Well, around 70 bloggets seemed to find part one of some interest, so here goes…
So, you have all been getting your breathing under control and feeling more relaxed, now for the sound and pitch of your voice.
The vocal cords or vocal folds are controlled by some of the most delicate and fast acting muscles we have. These muscles adjust the length and tension of the vocal folds so that we can create a wide variety of sounds, some of them not so pleasant! Of course, the vocal folds are not the only part of the complex process of voice production, as the shape of your throat, tongue, resonance and so much more play a part in what we hear. Men typically have longer vocal folds and a longer vocal tract so their voices are deeper, well at least most of the time. Some male singers can use a false higher voice and research differs on exactly how this is done. I can do it, but I have no idea how it works.
We create language using our vocal folds through their separation (adduction) or coming together, (abduction). Adduction is essential in another way as it preserves our life by preventing food or other stuff from entering our lungs. The degree to which we use these important functions shapes our voices including such wonders as glottal stops – I will leave you to ponder on that!
It’s now widely agreed that our voices are at least as unique as our fingerprints. They are shaped by our whole body, and some recent research suggests that the voice changes when you either gain or lose weight, most probably because of changes to your breathing, but also because of changes in how your muscles work.
I won’t continue to bore you with the science of all of this, but look at “vocal registers” “vocal resonance” “singers’ formant” and more on the internet if you’re interested.
A study published in The New Scientist suggests that the 12 tones of the musical scale most often used in western music has its origins in the evolution of the human voice. This is difficult to justify for me, even having read the article, but it would certainly explain how the pitch of our voices works. I am blessed or cursed, depending on your view, with perfect pitch, meaning that I can hear a note or series of notes and immediately identify what they are. During my work with voices, I used this technique to better understand someone’s vocal range and how they use it so that, together, we could focus on getting the best out of the wonderful instrument of the voice. I notice that the pitch of a voice usually settles on a note in this scale but that could be because we hear these tones every day and mimic them.
When you think about voices you either love or hate, not including your own, what is it that you love or hate about them and which voices make you switch off? This is a matter of personal taste. For me, it’s a voice that drones on a similar pitch a voice that rises in pitch at the end of every sentence whether it’s a question or not – sorry to bloggets in Australia who do this all the time – or a voice that cracks and crackles like a pair of rusty old hinges.
The voices we usually remember are distinctive in some way. Take a previous UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who it said had substantial voice training. She used upward fluctuations in pitch to give force to words, most famously when she said, “the lady is (not) for turning”, bracketed word 5 tones higher than the rest of the statement. She previously had a quiet, rather reflective voice, but she is remembered for its power which matched her personality. She is proof you can train your voice and use it in a way that won’t cause long lasting damage.
Others are more likely to engage with your own voice if you vary its pitch, allowing it to drop toward the end of sentences, using an upward flick in pitch to exclaim or question. The only way to really focus on this is to record your voice, concentrating on how you pitch it. You can do much of this yourself, but you will need help if you want to analyse the range of your speaking voice, usually 6 or 7 full tones and how to get the best out of it. If you listen to your voice and you feel it sounds kind of flat, you are probably using 2 or 3 full tones at most, so try to increase its pitch at the start of sentences allowing it to naturally fall toward the end.
Talking improperly, screaming or shouting can cause what’s known as vocal load, stress inflicted on the speech organs. In some cases, this can cause serious damage such as vocal cord nodules or polyps. Some very famous current singers who I won’t name for fear of legal action are said to have these problems and have been told they must use the voice properly or face never singing again. If you experience hoarseness or a kind of breathy sound in your voice for more than a month, take medical advice.
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