This is really pushing the boundaries of my limited understanding of brain and nerve function but I think it may be the answer to a question that has been bugging me for a long time. I have asked many eminent scientists and acousticians why I ‘feel’ something in my temples when I sing and stretch into more space and why I hear a different sound. They usually look at me with a kindly benevolent eye as if I am from another planet – well I am a singer!

On a recent TV programme I learnt that the tri-geminal nerve lies close to the skin under the forehead and travels deep into the brain. They were using a simple sticking plaster on the forehead, connected to some electrodes to help PTSD war veterans to sleep more restfully as it was doing something, I’m not quite sure about the science, to help them monitor and alleviate stress.

The fact that the nerve is situated close to the skin, I found interesting because I do lift my forehead and my eyebrows when I sing and I know my skull can’t be moving and yet the sound changes. So perhaps I am stimulating the temporal artery and doing something in my deep brain???

This might all be mumbo jumbo so I need to befriend a brain surgeon to find out more…still it might be of value!