The 3 laws of Tomatis

 

The way we hear affects the quality of our voice. Such was the conclusion of the Parisian ENT specialist, Prof. Alfred Tomatis. Two completely different professional fields prompted him to study this subject intensely.

 

As early as the 1940s he starts recording the hearing threshold curves of French Air Force (SFECMAS) workers exposed to extreme noise in the aircraft hangars. Besides hearing problems, Tomatis noticed alterations in vocal timbre and expression. Opera singers who consulted with him and were also exposed to high sound levels, such as their own singing voice or the orchestra, had similar vocal issues.

 

Tomatis conducted a series of revolutionary experiments in which he examined in more details the relationship between voice and hearing. His results were corroborated in 1957 by Raoul Husson and scientifically acknowledged by the Sorbonne University in Paris. Later, he will name them: "The Three Laws of Tomatis". 

 

 

First law:  The voice contains only the harmonics (overtones) of frequencies that the ear can hear.

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2nd law:  If you give the possibility to the ear to correctly hear the frequencies that are not well perceived, these are immediately and unconsciously restored into the voice. 

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3rd law: Repeated auditory stimulation over a certain period of time leads to permanent changes in hearing and consequently, in phonation.