay. Most quickly find a new mechanism for the formation of sounds. In rare cases, one of the adolescents needs the help of a phonopedist, a voice specialist who usually works with singers. Unless to those of those who grow up surrounded by women alone. These boys even have no one to imitate, no one to take an example from. But even one lesson is usually enough for them, in which the doctor or phonologist will show exercises for setting and fixing a normal male voice.

Three features

There are three characteristics of a teenage mutation that parents are good to know.

● During the breaking of the voice, it is not necessary to load the vocal folds. And the boys, unfortunately, do not cherish them, they strain at every step: then, playing football, they scream like crazy, then they sing songs loudly with a guitar ... Due to overstrain, nodules can appear on the folds, doctors call them that - knots of screamers. These nodules change the vibration of the folds and the voice becomes hoarse. Some nodules then dissolve by themselves if the loads fall, but sometimes you have to remove them - to do microsurgical operations.

● Colds can drag out a mutation. Not always a red throat in a teenager is a sign of a respiratory infection. When the larynx grows, blood circulation increases in it, the tissues become more red, it seems that the child has laryngitis. They begin to treat the boy for a cold, give him medications, and take him to doctors ... But there is only a normal physiological process.

If the mutation has dragged on, that is, the boy has already stopped growing up, and his voice has never become manly low, you need to show the teenager a phoniatrist. The longer a guy speaks with falsetto, the more difficult it will be for him to switch to adult tones.

● What "adult" voice will be for a beautifully singing little boy, we are not destined to know. There is a high pure voice in childhood, but a mutation has passed, and the voice has turned out to be the most banal - both in color, in timbre, and in strength. A well-known example is Robertino Loretti. And nothing can be done: what is given is given.

Interesting

A curious case. Once, an officer, and not the smallest rank, turned to phoniatrists - doctors who study the features of the voice apparatus. It’s quite an adult, and the voice is like a boy’s. It turns out frivolously. Doctors helped him, taught to speak baritone.

Voice is a person’s natural ability to make a variety of sounds, which is extremely important for the implementation of full communication in society. All children are born with thin voices, but over time, the features of their sound change. And this is especially noticeable among boys, since there is a significant difference between the male and female voices. And today we are talking about how the voice breaking in boys occurs, we will consider its symptoms, and also answer the question: how to speed up this process, and how long does it take to normal.

Specialists in human anatomy claim that the height of our voice is determined by the thickness of the vocal cords. They are thinner in girls, so their voice sounds higher, and in boys it is thicker, respectively, and their voice is lower. Ligaments increase their size, and also become thicker in both sexes. But in girls, they change only twice, and in boys by almost seventy percent. And this process of change is precisely called breaking the voice.

It is worth noting that the processes of breaking the voice in boys proceed according to approximately the same scenario. But the age of occurrence of such changes may vary. Sometimes the voice breaks at the age of twelve, and sometimes at the age of fifteen such changes are not yet observed. Symptoms depend on the mutation period.

So, at the pre-mutation period, the body of a teenager is only preparing for the upcoming restructuring, involving all organs and systems. The boy’s voice thus becomes more hoarse. Readers of "Popular about Health" may pay attention to the occurrence of hoarseness, tickle and mild cough.

However, it is worth noting that when practicing vocals, such changes can manifest themselves in a slightly different way, due to the trained ligaments. So, the child in this case may have difficulty in trying to take high notes. In addition, he may be bothered by pains in the larynx that occur during vocals. In this case, the teacher may notice “dirt” in the sound.

Next comes the period of directly breaking the voice. At the same time, the larynx naturally swells; active synthesis of mucus is possible. Such changes contribute to the attachment of all kinds of inflammatory processes. If parents look into the teenager's mouth, they can see for themselves the reddened vocal cords. In this condition, the child’s voice needs peace, increased stress can cause underdevelopment of the vocal cords. It is extremely important at the same time to guard against all kinds of colds, acute respiratory infections and SARS. After all, their joining is fraught with violations of breaking the voice and even inhibition of this process. In such a situation, the boy may remain tenor for all years of life.

After directly breaking the voice, the so-called post-shift period begins. And its course depends on many factors, ranging from nationality to genetic or physiological characteristics. Such a step may last a different amount of time. As practice shows, closer to the end of the formation of a completely “own” voice, the child begins to complain periodically that his vocal cords quickly get tired. However, parents may notice that voice swings no longer happen, the sound becomes stable.

The duration of this period is quite individual. It can take from two to four months to complete all the steps described above. But quite often this period can increase up to six months.

Doctors strongly do not recommend interfering with the natural processes of changing the vocal cords. Parents should be knowledgeable about how to help build a voice and how to prevent various problems.

So, first of all, the restriction of loads plays an extremely important role. Excessive loads on the changing vocal cords are fraught with the formation of nodules, and this in turn leads to the development of hoarseness. Perhaps such a defect will pass by itself, but in some cases even surgical care is necessary to correct it.

During the breaking of the voice, it is worth remembering the increased likelihood of the child developing various acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. Diseases can disrupt or delay the processes of changing the vocal cords. Therefore, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, strengthening immunity and activating the body's defenses plays an extremely important role. In the event that the child’s voice does not break for a long time, you need to consult a specialist phoniatrist.

Parents must necessarily explain to the teenager that the sound resulting from breaking the voice will be unique, and its sound features are pre-established by nature. Quite often, children try to copy some heroes, and such attempts during the period of change in the vocal cords can lead to the fact that the changing sections are overloaded, and the breaking process is disrupted.

Therefore, both parents and adolescents should be patient and let nature take their toll. The period of breaking the voice does not last so long.

The appearance of a voice in a person occurs through several organs: the vocal cords, larynx, nasopharynx, chest, lungs. Air escaping from the lungs causes the vocal folds to vibrate, and the nasopharynx and chest are resonators. The pitch depends on the thickness and length of the vocal cords - the larger and thicker, the lower the sound. In children, the larynx is small, the vocal folds are small, so the voice of children is high and sonorous.

When and why do boys break their voices?

At the age of 12-14 years, age-related changes in the body begin in boys, under the influence of sex hormones, the ligaments begin to grow, thicken and lengthen. At this time, they show signs of breaking the voice - he switches from a high tone to a low one and vice versa. This is what is called a mutation of the voice. Often at this time a problem arises, but not physiological, but rather psychological: the boy is used to the sound of his high voice, but the adult bass sometimes scares him. But for most boys, voice mutation is a completely natural process and it lasts on average several months.

What to do if a voice breaks?

Parents should know about three features of the teenage voice mutation:

during the breaking period, you can not load the vocal cords, due to overstrain on the folds, nodules arise, as a result of which the voice becomes hoarse;
avoid colds - the mutation can drag on;
what kind of voice a teenager will have in adulthood is not known: what nature has laid down cannot be changed.

Teens are often interested in how to speed up breaking voice. So, this cannot be done in any way because the mutation is a natural physiological process, and, as you know, it is not worth interfering with nature.

Does the voice break in girls?

The fact is that the vocal folds in girls grow more slowly than in boys and by the time they begin puberty, they are much shorter in girls. The voice of the girls also breaks, but not so clearly and not as fast as the boys. This process cannot be called a mutation because such a breaking of the voice is not associated with hormonal changes in the girl’s body.

This or that timbre of voice is inherent in a person by nature and it is necessary to perceive it as a given. It will take time for an adult child to get used to his new voice. Explain to the child that breaking the voice is a kind of beginning of the path to adulthood. And if the parents take the teenager seriously during the mutation of his voice and support him with practical advice, this process will be the least painful and much faster.

A person's voice appears due to the passage of a stream of air from the lungs. In this case, the vocal folds (or, as they say, the ligaments) oscillate with a certain frequency, and the nasopharynx and chest function as sound resonators.

Children's voice organs (both the larynx and the vocal folds) are small. A stream of air only vibrates their edges. At the same time, all children make high sounds. In boys aged 13-14, the vocal cords begin to grow due to changes in the hormonal background. In addition, they lengthen and thicken. At this time, the vocal apparatus is being reconstructed to a new, adult, mechanism of sound reproduction. Now the teenager completely vibrates the entire fold. At the same time, voice waves can go both horizontally and vertically, which provides a deep, rich sound.

We can’t say that breaking a boy’s voice will happen at any particular time. For some, this process occurs earlier, while for others it may be delayed for one reason or another. And, of course, boys who are ahead or behind the bulk of their peers have a hard time in the psychological sense, the self-esteem of a teenager may fall.

Most often this happens when adolescents are constantly surrounded by women only. Such boys simply have no one to imitate, nowhere to take an example. If adults have noticed such a problem, it is worth showing the child a phonopedist, whose specialization is the correct voice setting. Sometimes, just one and a couple of classes is enough for a teenager to “sound” like a man.

Breaking the voice in boys may not occur in those who are often prone to colds, throat diseases, especially laryngitis. Moreover, only a doctor can determine if the red throat is a consequence of a disease or a sign of voice mutation (after all, often breaking a voice is accompanied by inflammation of the organs of the speech apparatus, which is quite physiological and does not require treatment). Therefore, if the problem is delayed, it is worth visiting a special phoniatrist doctor who treats or eliminates diseases of the vocal apparatus.

The period of voice mutation in adolescent boys should be held under the motto of maximum relaxation for the ligaments. It is necessary to explain to the teenager that now is not the time for high-profile songs to the guitar, chants during football matches and generally any loads on the speech apparatus. Overexertion can lead to the formation of nodules in the vocal folds, which make the voice hoarse and ugly.

If, with the onset of a breaking voice in a boy, one draws attention to the health and lifestyle of a teenager and takes this time seriously, then the process of physiological changes will pass much faster and more painlessly. And it is worthwhile to understand that a new, male voice depends only on the natural characteristics of the boy. It is impossible to “make” a voice sound melodic, definitely high or low.

The timbre of the voice has already been laid genetically and it is worth considering philosophically how the child’s voice now sounds. Undoubtedly, it will take time for both those around and the teenager himself to get used to the new voice. Teach your child to perceive himself correctly and not be complex about his new "sound."

How and why there is a breaking (mutation) of voice in boys, read in our article.

Yesterday, your son spoke in an ordinary, boyish voice, and today you heard the first break. He started, so a lot of things are changing in him, including breaking the voice (mutation of the voice). Together with obvious external changes, the boy’s voice takes on a completely different sound. For a while, it will even be difficult for him to control his ligaments, therefore, due to the breaking of his voice, he will make a variety of strange sounds.

Changes in the larynx during voice mutations in boys

It is the larynx that is responsible for the appearance of sound. As puberty proceeds, the larynx increases and becomes thicker. This happens in both boys and girls, but for the boy, of course, the changes in voice mutation are more noticeable. Girls' voices can literally drop by a tone or two, and this is barely noticeable, but the boy’s voice becomes much lower and deeper.

Why does a boy’s voice sound so strange during a mutation?

The larynx in the throat plays an important role in creating sound. The two main muscles, the vocal cords, like gum stretched through the larynx.

When a person speaks, air from the lungs causes the vocal cords to vibrate, which produces sound. The pitch of the voice depends on how strongly the ligaments close while the air flows through them. If you ever pulled a small, thin elastic band, you probably heard a piercing and drawn out squeak when pulling. A thicker elastic gives a deeper, lower, lingering sound. The same thing happens with the vocal cords.

Before the boy reaches adulthood, his larynx is very small, and his vocal cords are thin and small. This is why the boy’s voice is higher than the voice of an adult man. But with maturation, the larynx increases, and the ligaments become longer and stronger, respectively, and the boy’s voice becomes deeper.

In addition, the facial bones also grow: the sizes of the sinuses, nose and back of the throat become larger. A larger space gives the voice more opportunities to resonate.

Squeaks and wheezing are part of the normal development of the body during this period. Even when the boy gets used to the changes, for some time after the mutation of the voice it will be difficult to control his own voice. So, along with the adoption and general changes in appearance, you will need to get used to your new sound.

Speaking of external changes. When the larynx begins to increase, it tilts inside the neck at a slightly different angle than before, and partially begins to bulge. This is the same Adam's apple or Adam's apple. Larynx also increases in girls, but not as much as in boys.

When boys break their voices

Everyone has their own pace of development, so the breaking of the voice in boys occurs at different ages. This usually occurs between 11 years and 14.5 years, often after a large jump in growth. In some, the mutation (breaking) of the voice lasts a long time and gradually, while in others - very quickly.

If your son is disturbed, annoyed or confused by the strange sound of his voice, explain to him that this is temporary and everyone goes through it. In a couple of months he will already have a low, deep and powerful adult voice of a man, and not the voice of a boy!