# Why Can't I Hum and Hold My Nose at the Same Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667 "2001-09-04T14:18:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spyderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@Spyderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spyderman)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/1 "2001-09-04T14:18:22Z")
Try it. Hold your nose and hum. Didn’t work, did it? Why not? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/2 "2001-09-04T14:21:36Z")
Ummm… Same reason you can’t exhale with your mouth closed and your nose plugged. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/3 "2001-09-04T14:22:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/4 "2001-09-04T15:01:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spyderman \* > \*\*Try it. > Hold your nose and hum. > > With all due respect is this really a GQ question of any kind? It’s the equivalent of saying “Close your mouth and hold your nose. Can’t breath can you? Why?” > > I know GQ will consider almost any valid GQ but is this really a brain teaser? > > Didn’t work, did it? > Why not? \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/5 "2001-09-04T15:15:47Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/6 "2001-09-04T15:27:35Z")
He might be able do it if he first pierces his eardrums to let the air out that way. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/7 "2001-09-04T17:31:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![king\_of\_spain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7cd45c/32.png) [@king\_of\_spain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/king_of_spain)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/8 "2001-09-04T18:15:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Itsamessage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47774/32.png) [@Itsamessage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Itsamessage)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/9 "2013-07-07T23:30:55Z")
It’s easy some people can and some can’t real simple! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/10 "2013-07-08T01:44:21Z")
> [@Itsamessage](#): > > It’s easy some people can and some can’t real simple! To think we waited nearly 12 years for this bit of wisdom… ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/11 "2013-07-08T01:49:05Z")
I can’t. Madame Pepperwinkle just did. Such a talented woman! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/12 "2013-07-08T03:13:18Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/13 "2013-07-08T03:26:01Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > He might be able do it if he first pierces his eardrums to let the air out that way. 😃 Damn! I’ve spent the last 12 years working on my eustachian humming, and I totally forgot to pierce my eardrums. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-hum-and-hold-my-nose-at-the-same-time/79667/14 "2013-07-08T03:48:20Z")
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