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.
How to learn to speak correctly
It often happens that a man speaks in a voice that is unnatural for him, for example, too thin, because he is simply used to it. In this case, he should learn to speak in his own voice . It is possible that the unnatural sound is a consequence of chronic diseases, since some diseases affect the voice. This can be caused by diseases of the heart, pulmonary or nervous system, or diseases of the spine. In this case, the exercises will be ineffective.
Learn to talk comfortably . To determine your natural voice, do an exercise: prepare a speech lasting 15 minutes and say it out loud. If during this time a feeling of discomfort or even pain arises in the larynx area, this means that you are not speaking in your own voice, that is, unnatural for yourself.
How to find your sound? Only by experience. You need to deliver speeches with different pitches of voice and proper breathing. When you can deliver a speech without discomfort, then you can say that you have found your sound. There is a high chance that your voice will be more masculine, deep and rough than you expected.
You can find your natural voice through experience.
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.
Filter for changing voice pitch
The proposed method cannot radically change the speaker’s voice or its timbre, and if you are very unhappy with what you hear, do another voiceover. With aggressive use of any filters, there is a high probability that “artifacts” will appear.
We will use the Pitch Shifter filter. Let's look at his work.
Open your track (if you need to improve the quality of your voice, use the steps described in the article “Voice Processing in Adobe Audition. Practice”). I have this girl’s vocals (good quality recording, with reverb applied)
Select menu item Effect – Time and Pitch – Pitch Shifter
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.
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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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:
- Storytelling
- 4 Ways to Silence Your Negative Inner Voice
- Social anxiety
- Covey's "Eighth Habit": summary
- How to start running
- Fixed Mindset
- A person's main limiting belief
- How to become smarter: 4 types of intelligence according to Stephen Covey
- Logic vs intuition
- Nonverbal communication
- How to make a good first impression
Key words:1Rhetoric
Who needs to correct their voice?
In general, the voice, like everything else, is a matter of taste. Some people like more brutal notes, others are attracted to ringing, high-pitched voices.
As a rule, those whose professional or other activities involve influencing the public have to work on their timbre: presenters, teachers, journalists, trainers, managers, businessmen.
There are also those who by nature have a timbre that, it would seem, does not quite correspond to their appearance. For example, imagine a broad-shouldered, two-meter man with a thick beard and an unnaturally thin, shrill voice. Most likely, he has heard from others more than once about this dissonance and experienced discomfort.
It is believed that a low, deep timbre gives the impression of confidence, calm, restraint, and firmness. Some scientists explain this from an evolutionary point of view: a rough voice was associated with strength and large size of its owner, and therefore aroused respect and some fear.
If you work with a microphone and you are not satisfied with your own sound, if your voice causes discomfort to others or you are unable to control it well, if you simply want to improve the functioning of the vocal apparatus, below you will find many techniques and recommendations that will help make the timbre lower and more pleasant for hearing.
Attention! If you are a teenager whose voice is currently going through a period of mutation, you need to do the exercises in a gentle manner. Don't overstrain your ligaments! Allow your body to adjust itself at a pace that is comfortable for it. Give preference to breathing exercises, work with articulation and diction.
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Health and Safety
When speaking, avoid guttural, harsh and hoarse sounds, as they can harm your voice. If they are present, despite attempts to eliminate them, this may indicate a chronic complication (as a result of a previous illness, the presence of scars and even precancerous polyps in the throat). When hoarseness in your voice becomes persistent, it is most prudent to consult a doctor: it may be a symptom of a serious illness. Also try to avoid excessive nasal sounds.
Preparation
Relax your throat as much as possible. Otherwise, the voice will turn out tense, feel irritated or anxious. Moisten your larynx and maintain a clear sound, trying to swallow saliva more often. Drink warm water or lightly brewed tea before starting your practice. This will help relax the muscles of the pharynx and larynx. On the contrary, cold water helps to constrict the vocal cords (you can drink it when you want to raise the tone of your voice). Breathe naturally, trying to take deep breaths in and out. Develop control over the movement of your diaphragm. Avoid short, shallow breathing and especially hyperventilation.
Body position
How to deepen your voice quickly? Pay attention to the posture in which you speak. Body position plays a big role in voice production. Standing with an upright posture opens up your diaphragm and allows more space for air to move freely, which helps you speak more clearly and clearly. Check the correctness of your posture in front of the mirror - it may require correction. Observe yourself as you speak in your normal manner and in your desired, lower voice. Explore how you can benefit from changing your body position. Open your mouth normally so that your speech sounds natural. Do not try to compress or shape your lips and cheeks.
Surgery to lower your voice
Glottoplasty is a type of aesthetic vocal surgery that helps eliminate speech defects and restore self-confidence. There are a number of contraindications, so before such an operation they do an examination and give recommendations. The main benefits of voice surgery are:
- Minimum chance of injury. Intervention in the vocal apparatus occurs on an outpatient basis and after a few hours the patient is discharged. Small incisions are made, rehabilitation is quick and the body is completely restored.
- High accuracy. Modern microscopic equipment and the hands of a professional surgeon eliminate the risk of damage to healthy tissue and minimize possible complications.
Typically, experts suggest undergoing injection glottoplasty : to change the configuration of the vocal cords, special biogels and polymers are injected into them. When the timbre of the voice is very high, then they resort to surgical intervention - they cut out part of the cartilage, thereby changing the shape of the lumen of the larynx.
How quickly can you become the owner of a deep voice and how long will it last? Visible results for some are visible after 2 weeks, for others after 3 months. Most often, timbre changes remain forever .
After all, a low voice depends not only on exercises and operations, but also on heredity. Previous articlePreviousNext articleNext
Assess the situation
Listen to yourself to understand what your speech is like at the moment. This will help you consciously lower it to a lower tone. You need to listen to yourself carefully while standing in front of a mirror, or record your speech on a voice recorder (computer, phone, etc.) for playback purposes. Some devices produce better results than others, so you should use the best option available. It is worth noting that poor speakers are not able to satisfactorily reproduce bass, which is important for this purpose. Choose a quiet place to record to avoid unwanted sounds and voices. Try to do everything to learn to listen carefully and recognize all the features of your speech. What is your voice? Is he too sharp, high, shrill? When experimenting, don't try to sound like a sports commentator: be as natural as possible.
