# Larynx anatomy for singers

> The larynx is a small cartilage box at the top of the windpipe. It holds the vocal folds, protects the airway, and moves up and down as you sing.

## The framework

The hyoid bone sits above the larynx and is the only bone in the neck that is not attached to another bone; it anchors the tongue and the muscles that move the larynx. The thyroid cartilage is the large shield whose front edge forms the Adam's apple. Below it is the cricoid cartilage, a ring that sits on top of the trachea. Two small arytenoid cartilages ride on the back of the cricoid ring, and the vocal folds are attached to them. Above the folds the leaf-shaped epiglottis folds back over the entrance during swallowing.

## True vocal folds

The true vocal folds stretch from the inside of the thyroid cartilage at the front to the arytenoids at the back. They are layered: the vocalis muscle forms the body, a thin ligament lies over it, and a soft mucous cover vibrates on top. In adults the vibrating part is roughly 1.5–2 cm long in men and shorter in women. Pitch is changed mainly by the length and tension of the folds; when they close more firmly, the sound gets stronger, and when they stay apart, the voice becomes breathy.

## False vocal folds and the ventricle

Just above the true folds lie the false folds (vestibular folds), separated from the true folds by a small pocket called the laryngeal ventricle. In ordinary singing and speaking they stay apart and do not vibrate. When they squeeze inward, the voice sounds pressed or strained, and in some deliberate effects they contribute to a rough sound. In the model, the “False folds” slider shows them retracted or engaged.

## The epilaryngeal tube

The epilaryngeal tube is the short passage above the true folds, bounded in front by the epiglottis and at the sides by the aryepiglottic folds. Narrowing it relative to the throat above is associated with a brighter, more carrying sound and with the singer's formant.

## Larynx height

The whole larynx can rise and fall in the neck. It rises on swallowing and often on higher or strained notes, and a comfortably low, stable position is a common aim in classical singing. A higher larynx shortens the vocal tract and brightens the sound; a lower one lengthens it and darkens it. You can feel it by resting two fingers on the thyroid cartilage while you sing a slide.

## See it in the Voice Lab

The Voice Lab shows the larynx in a mid-line section, a front section through the folds and a view from above, driven by the same pose sliders as the 3D model. It is a teaching model for understanding, not a medical tool; for any voice problem, see a doctor or a voice specialist.

## Questions and answers

### What is the difference between true and false vocal folds?

The true folds vibrate and make the voice. The false folds lie above them, normally stay apart, and only squeeze in when the voice is pressed or for special effects.

### What is the Adam's apple?

It is the front angle of the thyroid cartilage. It is more prominent in men because the two plates of the cartilage meet at a sharper angle.

### How long are the vocal folds?

Roughly 1.7–2.5 cm in adult men and 1.25–1.75 cm in adult women, including the part attached to the arytenoid cartilages; the part that vibrates is shorter.

Source: https://www.motsyk.com/musicschool/guide/larynx/ (Andrii Motsyk, updated 2026-10-23)