What happens in your throat when you beatbox? | Tom Thum and Matthew Broadhurst

譯者: Val Zhang 審譯者: Carol Wang

(Beatboxing) Yo, what up?

（節奏口技聲）喲，你們好嗎？

My name is Tom Thum,

我是湯姆桑，

and I've got to say it's a pleasure to be back at TEDx.

我得說，能回到 TEDx 是我的榮幸。

When I first stepped upon the Sydney stage in 2013

2013 年我初次登上雪梨的舞台，

as a starry-eyed boy from Brisbane,

那時我是個來自布里斯本的天真男孩，

I had no idea that I was about to deliver the most watched TEDx presentation ever.

絕對想不到我將做出史上 最多人觀看的 TEDx 演說。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

But you know, I was stoked because it was completely unexpected.

但我真的覺得很興奮， 因為那完全是出乎意料的。

However, standing before you today

然而，今天站在大家面前的，

as a slightly inflated, time-battered version of myself five years later,

是五年後有點得意、 受過時間洗禮的我，

I'm very confident.

我非常有自信――

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Confident that I'm about deliver

自信我接下來的演說

the most instantly switched off and walked-out-on,

會是史上最令人 想立即關掉、想中場離席、

vomit-inducing talk of all time.

想吐的演說。

I'm about to show you things

我接下來要呈現給各位的，

that I think you'll find hard to unsee,

是我想你們看過之後 就很難忘懷的東西，

but all in the name of science.

但全以科學之名。

First, for those unfamiliar with what I do,

首先，如果你不清楚我是做什麼的，

I guess if you distilled it right down to its essence,

我想，如果你要歸根究柢的答案，

you would call me a beatboxer.

那你可以說我是節奏口技表演者。

(Beatboxing) Yo, for example ...

（節奏口技聲）比如……

here's a sample:

讓我舉個例子：

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

(Rhythm changes)

（節奏改變）

(Hums a tune)

（哼曲調）

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And being a beatboxer,

身為節奏口技表演者，

it means that professionally,

就表示職業上來說，

I am 100 percent reliant on the --

我要百分之百依靠——

(Beatboxing) flexibility of the unfiltered human voice.

（節奏口技聲） 原汁原味的人聲所擁有的靈活彈性。

And for years, my contemporaries and I have been fielding questions like,

多年來，我和我同儕都一直在 回答類似下面的問題：

"Oh my God, that's so cool.

「我的天呀，那好酷。

When did you figure out you could do that?"

你是何時發現你有這種技能的？」

After I practiced for thousands and thousands of hours --

在我練習了成千上萬個小時之後——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"And what do you do for a real job?"

「那你真正的工作是什麼？」

"I'm a full-time beatboxer, Your Honor."

「我是全職的節奏口技表演者，庭上。」

But there is one question that I get quite a lot

但有個我常被問到的問題，

that's a little bit more difficult to answer,

是比較難回答的問題，

and that is how are you doing it --

那就是，你怎麼做到的——

how are you making those noises?

你怎麼能製造出那些聲響？

And I mean, I know muscle memory dictates where I position my lips

我是指，我知道肌肉記憶 會讓我把嘴脣放在適當位置，

in order to --

才能發出這樣的聲響——

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

but I have no idea about the inner mechanics of everything.

但我完全不知道其內在機制。

You know, all the flappy bits and kind of dangly things

所有那些能拍打和懸吊的器官，

and how they interact in --

以及它們如何協同作用的——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

in a way that allows me to --

讓我能夠——

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

To put it metaphorically,

打個比方，

I know how to drive,

我知道如何開車，

I just don't know what's under the hood.

我只是不知道引擎蓋下面有什麼。

So I decided to find out

所以我決定一探究竟，

and invite 5,000 captive strangers,

邀請了五千位身不由己的陌生人、

a few uncomfortable cameras,

幾部令人不舒服的攝影機、

everybody watching online and their browser history

在線上觀看的大家， 和他們的瀏覽器歷史記錄，

into a place where not even the most intimate of encounters have been ...

進到連最親密的邂逅 都沒深入過的地方——

my throat.

我的喉嚨。

And to help me do that,

我需要一點協助，

I'd like to introduce to the stage a very specialist guest

所以我要介紹一位專家貴賓上台，

from the Queensland Voice Center,

他來自昆士蘭嗓音中心，

a man that's been in my mouth more times than I'd care to admit,

他進到我嘴巴裡的次數 多到我都不願承認，

a legend of the larynx,

他是喉部的傳奇人物、

ENT doctor and laryngeal surgeon,

耳鼻喉科醫生及喉頭外科醫生，

Matthew Broadhurst.

馬修·布羅赫斯特。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）

MB: Thank you, Tom, thank you.

馬：謝謝，湯姆，謝謝你。

And a very good evening everyone.

在座各位，晚安。

It is a pleasure to be here on the TEDx stage tonight.

今天晚上能站上 TEDx 舞台是我的榮幸。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Whoo.

呼。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

TT: He's not warming up his hands.

湯：他並不是在暖手。

It doesn't get that intimate.

沒有要做到那麼親密。

MB: We set out a little while ago to try to go deep into the world --

馬：不久前我們才開始， 試圖要更深入這個世界——

and the throat --

以及這位非凡節奏口技表演者的喉嚨，

of this beatboxer extraordinaire

to try to understand how such a vast array of sounds are humanly possible.

試圖了解為什麼人類 能夠發出這麼多種聲音。

And what we found --

而我們的發現——

these are going in the mouth by the way --

順便一提，這些是要 放到嘴巴裡的——

and what we found was something absolutely amazing.

我們的發現非常驚人。

Even after my two years of laryngeal surgery

即使我在哈佛醫學院

做了兩年的喉部手術，

in Harvard Medical School

with world-renowned professor Steven Zeitels,

且是和世界知名的史蒂文·蔡特爾斯 教授合作，仍然覺得驚人。

we never saw anything as extraordinary or fascinating as this,

我們以前從來沒有看過 這麼不凡或迷人的東西，

and that's what we're going to show you tonight.

我們今晚就要展示給各位看。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Alright, so for those of you who might be a little squeamish,

好，如果你是容易作嘔的人，

the next 10 minutes or so will get incrementally more graphic

接下來的十分鐘左右 會有越來越鮮明的圖像，

and stomach-churning,

讓胃越來越翻騰，

so let's get into it --

所以，來吧——

TT: Feel free to use the bucket.

湯：若需要桶子請自便。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

MB: So when we make sound,

馬：當我們發出聲音時，

we use the vocal cords to take air from the lungs

我們用聲帶將空氣送入肺部，

and then turn it into a vibrating air column in the throat.

接著在喉嚨中將它 轉變成振動的空氣柱。

If you think of it like a trumpet,

可以把它想像成喇叭，

we've got the mouthpiece -- that's the vocal folds --

喇叭前端有吹嘴——等同於聲帶，

and then the horn section is the throat.

接著，尾端喇叭口的部分就是喉嚨。

If we took your head off,

如果把你的頭拿掉，

took a bit of your neck off

再切掉一點脖子，

and left you as a torso with just your vocal folds vibrating,

只留下你的軀幹 和你的聲帶在振動，

this is what you'd sound like.

你聽起來就像這樣。

(Flatulent sound)

（仿腸胃氣脹聲）

TT: (High pitch)

湯：（高音）

馬：這樣會難以溝通， 所幸，我們有喉嚨。

MB: Pretty hard to communicate, but fortunately we've got a throat.

我們有各種軟組織，

We've got all the soft tissues,

會產生讓你今晚能聽到的

and that actually gives you all the incredible dynamics of sound

各種了不起的聲音變化。

that you'll hear tonight.

Now, this is a rigid laryngoscope.

這是個硬式喉頭鏡。

TT: Hmm, spicy boy.

湯：嗯，真要命。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

MB: I know, I know.

馬：我知道，我知道。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

10 millimeters in diameter,

直徑十公釐，

it gives us the highest resolution image of the larynx we can get.

讓我們能取得目前 最高解析度的喉頭影像。

And we teed up with a stroboscope here

我們再搭配這裡的頻閃儀，

and a trigger microphone.

還有觸發式麥克風。

The mic will pick up the frequency

麥克風會取得頻率，

and that will allow us to show you how this all works.

讓我們可以向各位呈現 整體的運作方式。

So, if we can have the lights down?

能不能把燈光調暗一點？

TT: (Low pitch)

湯：（低音）

MB: Turn the light on here.

馬：把這邊的燈打開。

TT: (High and low pitches)

湯：（高音與低音）

MB: So I've got the frequency of sound matched with the stroboscope.

馬：所以，我讓聲音的 頻率跟頻閃儀匹配。

That's the light you're seeing flickering in the cup.

那就是你們可以看見的杯中閃光。

TT: (Low pitch)

湯：（低音）

MB: And that's at about 80 hertz or so.

馬：那聲音大約是八十赫茲左右。

So what we can do then is we can take that

接著，我們能做的是，

讓頻閃和聲音變得不同步。

and put the phase of the strobe and the sound just out of sync.

That lets us capture real-time, slow-motion activity of vibrating tissues.

這樣我們就能即時捕捉到 振動組織的慢動作。

When we apply that to the larynx,

當我們把它用到喉頭上時，

we get this fluid, slow-motion of the vibrating vocal folds.

我們就能拍到聲帶在振動的 流暢、慢動作畫面。

So that's what we're going to get on and do.

那就是我們等下要做的。

Alright, you ready?

好，準備好了嗎？

TT: Yup.

湯：好了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

MB: OK, so here we go.

馬：好，開始了。

We're going to have a look at the voice box.

我們要來看一下喉頭。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's very hard not to gag with this.

這很難不讓人感到作嘔。

Say, "e."

說「伊」。

TT: (Singing) E --

湯：（唱）伊——

MB: So down the bottom you see the vocal cords,

馬：在最下面，你們可以看到聲帶，

the little cord-like structures.

很像線繩的結構。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And now just look at the skin on the neck

現在，看看脖子的皮膚，

and you'll see how strong the light is to penetrate the skin.

你會看到穿過皮膚的光線有多強。

Alright, so if you'll have the lights back on?

好，如果把燈光再打開呢？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Alright, so just give us a comfortable "e."

好，給我們一個舒服的「伊」。

TT: (Singing) E.

湯：（唱）伊。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

TT: (Singing) E.

湯：（唱）伊。

(Audience gasps)

（觀眾倒抽一口氣）

MB: So that's the vibrating vocal folds;

馬：那就是在振動的聲帶；

about 120 hertz.

大約一百二十赫茲。

Means they've collided 120 times a second

意思就是它們每秒鐘 會碰撞一百二十次，

just to make that sound.

才能產生那聲音。

And we can also see that they're absolutely, perfectly normal.

我們可以看到它們 是絕對完好、正常的。

So all his beatboxing, all those sounds for years

所以這些年來的節奏口技表演，

with Tom's way of doing it --

湯姆的作法

absolutely no damage whatsoever.

絕對沒有造成損害。

That's really remarkable.

這是非常令人驚嘆的。

Well done.

做的好。

OK.

好的。

TT: (High pitch)

湯：（高音）

沒問題的。

We've got this.

MB: So watch now as the vocal cords go from high pitch to low pitch.

馬：現在看看聲帶從高音到低音。

You'll see them go from long and skinny to short and fat.

你會看到他們從瘦而長化成短而肥。

Really think "e."

請發出「伊」的聲音。

TT: (High to low pitch) E.

湯：（從高音到低音）伊。

MB: Right.

馬：好的。

TT: (High to low pitch) E.

湯：（從高音到低音）伊。

MB: And what you can see is that his vocal range is so extreme --

馬：你可以看到他的音域是如此的極端。

much more extreme than any other performer I've worked with --

比任何其他我曾共事的 表演者，都還要更極端。

the machine actually can't capture the really high pitches.

機器其實無法捕捉到這些高音。

TT: (High pitch)

湯：（高音）

MB: So we know that whistle register is somewhere around 2,092 hertz.

馬：我們知道有些哨音 被監測到高達 2,092 赫茲左右。

That means the vocal cords,

這代表聲帶，

well over 2,000 times a second,

每秒超過兩千次，

are banging together just to make that sound.

不斷地拍擊，才能發出那種聲音。

That's really extraordinary.

這非常的不得了。

If you think about them, they're only 15 millimeters long,

如果你想想看，它們僅有 15 公釐長。

so that's barely the width of your thumb.

那幾乎不比你的拇指寬。

That's incred --

這真是不可（思議）…

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

That's amazing this organ can do such a thing.

難以置信一個器官可以做到這些。

So now we're going to swap over to the flexible laryngoscope.

現在我們要換成可彎曲式喉頭鏡。

This is a little more graphic.

這會有更鮮明的畫面。

TT: He bought it at SEXPO.

湯：他在成人博覽會買的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

MB: That wasn't in the script.

馬：這不在腳本裡。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

TT: Secondhand.

湯：二手貨。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

MB: Now, we've had to time this bit perfectly

馬：我們必須準確地掌握時間，

because of the requirement for local anesthetic.

因為這需要局部麻醉。

You've got to numb the nose, get the camera in.

你得讓鼻子失去感覺 好讓攝影機進去。

It doesn't help for producing a lot of the sounds,

這或許對製造聲響沒有幫助，

but it gives us a really cool view of what's happening.

但這給我們很酷的視野 可以一窺究竟。

So hold onto the stomachs, and let's see what we can do.

試著不要吐， 看看我們可以做什麼地步。

(Audience gasps)

（觀眾倒抽一口氣）

So we're going to the back of the nose.

我們現在來到鼻子的後方。

And there you can see the soft palate.

你可以看到軟顎。

A lot of the sounds we make from day to day,

許多我們每天製造的聲音，

even the simple ones,

即使是些簡單的聲音，

are incredibly complex.

其實都非常複雜。

The sound "kh" for example.

舉例「克」的音。

It's the soft palate sealing up precisely against the back of the nose.

軟顎精準地頂起，抵著鼻子的後方。

So if you say it loudly five times,

如果你大聲說五次，

feel your own soft palate snapping against the back of the throat.

你可以感到你的軟顎 在鼻子後方快速地移動。

Kh, kh, kh, kh, kh, kh.

克，克，克，克，克，克。

Alright, so this is what it looks like when Tom does it.

好的，湯姆做的時候看起來是這樣。

TT: Kh, kh, kh, kh, kh.

湯：克，克，克，克，克。

A cacophony of cackling kookaburras and cockatoos in Kakadu

（以「克」音為韻的繞口令） 發出咯咯叫嘈雜聲的笑翠鳥

和卡卡杜的鳳頭鸚鵡 無法徹底戒掉 K 他命。

couldn't quite quit ketamine.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

MB: Alright, now in the beatboxing world,

馬：在節奏口技的世界，

of course, they can use that for all sorts of different effects.

當然他們可以用它 發出各種不同的音效。

I can help you.

我可以幫你拿麥克風過來。

TT: This is fine, we're professionals.

湯：沒問題，我們是專業的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

（節奏口技聲結束）

MB: Alright.

馬：好的。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）

Now we're going to slide down a little further.

現在我們要再滑更深一點。

If you'll just have the lights off

你可以關燈嗎？

and just see if you can see the light in the mouth somewhere.

看看你們能否看到， 燈在嘴巴的何處。

You'll be able to see exactly where the camera is at.

或許你們可以看到攝影機的位置。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

TT: (Singing)

湯：（唱）

Surprise.

嚇到了吧。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

MB: Alright.

馬：沒問題。

(Audience gasps)

（觀眾倒抽一口氣）

So what you can see there, that's the base of the tongue.

我們現在看到的是舌頭的根部。

The side walls of the screen,

螢幕的側壁，

that's the pharynx.

那是咽頭。

All muscle walls,

所有肌肉壁，

and in the deep, dark decks is the larynx.

跟深處黑暗的平面就是喉頭。

TT: Oh, should we have the lights back on?

湯：我們可以開燈嗎？

I think it's a good idea.

我覺得是個好主意。

It's getting a bit creepy with them off.

燈關掉的時候顯得有點可怕。

MB: Turn the lights on, thanks.

馬：請開燈，謝謝。

Good.

好的。

Now having examined over 15,000 larynxes and throats in my time,

我看過逾一萬五千個喉頭跟喉嚨，

I can tell you that Tom's is as anatomically normal

我可以告訴你湯姆的器官 在解剖學上是完全正常的，

as anyone else's.

與其他人相同。

It's just his unique use of all the muscles and soft tissues

只是他獨特的使用這些 肌肉和軟組織的方式

which lets him do all these amazing sounds that you're going to hear.

讓他可以做到這些你們 即將聽到的、不可思議的聲音。

So we will dissect some of these sounds for you now.

我們將為你們剖析 一些聲音的製造過程。

TT: It's in there really. Definitely.

湯：這真的在裡面。毫無疑問的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

OK.

好的。

(High-pitched sounds)

（高音）

(High-pitched sounds)

（高音）

(Hooting)

（短促而響亮的聲音）

MB: So what he's doing is he's changing the shape

馬：他在做的是：

改變振動空氣柱的形狀和長度。

and the length of the vibrating air column

using rhythmic contractions of all the muscles

節奏性地收縮這些肌肉群，

to generate all those sounds that you're hearing.

創造出你所聽到的這些聲音。

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Low pitch)

（低音）

MB: And now there's rhythmic movements of the --

馬：現在看到了具有節奏的律動――

they're the arytenoid cartilages way down there,

這是在下方的杓狀軟骨，

rocking back and forth to create that different sound.

來回搖動，創造出不同的聲音。

TT: (Low pitch)

湯：（低音）

MB: And we like to call this "sphincter bass."

馬：而我們喜歡稱之為「括約肌貝斯」。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And what you can see is that collapsing all the tissue down --

你可以看到：壓著所有組織往下――

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

allows a different kind of really deep bass note.

製造出另外一種非常低沉的聲調。

Alright, so with local anesthetic on board,

好的，搭配著局部麻醉、

a big black hose in the nose,

大黑管插在鼻子裡，

we're going to let loose a sliver of his repertoire

我們要讓他小試身手

and see all this in play.

並在表演的狀況下觀察他的咽喉。

And we'll move --

我們要移動――

careful.

小心。

TT: Can you pull it up just a smidgeon.

湯：你可以把它往上提一丁點兒嗎？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

TT: (Beatboxing)

湯：（節奏口技聲）

Maybe just a little more --

或許管子再往上多提一點點。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Alright, cool, I think we're good.

好了，這樣好，我想我們準備好了。

(Beatboxing) To all my peeps who came to get deep,

（節奏口技聲） 給我的夥伴，為了深入而來，

deep as the abyss --

深如深淵。

check this.

聽好了。

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

(Cheers)

（歡呼聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Beatboxing)

We start from the basics and build from scratch.

我們從零開始，從無到有。

(Record scratch)

（仿刷碟音效）

Yeah, like that.

就像這樣。

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

(Trumpet sound)

（擬喇叭的聲音）

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

(Beatboxing) Back to basics.

（節奏口技聲）回歸本質。

(Beatboxing)

（節奏口技聲）

(Beatboxing) You know the sound.

（節奏口技聲）你知道這聲音。

(Beatboxing) Make some noise.

（節奏口技聲）製造點聲音。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）

(Whistling)

（口哨聲）

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲及歡呼聲）

TT: Thank you so much.

湯：謝謝大家。