How often do we think that it would be very nice if we could make an impression on people from the first contact, somehow influence them, evoke respect and a desire to communicate. But this does not always work out, if at all. We can start digging into ourselves, looking for dozens of reasons why people don’t think of us the way we would like them to, and the first impression we make leaves much to be desired. And, oddly enough, we will find these reasons. But is it worth engaging in scrupulous self-analysis, because the reason may lie in the simplest thing - in our voice.
Almost everyone today has heard at least once in their life that having a lower voice is much better than being the owner of a thin, squeaky voice. Fact is fact, but why? Not many people know the answer to this question, let alone how to even lower their voice, if necessary.
Why do you need a low voice?
As a rule, a person with a low voice is intuitively perceived by people around him as someone who has authority, is self-confident, self-sufficient, and is able to stand up for himself and his loved ones. A low voice is a sign of self-control and balance, and also instills sympathy and trust in the interlocutor or opponent.
The image presented, as well as the sound of a low voice, are always very effective: they work great, for example, when you need to impress a member of the opposite sex, or when you need to quickly win over potential business partners and make them listen to you and trust what you say.
There are also frequent situations when, on the eve of an important speech in public, a conversation with superiors or negotiations, a person realizes that his voice, as they now say, is “inaudible,” or that every now and then it wheezes, twitches, trembles, and breaks into high notes. This is not good, because a high-pitched squeaking voice in no way corresponds to the image of a confident person, a leader and someone who should be listened to and respected. This is another reason why you should learn how to control your vocal cords.
And it is even possible that you are not at all aware that your voice, which seems most pleasant and velvety to you, actually sounds completely different from what you imagine. This can be established by, for example, audio recording. Each person has a different perception, and some may think that their voice sounds lower in the recording, while others may think that their voice is higher. However, both of these sounds are a clear representation of your voice.
The process of voice formation and perception is quite complex. And, for example, professional voice director and speech therapist Nelson Vaughan explains it as follows: when a person listens to his voice, he perceives it only through his ears. He hears the sound waves that propagate inside him through the liquid that fills his internal organs. But sound propagates through air differently than in dense tissue or liquid. And this difference is correlated with almost the entire spectrum of tones perceived by a person. For this reason, people do not hear what we can hear.
And, ultimately, the topic of lowering your voice will be useful to everyone who stutters, no matter: always or during times of stress. Professor and Doctor of Medical Sciences I.A. Sikorsky says in this regard that slow speech in a low voice serves as a preventative for stuttering, and is capable of giving the speaker a tone of self-control, authority and importance.
From all of the above, we can conclude that lowering the voice is extremely useful and effective for almost any person who does not have a deep voice. But how can we lower our voice?
To do this, you need to resort to the following exercises.
Voice timbre - what is it?
For those who dream of a career on stage, a musical education is necessary. It is very difficult to master the theoretical part of training on your own. Some topics will be explained better and more clearly by a teacher, while others are difficult to master without tools. For example, the concept of “timbre” is unique for musicians. With this word they describe the individual characteristics of tonality. Moreover, there is a proven fact that the voice is not 100% dependent on genetic factors. Of course, it is formed by the upper respiratory organs, however, they are endowed with good plasticity. With the help of special exercises, the ligaments can be trained. To understand how the timbre of a voice changes, you need to take into account that it is formed by two factors: tone and overtone. If the latter is warm and low, then that’s how the person’s interlocutors hear it.
Exercise "Bass Head"
If you pay attention, for example, to a person singing in a bass voice, you will notice that his head is raised high, but at the same time is slightly tilted, as if he is trying to hold some object with his chin or is playing a violin that is visible only to himself. This position engages those muscle groups that pull the larynx in the “down” direction.
Try to do the same, always remembering that the larynx should be directed downward. This rotation, together with its lower position, will lower your voice as much as possible.
How to change the timbre of your voice?
You can radically change your voice only through surgery - forced expansion or narrowing of the vocal cords. But this method is rarely justified. If the reason you don’t like the timbre is not illness, bad habits or chronic stress (which can be eliminated), you can do special exercises. With their help, you can expand your vocal range, relax your muscles, achieve brighter sound and make the overall sound much more attractive.
Among the most effective activities:
- “Horse” - stretch out your lips and snort like a horse;
- “Model” - slightly open your mouth, like a fashion model, which promotes muscle relaxation;
- “Yawn” - throw back your head, open your mouth wide and pronounce the sound “a-a-a-a” in different keys;
- “M” - while exhaling, pronounce “mm-mm-mm” without opening your mouth;
- “And” - lower your chin to your chest, say “and-and-and-and”, slowly raising your head and without changing the tone.
It is also important to teach how to breathe with your stomach, not your chest. Otherwise, the diaphragm is clamped and the voice becomes low. The pitch of speech is also affected by the speed; the higher it is, the higher the timbre. To develop timbre, it is enough to devote 10–15 minutes to exercises daily. The first positive results will come after 4-5 weeks of systematic training.
Exercise with the sound “I”
Take the starting position: standing or sitting. Do a downward tilt of your head so that your chin is tucked toward your chest, as in “Bass Head,” and then make the lowest “I” sound. After this, slowly raise your head up as far as it will go, trying to fix the pitch of the sound.
At first, keeping the “I” sound fixed will be problematic, and its pitch will gradually increase as the head rises upward. This is an indication that your ligaments are tight and your larynx is shortening. Perform the exercise several times a day until the pitch of the sound becomes even in any position of the head. Achieving this result can be considered a complete relief of spasm of the vocal cords.
These exercises should be enough, but I would like to give a few more important tips.
Specifics of determining timbre
Before delving into the topic of how voice timbre changes, you should understand how it is determined in principle. It is difficult to do this without professional knowledge. One can only make a guess as to what species it belongs to. A spectrometer can give an accurate result. The device consists of an amplifier and a microphone, and thanks to the built-in filters, it analyzes the tonality of the sound. To find out your timbre, just sing or speak a short monologue at a familiar pace. Each of us is surprised when we hear our own voice from the outside. The middle ear distorts sounds, so we perceive ourselves differently. To find out how others hear us, we can ask someone to record our speech, ideally without warning. Or cover one ear with your palm and say something. This reduces the degree of distortion. You can always adjust your own tone by doing simple exercises. The main thing is to do this regularly and in accordance with the required technique.
A few more tips
Tip one: try to control the pace of your speech as often as possible. Remember that the faster your speech, the more tense your vocal cords are, which means your voice is higher. A person's voice is often compared to a vinyl record - when you slow down its rotation with your hand, the sound becomes lower. And if you deliberately lower your voice tone, your speech will become at least 10% slower.
Tip two: scientists have proven that inhaling through the nose helps lower the voice, because. the flow of air that passes through the nasal passages neutralizes reflexive emotional stress. However, the correct rotation of the larynx and its low position are preserved. So, inhale through your nose.
Tip three: a low voice is very closely related to correct posture. If you are trying to lower your voice, you will simply be forced to work with your spine - your posture should be straight, but not tense. And one more thing: brain activity also depends on the correct position of the spine - this was confirmed using an electroencephalogram. It has been noted that people who have correct posture and a low, deep voice not only create the appearance of their self-sufficiency and confidence - this is exactly how they are in life.
Tip four: everything is banal here - get enough sleep! Strangely, the voice of a well-rested person is lower. The trick here is that sleep relaxes the vocal apparatus, thereby providing all the benefits of a low voice. So that!
But don’t think that people with high-pitched voices are somehow worse than others. In reality, everything can be different: just as a person with a low voice can experience self-doubt, so a person with a high voice can amaze with their confidence and strength. The voice isn't as important as the substance, isn't it? However, no one has yet canceled subconscious perception.
Remember that you need to develop comprehensively: grow as a person, learn new things, master useful skills, develop self-confidence and, of course, learn to manage yourself, including your vocal cords.
Good luck!
We also recommend reading:
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- Social anxiety
- Logic vs intuition
- How to become smarter: 4 types of intelligence according to Stephen Covey
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Key words:1Rhetoric
How to Deepen Your Voice to Increase Your Authority and Likeability
The owner of a low voice is intuitively perceived by others as an authoritative, confident, self-sufficient and attractive person. A low voice is a blessing in many ways:
- Emotional - speaks of self-control and balance,
- Intellectual - stabilizes the functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain,
- Communicative - inspires trust and sympathy.
If you are not satisfied with the voice given by nature, then you should think about how to make your voice lower.
“It looks like a falcon, but it sounds like a crow,” this is what they say about people whose voice does not match their appearance.
Interesting fact:
The pitch of the voice is determined by the total mass of the vocal cords - length, width and thickness. Their weight for the bass owner is 4 times higher than for the soprano. And female ligaments are 2 times lighter than male ones.
Puberty in boys is accompanied by a brittle voice: the larynx becomes larger and lowers down, the thickness and length of the extension pipe and the mass of vocal tales increase. The result is that an Adam's apple or Adam's apple appears, and a low voice is formed.
Women's voices mature without breaking down and are less dramatic. The pitch of their voice changes gently.
THE TONE OF THE VOICE DEPENDS ON THE POSITION OF THE LARYNX AND THE LENGTH OF THE EXTENSION TUBE
The lower the larynx is located and the longer the extension pipe, the lower the voice. Why lower the larynx, or rather lengthen it?
Let's look at the organ.
Its short pipes produce a high sound, and its long pipes produce a low sound. Accordingly, to lower your voice you need to make your larynx longer. The striated muscles located in the front of the neck are responsible for the movements of the larynx. These muscles can be learned to be controlled consciously. Contents:
Hide
- 1. Learning to lower the larynx
- 2. Complex for lengthening the extension pipe and lowering the voice
- 3. Breathing and lowering your voice
- 4. The brain and lowering the voice
- 5. Spine and deepening of voice
Learning to lower the larynx
Yawn and half-yawn:
- Feel the larynx and make a yawn, feel how the larynx descends. This exercise affects all vocal organs: the pharynx, soft palate, larynx and tongue.
Bass head:
Another exercise is the “bass head”. Have you paid attention to the position of the head of a person singing in a bass voice? His head is raised high and slightly tilted. This position activates all muscle groups that pull the larynx down.
The rotation of the larynx should be directed downward, which, combined with its lower position, lowers the voice as much as possible.
Important:
Many experts believe that for proper sound production, the tongue should be located at the lower teeth in the shape of a spoon. However, to produce a low voice, the tongue must be shaped like a hump, with the tip located at the lower teeth.
Complex for lengthening the extension pipe and lowering the voice
Important:
It is better to carry out exercises with the vowel sound “and”, during its pronunciation the larynx is in an elevated position.
1. Starting position - sitting or standing. 2. Tilt your head down so that your chin drops to your chest (the “bass head” position), pronounce the low sound “i”. 3. Raise your head face up, fixing the pitch of the “i” sound. At the beginning of classes, it will be difficult for you to maintain a fixed pitch of the “i” sound; it will invariably rise when you throw your head back. This indicates tension in your vocal cords and contraction of the extension tube. To get them into the right state, you need to train.
Repeat this exercise several times throughout the day until the pitch of your voice is equal in both head positions: face up and bass head.
This effect will mean that the spasm of the vocal folds has been removed, and you have learned to control the condition of the extension tube. It's simple: by relieving the spasm, you get a low voice .
Breathing and lowering your voice
Chest breathing lowers the voice better than diaphragmatic breathing:
- The muscles that lower the larynx are activated, which ensures its low position.
- The chest resonators and sound support are turned on.
- Posture improves.
Diaphragmatic breathing should be preferred for singing, and chest breathing for speech.
Inhale through your nose while talking.
It has been proven that inhaling through the nose ensures a deepening of the voice:
- The low position and correct rotation of the larynx are maintained.
- The rate of speech is controlled. The faster her tempo, the higher her voice.
- The air flow passing through the nasal passages reflexively eliminates emotional tension.
Breathe calmly.
Proper sound production during speech uses breathing sparingly.
Run this test:
talk while holding a lit candle to your mouth. A calm flame indicates correct sound production; your breath should be enough for long statements. The flame fluctuates—breath is wasted uneconomically and flows away in spurts.
The brain and lowering the voice
The conscious and unconscious functioning of the brain affects the pitch of the voice. When you deliberately lower the tone of your voice, your speech slows down by at least 10%. The human brain is compared to a vinyl record: if you slow down its rotation speed, it starts to sound bassy. By slowing down your speech, you will be able to speak lower.
You can check this:
Record the time and count the numbers in a voice of different pitches. In a minute, you can count more numbers in a high voice than in a low voice in the same time period.
Make it a habit to listen to your body while speaking: the impact of the sounds we hear or produce on our subconscious is directly proportional to the conscious attention we give to them. The lower our attention, the less predictable and deeper the influence.
Proven by Science:
A well-rested person speaks in a lower voice: sleep relaxes the vocal folds and trumpet, which ensures a low timbre.
Spine and deepening of voice
When we see a person holding his back straight, then at the subconscious level he is perceived as a confident and authoritative person. A low voice and correct posture are interdependent. Therefore, if you want to lower your voice, you should pay attention to the spine.
Do you have correct posture? I suggest you take the test:
Lean your entire back against the wall. Posture is correct if the walls touch the back of your head, shoulder blades and buttocks.
Exercise to correct posture:
- Stand against the wall as in the test (see above).
- Next, take a step forward and maintain this pose for 2-3 seconds.
- Return to the starting position against the wall and check your posture.
- Repeat this exercise 8 to 10 times.
A more complex exercise “posture of a Russian officer”:
Stand against the wall. It should touch 8 points of your body: heels, shins, hips, buttocks, lower back, back, neck and back of the head. Next, perform all the manipulations as in the previous version. In the Russian army, officers pressed books with their elbows during classes in order to train themselves not to put their elbows on the table and maintain their posture.
The simplest and most common way to correct posture is to wear a book on your head every day.
This is interesting:
- In Tsarist Russia, in higher educational institutions, young ladies learned to hold their backs this way: they placed a stick along their spine and walked like this several times a day for half an hour.
As a result, the students of the institute stood out from the crowd with their proud posture and well-trained voice.
- Chinese flight attendants learn proper posture this way: they put shoes on their feet with heels of at least 5 cm, hold a plain paper between their knees, and place a book on their head. The training continues for an hour; if a book or paper falls to the floor, the countdown continues again.
- The average length of the human spine is 78 cm. The length of the sound wave of a screaming baby is also equal to this 78 cm. It turns out that the mother hears the newborn through the spinal cord .
- Not only the pitch of the voice, but also the functioning of the brain depends on correct posture, as confirmed by the electroencephalogram. A direct relationship can be drawn between posture and thoughts.
According to statistics, usually the percentage of stooped people does not exceed 7%.
In besieged Leningrad their number reached 70%. Thus, stooping is a sign of physical and moral pressure experienced by a person.
It has been noted that people with correct posture and a deep voice do not just give the impression of being self-sufficient and confident in life. They really are.
Posture and voice trigger mechanisms in a person to achieve harmony with the world around him and himself.
Sources: I.P. Kozlyanikov “Pronunciation and Diction” (All-Russian Theater Society, 1977), V.P. Morozov “Secrets of vocal speech”, B. M. Teplov “Psychology of musical abilities” (1947), www.Zaikanie.net.
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Training the correct pronunciation of sounds
Training the correct pronunciation of sounds also involves performing a number of exercises.
Exercise No. 1
First, you should start mastering the sound “r”. To work on the sound “r”, it is recommended to do the exercise in three stages:
- At the first stage, we pronounce “r” very quietly
- At the second stage, we pronounce “r” with medium volume
- At the third stage, we pronounce “r” as loudly as possible
Try to make the sound you pronounce as correct, sonorous and clear as possible - this will allow you to make your voice stronger by adding a somewhat “metallic” sound to it.
But before practicing the sweeping pronunciation of the sound “r”, you need to prepare the muscles for work using the methods that we discussed above, as well as by pulling the tip of the tongue towards the upper palate in the area of the upper teeth. Having given your tongue this position, pronounce any words where the letter “r” is present, or make a loud growl, imagining yourself, for example, as a ferocious tiger.
Exercise No. 2
The second exercise is a rather original technique for increasing the power of your voice through unusual behavior. It sounds a little unusual, but you should start acting like Tarzan from the famous movie.
To do this, stand up straight, clench your hands tightly into fists and begin to pronounce in turn all those sounds that we talked about earlier, or some others.
But remember that you need to pronounce sounds as loudly as possible and while exhaling, and with your hands you should beat yourself in the chest from time to time, imitating the behavior of the above-mentioned hero. If you don’t associate Tarzan with this image, you can imagine yourself as a gorilla - then you’ll definitely succeed.
The "Tarzan" or "monkey" exercise will not only help you strengthen your voice, but will also clear out debris, mucus and moisture from your diaphragm. So, don't be surprised if you suddenly have a cough. And after you clear your throat, be “Tarzan” a little longer to consolidate the result.
It is also interesting that voice training experts advise doing this exercise in the morning, indicating that it will serve as an effective exercise for the body as a whole. And given that you have a long day ahead, this can bring you double results.
