Help for thin, weak, hooty, lifeless, nasal and edgy voices - updated 2021
Let's get some color in there!
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What causes unwanted vocal tone?
Thin, weak, hooty, lifeless, nasal, edgy and other limited vocal tones have one thing in common- the "resonance cave" of the voice is not completely open.
These vocal sounds are not nearly as "listenable" as rich, clear, bell-like, multi-textured musical sounds of voice when the throat is open. If you want to have a weird character or cartoonish sound for some reason, you can limit your tone on purpose, but for normal speaking and singing purposes, you want all the rich colors and musicality of tone that your voice can produce.
Sometimes a person is so used to speaking or singing with a compromised voice they don't even know it's possible to change it. But with vocal training to open the throat, you will be amazed at how great you can sound.
How vocal resonance is created:
The "resonance cave" of the voice involves a forked channel. The channel goes from the larynx in the throat upwards where it forks into the mouth and the nasal and sinus passages. The nose is actually huge inside. The top of the nasal membrane goes all the way up to the eyes.
Resonance is created and modified by the state of the channel. This is the way it works:
- The vocal cords vibrate the larynx.
- Sound waves coming off the larynx go through the channel to bounce against other tissue surfaces and cavities in the throat, mouth, nose and some sources say even down the trachea.
- These alternative resonation zones add their own character to the sound waves.
- If the channel is open, more vibrations can reach more surfaces, and the resulting sound gathers and comes out the mouth much richer than when the channel is constricted anywhere.
Tips to open your throat and gain resonance you never thought possible:
- Record yourself
- Open your nose
- Activate your eyes
- Articulate in front, not back, of mouth
- Make chewing circles
- Morph vowels
- Imagine ping pong ball
- Keep head over tailbone
- Pull with mic
- 6 way inside stretch from Power, Path & Performance training
- Control breath
- Let me know how you do with these suggestions by clicking the comment link.
Labels: Vocal_Techniques
4 Comments :
At May 22, 2008 at 5:58 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Judy - this are really SUPER tips! I do a great job of impersonating singers - but I haven't yet 'discovered' my true voice. I'm going to spend some time working on this advice - and choosing a song I'm not that familiar with, so I'm not replicating the original singer ...
At May 22, 2008 at 7:26 AM ,
Judy Rodman said...
Thank you Julie! This is why I write this blog- to be of PRACTICAL and EFFECTIVE use to you. Good luck and let me know how you do with these ideas... in finding you own voice!
At January 29, 2021 at 9:53 PM ,
Elizabeth H. Cottrell said...
I had no idea there were so many practical and implementable tricks for helping develop a richer voice for speaking and singing. Excellent.
At January 30, 2021 at 9:44 AM ,
Judy Rodman said...
Elizabeth... I'm so happy you found this helpful!! Thanks for your kind words.
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