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Given that the
work of the Tomatis Method deals directly with the ear, it is
useful to have a general overview of its structure and workings.
The ear is made up of three
parts:
1) An external part,
comprised of the auricle, the external auditory canal
and the tympanic membrane (commonly known as the
eardrum). The auricle and the auditory canal act as
filters
ensuring the optimal transmission of the most important
frequencies for the reception of musical and verbal messages.
For its part, the tympanic membrane is responsible for the
transmission of sounds towards the middle and internal ear;
the tension of the membrane changes constantly, not unlike the
surface of a drum.
2) A middle part,
constituted by the tympanic cavity, inside of which three
little bones form the ossicular chain:
the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup. The
cavity also contains two small muscles, respectively connected
to the hammer and the stirrup. Their function is to mobilise
the ossicular chain. Classically, the role of the middle ear
is to amplify and to
transmit sounds towards the inner ear. However, for
Tomatis, in addition to its function of transmission, it acts
above all as a
regulator/absorber of sounds entering the inner ear.
It is therefore primordial that
the middle ear functions correctly. It should also be noted
that the purpose of the electronic ear is to optimise the
performance of the ossicular chain, by regulating the tension
of the two muscles of the middle ear, an indispensable
prerequisite in order to establish listening. Indeed, this
action of muscular harmonisation is what makes it possible to
constantly adapt and be available to the diversity of acoustic
messages which we receive at every instant. Without
appropriate mobilisation and rebalancing, listening will be
lost even if hearing is maintained.
3) The inner ear,
which is made up of the vestibule and the cochlea. The
vestibule is the part in charge of
the static and
dynamic balance of the body. It also plays a capital
role in the
coordination of movement and in the formation of the body
schema.
The cochlea, is the
organ of hearing.
It contains the sensory cells which transform an acoustic
vibration into a sensation of sound. These cells are located
in a liquid environment.
For
Tomatis, the two parts of the inner ear are closely
interconnected through the activation of vast neural systems and
as a consequence it is not possible to dissociate them. The
listening ability will depend on each functioning correctly in
itself but also on the quality of the dialogue which exists
between them. |
