Why Can't I Hum and Hold My Nose at the Same Time?

Factual Questions
1

Try it.
Hold your nose and hum.

Didn’t work, did it?
Why not?

2

Ummm…

Same reason you can’t exhale with your mouth closed and your nose plugged.

3

Your larynx needs to pass air through it in order to make sound. Humming means that your lips are sealed, and if your nose is too, there’s no where for the air to go. No airflow, no sound.

4
5

If you practice, you can do it. It’s not as good as unplugged humming, but you can definitely generate controlled sound without exhaling. Moving air from your lungs over your larynx isn’t that hard. You just have to stop once your mouth can’t hold any more air.

6

He might be able do it if he first pierces his eardrums to let the air out that way. :smiley:

7

Actually, Cap’n Crude is right. If you allow your cheeks to puff up, you can force some air from your lungs into your mouth (with your mouth closed and nose plugged). If you try to hum while doing so, you can produce a sound that (sort of) resembles a hum - for a short time.

But the more general answer to the question has already been provided: air needs to be moving through the larynx in order for the vocal cords to vibrate. When I hum through my nose, the flow rate isn’t that high (I can barely feel it with my finger), but it’s nonzero, which is crucial.

8

Nitpick: humming does not mean your lips are sealed - at least, I’ve always been able to hum with my mouth open. (Am I just a genetic aberration, or have y’all just never tried it?) However, it DOES mean your tongue is in such a position that it blocks air from coming out of your mouth, so it amounts to the same thing.

9

It’s easy some people can and some can’t real simple!

10

To think we waited nearly 12 years for this bit of wisdom…

11

I can’t. Madame Pepperwinkle just did. Such a talented woman!

12

I can’t hum continuously with my nose plugged and mouth closed, but I can alternate between exhale-hums and inhale-hums for as long as I can hold my breath.

13

Damn! I’ve spent the last 12 years working on my eustachian humming, and I totally forgot to pierce my eardrums.

14

One must wonder what kind of search brought this thread to light. However, since no new information has been provided and it’s very old, I’m going to close it.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator