stiffens and the tongue rises; for a time the
rebellious little throat refuses to remain quiet and relaxed.

People usually have some such difficulty the first time they submit to
examination with the laryngoscope. This is very apt to occur, even in
the case of experienced singers. Needless to say, this form of muscular
contraction is entirely involuntary; it even defies the most earnest
attempts at prevention. Comparatively little experience is required for
normal people to overcome this tendency. The throat usually becomes
tractable after one or two trials with the laryngoscope.

Vocalists are well aware of the proneness of one part of the vocal
mechanism, the tongue, to stiffen in consequence of direct attention
being paid to this member. In this connection Frangcon-Davies remarks:
"When the writer in early student days concentrated his attention upon
his tongue he found that this member became very stiff and unruly
indeed." (_The Singing of the Future_, London, 1906.) Leo Kofler speaks
of the same tendency: "Tell a pupil to let his tongue lie flat in his
mouth; he draws it back till it dams up his throat." (_Werner's
Magazine_, Oct., 1899.)

_(d) Throat Stiffness due to the Radiation of Nerve Impulse_

Two types of muscular tension due to the radiation of motor impulses
were noted; first, the stiffness incident to the early stages of
practice in complex activities; second, the stiffness caused by the
attempt to perform complex activities in a mechanical manner by paying
attention to the individual component movements and contractions. To
both these types of muscular stiffness the voice is especially subject.

It is not easy to find a perfect illustration of throat stiffness
incident to the early stages of instruction in singing. For this the
chief reason is that the later form of stiffness, due to the attempt
directly to manage the vocal organs, is much more pronounced than the
temporary early tension. As good an example as possible would be the
following: Let some one possessed of a fine natural untrained voice sing
a steady tone and then attempt to trill on the same note. The attempted
trill will invariably indicate a much higher degree of stiffness than
the single tone.

Several investigators of the voice have noticed the tendency of the
throat to stiffen when the singer tries to manage the voice by paying
direct attention to the mechanical action. Clara Kathleen Rogers points
this out clearly in the follow