Speak In Tune
June Moris April 2, 2009 - 3:11 pm .
A lot of people happen to speak too low or too high. Most of these people are not aware they’re doing this and it may never become a problem. Maybe you also speak too low or too high. If that is the case and your voice plays a part in your job it is important that you speak with your natural voice.
Vocal Pollution.
We are not aware of what exactly we do when we speak. We provide the content. Our body and mind do the rest and if everything works well than our voice will sound natural and the pitch it produces will be the natural pitch which will be different for every person.
If it is that simple than how does it happen that some people don’t speak with their natural voice?
This is not an article about air pollution but it does have a tremendous effect on the voice. Gasses, smoke, dust, soot etc. If you live in London simply ride a push bike starting at London Bridge towards the center of London. Unless you cover your face with a mask thirty minutes later the tissue in your nostrils will burst. The same air passes your vocal cords. Though tissue on the vocal cords might not be damaged you won’t be able to sing at peak level.
While there are physical circumstances that have a lowering effect on the voice such as smoking, breathing second hand smoke and drinking alcohol an altered voice can be caused by emotional conditions.
Emotions Speak.
Our feelings have an instant effect on the sound of our voice. Serious physical pain makes us speak higher or almost whisper. A lot of people suppress or hide their emotions. Hiding or trying not to feel intense pain puts pressure on the larynx-sometimes to a point where the throat physically hurts-which in turn lowers the pitch of the voice. Try to speak in a moment of intense emotional pain. You will hear that the pitch of your voice has changed. Allowing yourself to feel the pain, trying your best not to feel the pain or trying to hide it only from the listener will give your voice a different sound and/or pitch for each of these possibilities.
Feeling down, pain or other intense feeling occasionally is not going to permanently change your voice. It is when these feelings take the upper hand and control your life that the voice will change like for instance depression and hardship can dramatically and permanently lower the voice.
During the war in Yugoslavia my uncle had a girl staying with the family for several weeks. She lost both her parents in the war. I met the girl once when they visited our house. She couldn’t have been older then ten. The pain and hardship of what she had already been through at such a young age were carved into her face and her eyes were branded by a terrible sadness but I was particularly shocked when she said something. She spoke with the voice of an old woman who lived a hard life. The pitch was close to an octave lower than the natural voice of a ten year old girl.
Imitating Speech.
Then there are people who (un)consciously change their voice. They get fascinated by someone else’s voice and start imitating that person.
Whoever does that without any vocal training or awareness of the breathing system will no longer breathe or speak natural. When a person has been altering her/his voice for some time it will then feel uncomfortable to switch back to the natural voice.
How high or low should someone speak?
If you want to be a singer than it’s a good idea to start off making sure the pitch of your speech voice is natural. If it’s too high or too low there is a good chance you’re not breathing right either so you will have to correct your breathing technique to correct the pitch of your voice.
There is a simple exercise to find out what your natural voice sounds like. Sit down on a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Lift your knees, lower your back keeping it straight. Stretch your arms, lift them above your knees and keep them there. Ok when you are in balance knees up and arms stretched bend your head forward until your chin lands onto your chest. Let it stay there and now say something. The sound and pitch your voice now produces is your natural speech voice. Notice also how your voice has more volume. Notice also where it hurts most. The muscles around your waist are working really hard now and that is why your voice is instantly more powerful. These are the muscles that support the voice. Their strength determines the power, endurance and strength of your voice.
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