Air In the Sinuses

In singing, the moving air fills up the spaces of the head, otherwise known as the sinuses.

When we sing lower pitches, the sphenoid sinus fills up. As we sing higher, with the glottal slit becoming smaller, the vibrating air column grows taller.

Air fills up the posterior and anterior ethmoidal sinuses. Finally, at the highest pitches, the maxillary sinuses become filled with air. This is why singers have sensations like up, back, and over for high pitches as well as sensations of the top of the face vibrating or what some have called singing in the “mask.”

The sinus air filling process only happens if the cords are being properly adjusted for pitch because their adjustment is the determiner of proper moving air column height, diameter, and general direction!