Module Two Lesson 15: Learn How To Talk So You Can Save Your Voice For Singing
Transcription
Did you know that talking is harder on your voice than singing?
It's true. Unless you know how to do it right.
Using your voice correctly when talking is one of the most essential skills to learn. I've had many students with vocal problems related to the way they talk. From teachers who yell to make themselves heard over a noisy classroom, to counselors and therapists who lower the pitch and volume of their voice to create intimacy and trust with their patients. And then there are those singers who work in noisy environments like restaurants where they fight to make themselves heard over the din of people talking and background music. Whether they're yelling or whispering, all of these singers struggle with vocal fatigue or hoarseness at the end of their workday.
In this lesson, you'll learn why talking is harder on your voice than singing, what you can do to prevent vocal fatigue, and how to recover from it.
[Photo/Illustration of Talking]
We're all talkers. Some of us talk quietly. Some with more intensity. And some are basically shouting all the time. But almost all of us are unaware of how we're using our voices when we talk.
[Frequency Graph]
Remember back in The Science of Sound when you learned about frequencies? Well, here's an opportunity to put your newfound knowledge to use!
On this graph, you can see that the pitch of the average female speaking voice is about 200 Hz, and for males, about 120 Hz.
So what's happening when you're in a noisy environment and need to be heard?
First of all, the sounds around you — people talking, music playing in the background, or the road noise and traffic when you're in your car — have a frequency range that competes with the human voice. When you talk in these environments, your speaking voice is "masked" by the noise around you, which makes it hard for people to hear what you're saying.
So, you talk louder. And when you talk louder, it puts more strain on the cricothyroid muscles that work to keep your vocal cords closed.
There are three things you can do to keep your voice from becoming trashed when talking over background noise:
Pitch Your Voice UP
First, pitch your voice up. This is harder than it sounds. In our culture, studies have shown that low voices tend to be taken more seriously. Whether you're a man or a woman, a higher-pitched voice is unconsciously looked down upon. But, there's a natural-sounding frequency range that will work to cut through the background noise and won't make you sound like a munchkin.
Here's how you find that optimal pitch for your speaking voice:
I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer in the affirmative like this:
Mmm Hmmm!
Are you ready? Isn't it a beautiful day outside?
Ok. Next, I'm going to ask the question again, and I want you to answer with Mmm Hmmm! And then say 1,2,3, at the same pitch as the Mmm Hmmm. Like this:
Mmmm Hmmm! 123
Ready? Isn't it a beautiful day outside?
So, when you said 123 — the frequencies at that pitch are just slightly higher than usual. And higher frequencies travel through space more quickly and get to your listener's ears faster. So, your voice cuts through the noise in the room more efficiently.
Now, do I sound fake? Inauthentic? No! This is just what my voice sounds like when I've pitched it up. There's more energy in it. It sounds like I'm high on life, but I'm not talking like a munchkin or in pure upper register.
When I talk down here in the lower part of my voice, there's more tendency for air to leak through the vocal cords. Air leaks cause dryness, and when you add volume so you can be heard over the din of background noise, it stresses the vocal folds to the max. They try to protect themselves by thickening up and kicking up some mucus. The result? Loss of flexibility in the vocal cords and a bunch of noise that shows up later when you try to sing.
Just talking in this lower pitch with an air leak for one paragraph makes my voice feel more tired.
When I talk up here, there's no air leak, so the sound is cleaner.
Use Support
The other thing that happens when I pitch my voice up is that my body unconsciously uses more support.
Check it out for yourself. Talk in the lower part of your voice and notice what happens in the trunk of your body. It relaxes, right? Then, notice what happens when you pitch your voice up. Do you sense a slight tightening in your abs?
If you don't, no worries. But let's see what happens when you focus on using support while talking.
Read this slide with your voice pitched up while lifting in and up with your abdominal muscles to support the tone:
The Rain In Spain
The rain in Spain
Stays mainly on the plain.
Keep lifting! Try again.
The rain in Spain
Stays mainly on the plain.
Great! Let's repeat that a few times in a row, this time focusing on the inhalation in between each sentence. All you need to do is expand your tummy, the air will get sucked in, and then you can begin speaking and lifting!
Let's do it together.
Expand
The rain in Spain
Stays mainly on the plain.
Expand
The rain in Spain
Stays mainly on the plain.
Expand
The rain in Spain
Stays mainly on the plain.
Excellent!
Do you ever read aloud — to your children, your partner, or yourself? It's a great way to practice what you just learned, so it starts to feel natural. Then, the next time you're in a noisy environment, you can recall the feeling you had while using these tools, and they'll be there for you.
And here's my final tip for saving your voice when challenged by noisy environments:
Say Less, Or Don't Say Anything At All
We all need to learn how to be better listeners. Now's your chance! Respond only when necessary in conversation, or every other time you have the urge to do so.
There are two more ways that people use their voice that can really be harmful. The first one may seem counterintuitive.
Don't Whisper
Quit whispering. Whispering dries out the vocal cords. If you have to whisper, only do it for short periods.
If you're a counselor or massage therapist who needs to create a quieter, more intimate environment for your patients or clients, pitching your voice up might not feel appropriate. But you can still create intimacy and save your voice. Just lower the pitch slightly and use support. Find the tone that feels and sounds the cleanest, and lift in and up when using it. Then, when you have a gig at the end of the day, it'll be much easier to sing.
Now, we don't talk in a monotone, right? We naturally vary our pitch when we talk. So when you're looking for the optimal pitch to use in your speaking voice, be aware of the upper and lower limits in your vocal range. If you start out too low, you'll dip below the place where your vocal cords can stay together cleanly. And you'll end up in the gravel pit of your voice. This sound is commonly referred to as vocal fry.
Trashing Your Voice With Vocal Fry
Vocal fry seems to be in vogue these days. Everyone is doing it. Maybe people think it's sexy. I don't know, but it drives me crazy because I know what it's doing to the vocal cords.
[Talk in vocal fry zone] Hear that noise in my voice when I'm talking in the vocal fry zone? It's the vocal cords rubbing together like sandpaper. After a while, they'll thicken up and kick up a bunch of dust in the form of mucus. You'll lose the ability to sing a clean sound, and the stretch you need in the cords for high notes will diminish.
So, please don't trash your voice with vocal fry.
In the next lesson, you'll learn an exercise you can do to regain vocal cord flexibility after you've been sick, or trashed your voice from overuse or talking. It's called...
The Vocal Siren
Go ahead and watch it, and then I'll be back with the final lesson in this module where you'll learn why singing is so good for you!
