Whether the boys' voice breaks. Transitional age in boys. Normal growth stage

Puberty is one of the hardest times in life. There are so many changes happening at this time that it is difficult for the psyche to cope with them. During this period, children become teenagers. One of the main sexual changes in boys is the breaking of the voice. Many do not like to remember this period, because then they were often shy of their voice.

The breaking of the voice is caused by the growth of the larynx. In this case, the vocal cords lengthen and thicken, due to which the voice becomes lower. The vocal cords grow under the influence of hormones. In fact, the voice does not break, but simply changes. The tone of the voice is reduced by 5-6 tones. The so-called Adam's apple develops - the male Adam's apple.

When voice breakage occurs

The growth of the vocal cords in boys begins around the age of 13-14. But this is middle age, like puberty, it is individual. The difficulty is that the child is used to his old voice and the new one scares him. The ligaments have grown and now require a different speech mechanism. The voice becomes lower and rougher. But while the boy gets used to the new way of making sounds, the low voice will alternate with the high one.

This time is necessary to stabilize the voice. A teenager is very vulnerable, as he worries about his voice. The boy needs to be explained that this is a normal process, and everything that he experiences is the path to becoming a man. Screeching notes may appear in the voice, the tonality is constantly changing. During the breaking of the voice, the boys cannot sing at all. They can try, but they won't succeed. You need to be prepared for the fact that breaking your voice can take up to six months.

During the breaking of the voice, you need to protect the ligaments

If the boy screams loudly, tries to forcibly rebuild his voice, then he will injure the ligaments. Most boys are noisy by nature, it is impossible for them not to scream during games and communication. A loud cry often turns into a squeal, the vocal cords are overstressed. Nodules appear on damaged ligaments, due to which the voice becomes hoarse, hoarse. Fortunately, they resolve and the vocal cords return to normal. Strong nervous shocks can provoke a loss of voice. If such a nuisance suddenly occurred, take the boy to a speech therapist or phoniatrist.

Throat red during voice change

Growing ligaments require a lot of blood, so the larynx becomes red. If there are no other signs of a cold, then you do not even need to start treating it. After all, medications can slow down the process of breaking the voice.

It is impossible to predict what the voice will become after breaking.

Therefore, you should not plan a career as a singer for your child. After all, very often after breaking, the musical voice disappears. Be prepared for the fact that the voice of a teenager will be completely normal. Have a conversation with your child so that he is ready for change.

It is very important for the fair sex to hear words of love and support from your man, and even more so it is nice if the voice of the faithful is truly beautiful. However, a velvety baritone or a luxurious and masculine bass does not appear suddenly and immediately in the guys. This is preceded by months of restructuring of the vocal cords - an irreversible and inevitable process for every young man. Let's find out when the boys' voice breaks, how long it takes and whether this transformation can be somehow accelerated.

Starting point

Usually everything happens very suddenly. One beautiful (and for some, maybe not very good) morning, yesterday's child begins to turn into a young man. For men, growing up is extremely difficult. Moreover, this applies to all aspects of their existence - from the inner world to external transformations.

From about 9-10 years old, boys start the prepubertal period. This is not “it” yet - the most terrible time when testosterone goes off scale in tomboys, pushing them to a variety of reckless (and sometimes completely stupid) actions, but by this age their body begins its restructuring. Also, this is not yet the time when the voice of the boys breaks. This process takes place a little later.

According to the average parameters, the "breaking" of the voice occurs at the age of 11-14, at the peak of the puberty period. It all depends on when the boys started. From the start of the first changes, which externally manifest themselves in the form of skin imperfections and constantly greasy hair (often with an admixture of dandruff), until the time when the voice of the boys begins to break, about three years pass. At the age of 15, guys are no longer considered children, their puberty is completed, but the process of turning into a man will completely end no earlier than at 22-23 years old.

What is happening de facto?

Thus, we found out at what age the voice breaks in boys. Most often this happens around the age of 13. The rate of puberty is influenced by many factors, including heredity and the conditions of the child's existence. Scientists have proven that an unhealthy lifestyle of a young man hinders his development as a man.

Surely readers are interested in what happens to the body when the boys voice breaks. This period in their life is marked by rapid physical growth. Guys become taller, stronger, gain muscle mass, at the same time, the internal organs responsible for speech undergo changes.

The ability to reproduce sounds in humans depends on several systems and organs. The air accumulated in the lungs, when exhaled, forms a wave, which with force acts on the vocal cords located in the larynx. They are the main link in the chain of creating sounds. The oral cavity, larynx, and nasopharynx are also involved in this process.

In children, the ligaments are thin and short, which is why they speak in gentle, melodious voices. During the active, the ligaments themselves increase, as well as the muscles and cartilages located in the throat area, the Adam's apple is formed. A sharp change in physique is the reason that the voice of the guys changes almost suddenly, preventing the young men from smoothly adapting to the new manner of speech.

Hormones ... Where would we be without them?

The time at which the voice breaks in boys directly depends on the state of their hormonal levels. Testosterone is responsible for this metamorphosis. If the endocrine system is in order, then by the time the voice begins to break in boys, it will produce enough hormones for the growth of ligaments. Ultimately, the timbre of speech will become lower by 5-6 tones.

Due to the influence of special components of testosterone, there is a significant compaction and lengthening of the ligaments, which provokes voice changes. It happens that the body lacks a much-needed hormone during the active phase of its growth, then the boy’s voice remains quite high not only during his transformation into a man, but also during the post-pubertal period, as well as maturity. It is curious that with age, the representatives of the stronger sex often experience a deficiency of the “male hormone”, which is why their voice becomes higher in old age.

How to help?

Regardless of what time the voice starts to break, the boys will have certain difficulties associated with this process. A child will never be one hundred percent ready for this, and, given his changeable psycho-emotional state, which is affected by the active phase of puberty, he really needs the help of loved ones, although he is unlikely to admit this to anyone.

Parents, and best of all, the father, should have a conversation with their son about the fact that his voice will change in the near future, specifying that this is not a matter of one day. At what age the voice breaks in boys, it is definitely impossible to say, but it is better to start preparing them for this by the age of 12.

Also, relatives should try to ensure peace for the child, or rather his ligaments. This recommendation is quite extensive, because it concerns not only the exclusion of a possible overstrain of the vocal cords, but also the comprehensive prevention of colds. Why is it important?

During the growth of the ligaments in the cavity of the larynx, special processes occur, the production of mucus is activated there, blood circulation increases, the throat swells and turns red. It is during this period that it is most susceptible to attacks by viruses and bacterial infections. Tonsillitis can cause the formation of nodules on the ligaments, which makes the voice hoarse.

What can not be done during the "breaking"?

• during conversations in raised tones;
• when a person sings;
• also ligaments tense during a cry.

It is in singing boys that the voice change can be “diagnosed” first of all. When this process is just beginning, children's speech sounds like a tenor, but during the tension of the ligaments, the voice breaks and can rise or fall for a short time.

When does voice change end?

Usually, by the age of 15, the formation of the speech apparatus and vocal cords is completed. The breaking of the voice lasts on average about six months, it can happen even faster - in 3-4 months, but sometimes it happens that the boy breaks into a squeal, then into a bass for a whole year.

It is impossible to speed up this process or somehow productively influence it. Usually children do not notice changes, do not feel physical discomfort, but sometimes they may complain of a sore throat, a desire to cough.

And what will he be?

The timbre of the voice depends on the physiology of a particular child, or rather, on the thickness and length of his ligaments. For the boy, his new dialect may be unusual, but parents should tactfully explain to the young man that when the transformation is over, he should get used to the way he “sounds”.

To change or copy someone's voice means to break the natural course of one's own development, its tone is set by nature, and this should be taken for granted. Too much work on the manner of speech can lead to a breakdown in the voice. You can independently develop its strength, improve diction, expressiveness of speech.

ticklish question

The breaking of the voice is especially difficult for those young men for whom it is a “tool”. Many boys love to sing, they are engaged in music not only as amateurs, but also quite professionally. The gentle voice possessed by children under 10-11 years old will change very soon, and the young singer needs to be prepared for this.

The growth of the ligaments will greatly affect the tonality of the boy's voice. Moreover, at first it will be extremely difficult for him to control the sounds that he makes while singing. If a teenager is ready for this, he will more easily endure the difficult period of voice mutation that occurs as a result of puberty and active growth.

The teenage period is one of the most important in the life of every child: at this time, a lot of complex changes take place in the growing body. Such transformations include breaking the voice of boys. And even as adults, many men do not like to remember the time when a pleasant youthful bass was treacherously replaced by a semi-childish treble.

How is a voice born?

A person gets the opportunity to “speak out” thanks to several organs at once: the larynx, lungs, chest, nasopharynx, vocal cords. The latter are a kind of strings that allow a person's voice to sound, while all other "components" serve as resonators. Interestingly, the quality of the sound can vary: the thicker and longer the cords of a person, the lower his voice will be. In “little adults”, the vocal folds are still small - accordingly, the voice of the guys is sonorous and high. But this is how nature intended it: every baby should be heard despite the "weakness" of his sound-producing system.

Voice changes in childhood - when and how?

The so-called breaking of the voice is a change in its tone due to the growth and thickening of the vocal cords. This happens under the influence of growth hormones ... As a result, the boy's voice can drop by 5-6 tones. At the same time, the male Adam's apple (Adam's apple) begins to develop. When does it happen?

Most often, such transformations overtake the child's body at the age of 13-14, but variations are also possible ... At this time, the child needs to "make friends" with his enlarged ligaments and learn to produce sounds in a new way. However, while the boy comprehends the wisdom of a different mechanism of speech formation, he can speak either in a high or in a low voice alternately. Such an unpleasant period for every young man lasts several months.

Note to parents...

Adults should know something about the difficulties that await a child during a vocal mutation.

• Although colds can prolong the period of voice breaking, one should not think that a red throat is always a sign of a progressive infection. The active development of the vocal cords is accompanied by an increase in blood circulation - these are the tissues that acquire a crimson hue.
• The mutation "does not tolerate" a high load on the vocal folds. Therefore, it is necessary to explain to the son that frequent tension of the ligaments leads to the formation of the so-called “nodules of screamers” on these. Because of them, the vibration process is modified, and the voice becomes hoarse. One part of the nodules can dissolve over time, while on the other, only surgeons can handle it.
• Sometimes a beautiful clear voice after a mutation becomes the most ordinary, which does not stand out in any way either in timbre or in strength. Therefore, if a child is passionate about singing, his future is a big question. Naturally, in this difficult time, parents should support the little singer psychologically.
• For the most part, teenagers quickly get used to the "adult" mechanism of sound extraction, but sometimes the help of a phonopedist is also useful (even one lesson can be of practical use).

And what about girls?

In young ladies, the vocal cords increase somewhat more slowly than in boys. And although the timbre of the voice of girls also changes, but more smoothly and less clearly than that of future men. And since such a transformation is practically not associated with hormonal changes in the girl's body, experts are not inclined to call it a voice mutation.

And further…

Curiously, hormonal shifts also affect the voice of older people. "Age" ladies and gentlemen lose some of the hormones characteristic of their own sex, so the vocal folds and "naughty": women begin to "sound" lower, and men - higher and louder.

A lot of scientific works have been written about mutational changes in the voice of boys, although this phenomenon is quite common. A change in the timbre of the voice occurs in the process of growth of the vocal apparatus. The larynx initially increases significantly in size, while the thyroid cartilage leans forward. The vocal folds lengthen and the larynx descends. In this regard, there is an anatomical change in the organs of voice formation. If we talk about the mutation of the voice in boys, then unlike girls, everything is more pronounced in them.

The mechanism of breaking the voice in boys

As mentioned earlier, voice change occurs through the expansion of the larynx in the process of growth. However, during puberty, in boys, the larynx increases by 70%, unlike girls, the voice tube, which only doubles.

1. pre-mutation period.

This stage manifests itself as the preparation of the body for the restructuring of the vocal apparatus. If we talk about a conversational voice, then there may be voice breakdowns, hoarseness, coughing, and an unpleasant "tickle". The singing voice is more informative in this case: breakdowns of the voice when taking the extreme notes of the young man's range, discomfort in the larynx during vocal lessons, "dirty" intonation, and sometimes loss of voice. At the first bells, it is worth stopping classes, since this period requires rest of the vocal apparatus.

1. Mutation.

This stage is characterized by swelling of the larynx, as well as excessive or insufficient secretion of mucus. These factors cause inflammation, thereby the surface of the ligaments acquires a characteristic color. Overexertion can lead to wheezing, and as a result, to "non-closure of the vocal folds." Therefore, during this period, you should carefully consider, including the prevention of colds and viral diseases. There is instability of the voice, sound distortion, as well as a characteristic hoarseness. When singing, tension of the vocal apparatus is observed, especially when jumping at wide intervals. Therefore, in the classroom it is worth leaning towards singing exercises, chants, and not works.

1. post-mutation period.

Like any other process, voice mutation in boys does not have a clear end limit. Despite the final formation, overwork and tension of the ligaments can be observed. During this period, the changes that have taken place are consolidated. The voice acquires a fixed timbre and strength. However, the stage is dangerous due to its instability.

Features of the mutation in boys

The signs of voice breaking in young men are more noticeable and this is due, first of all, to the fact that the male voice, in fact, is much lower than the female one. The mutation period is short. There are cases when it happens almost instantly. However, in most cases, the restructuring of the body is delayed for several months. Just yesterday, a boyish treble can turn into a tenor, baritone or powerful bass. It all depends on genetic factors. Some young men undergo significant changes, while others - the transition to an adult voice is not expressed by a bright contrast.

Voice mutation in boys most often occurs at 12-14 years of age. However, it is not worth focusing on this age as the norm. There are many factors that can affect both the start time and the duration of the process.

First, undoubtedly, the natural climate influences. The ongoing studies have shown that in different climatic conditions the process of “growing up” of the voice occurs in different ways, and the age of restructuring ranges from 11 to 20 years.
Secondly, the genetic factor. Initially incorporated in the body of the installation can not be changed.
Thirdly, the mechanical factor. That is, the restructuring can be violated for any reason. They can be, for example, violations of the vocal apparatus, somatic diseases.

Hygiene of the singing voice during the period of mutation in boys

Singing voice mutation is a complex process that requires great attention from vocal teachers or phoniatrists who accompany the educational process. Measures for the protection and hygiene of the voice should be carried out in a complex manner, and their beginning should fall on the pre-mutation period. This will avoid disruption of voice development, both at the physical and mechanical levels.

Vocal lessons should be carried out in a gentle mode. However, during this period it is better to abandon individual lessons, since such classes are designed for the comprehensive development of voice data. And during the period of breaking the voice in boys, any overstrain of the ligaments is prohibited. However, there is an alternative - these are choral classes and ensembles. As a rule, young men are given an easy part, the range of which does not exceed fifths, more often in a small octave. All these conditions are not valid if the process is accompanied by periodic breakdowns of the voice, wheezing or instability of unison pronunciations.

Mutation in young men is undoubtedly a complex process, but with the right approach and observance of the postulates of the protection and hygiene of the voice, one can “survive” it without consequences and with benefit.

The voice is born with the help of several systems of the body: the larynx, vocal folds (in everyday speech they are called cords), lungs, chest and nasopharynx. A jet of air, escaping from the lungs, causes the vocal folds to vibrate 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's vocal folds were twice as large as those of other profundo basses, and Caruso sang in tenor.

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

But at the age of 13-14, under the influence of various hormones, mainly sexual, boys begin to grow, lengthen and thicken the vocal folds. These folds are a hormone-dependent structure. It is not for nothing that eunuchs have a high, childish voice - they themselves have the complexion of quite adult men, and the vocal folds do not reach adult sizes, because sex hormones are not produced in the body.

For the same reason, the voice of the elderly becomes higher - after all, there are less and less sex hormones in the body. And in women, in old age, on the contrary, the voice sounds at lower tones, again there are not enough hormones, only female ones, which change the folds so that the sound is high and sonorous.

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

Fear of the new

It is difficult for a teenager to switch from falsetto to a full-fledged sound production process. But the problem here is rather not physiological, but psychological: the boy is used to the sound of his children's voice, and the new voice - baritone or bass - frightens him. When talking, he uses either the old mechanism for the birth of sound, or a new one.

Since children grow unevenly, one guy may also be a small sprout, and his bass is already breaking through with might and main, and the other has grown a mile away, and the larynx is still small, the voice is still childish. These boys, who are ahead of their peers or behind them, have the hardest time, they are more embarrassed than others by their voice. But for the majority, breaking the voice is a normal physiological process: the voice has become lower and rougher - well, okay. The majority quickly gropes for a new mechanism for the formation of sounds. In rare cases, one of the teenagers needs the help of a phonopedist - a voice production specialist who usually works with singers. Is that a few 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 for them, one lesson is usually enough, in which a doctor or a phonopedist will show exercises for setting and fixing a normal male voice.

Three features

There are three features of adolescent mutation that are useful for parents to know.

● During the breaking of the voice, it is not necessary to load the vocal folds. And the boys, unfortunately, do not take care of them, they strain them at every step: sometimes, while playing football, they yell like crazy, then they sing songs with the guitar at the top of their voices ... Due to overvoltage, knots can appear on the folds, doctors called - nodules of screamers. These nodules change the vibration of the folds and the voice becomes hoarse. Some nodules then dissolve by themselves if the load falls, but sometimes they have to be removed - to do microsurgical operations.

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

If the mutation has dragged on, that is, the boy has already stopped growing upwards, and his voice has not become manly low, you need to show the teenager to the phoniatrist. The longer the guy speaks in falsetto, the more difficult it will be for him to switch to adult tones.

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

Curious case. Somehow, an officer, and not of the smallest rank, turned to phoniatrists - doctors who study the features of the work of the vocal apparatus. Quite an adult man, and the voice is like that of a boy. It turns out to be frivolous. The doctors helped him, taught him to speak in a baritone voice.