How to make your voice soft? What does voice timbre depend on?

Although the human voice is not the only means of communication available, it is still one of the most expressive and important. Each sound is unique in its own way - from pitch to cadence, from tone to timbre.

For example, some voices are soft and gentle, while others are rough and deeper. These differences in timbre make each person special, but they can also create some preconceived ideas about the speaker's character and intentions when speaking. In this article we will tell you how to make your voice soft and what affects the color of the sound.

Take care of your health

You can't have bad habits and expect your voice to be soft. Those who want to get rid of hoarseness should consider following the following tips on how to change your voice in life:

Create a balanced meal plan and stick to it.
Get regular aerobic exercise, such as running or swimming.
Drink at least 2 liters of water every day, excluding soups, broths, drinks, tea or coffee.
Avoid dairy products, which can cause phlegm in the throat.
Give up bad habits such as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol.

Following these basic instructions will not only provide a person with a healthy overall lifestyle, but will also serve as a platform to move on to other methods of voice change.

Exercise regularly

Once you've made a personal plan to keep your body as healthy as possible, you can focus on your voice itself. Practicing vocal exercises is especially important for those who want to transform their harsh tone into something softer. Let's find out how to change your voice in life:

Always stand with a straight back, without slouching, with the tip of your chin pointing upward. Imagine that someone is mentally pulling you towards the sky by your ears, not allowing you to relax your back and bend.
Breathe deeply from your diaphragm, not just your chest.
Begin each practice session by gently massaging the inside of your jaw with your tongue.
Always keep your tongue near the front of your mouth to avoid sonorant sounds (pronounced through the nose).
By vibrating your lips you can vary the pitch of the sound.
Imitate the owl's voice for a minute or two.
Sing softly, concentrating on shaping your tone as desired.

Advice from a phoniatrist

Experts who study voice pathologies, as well as methods of correction, prevention and treatment of various voice disorders, claim that there are many people who produce sounds incorrectly. Moreover, the person himself, due to habit, cannot always realize that he speaks in a voice that is unnatural for his physiology.

How to fix it? Doctors give several recommendations:

Some diseases affect the voice. These are not only the obvious sore throats and colds, but also chronic diseases of the nervous and cardiac systems, spine, lungs, mental disorders, and sexual ailments. Before training the vocal muscles, you need to make sure that the body is ready for such loads.
Monitor your hormonal levels. The condition of the ligaments is affected by the amount of testosterone: if the level of this hormone is below normal, the voice becomes thinner.
The larynx is located at the level of 4–6 cervical vertebrae. Considering that there are only 7 of them, it is not difficult to guess what impact they have on voice quality. Watch the position of your neck: during a conversation, it should be relaxed and straight.
If you smoke, quit the habit for at least a couple of days. Due to the fact that cigarette smoke causes aseptic inflammation of the folds, the voice actually becomes lower, but the result is hoarseness, not a velvety timbre.
To determine your real voice, you can use this test. Close your teeth and lips, take a deep breath and begin to exhale slowly and evenly with the sound “mmmm”, then lowering and then raising the pitch. At the same time, clasp your throat with your palm as high as possible towards the chin. You should feel at what pitch of the voice your palm will vibrate the most. This sound is your real voice.
Sometimes high notes in the voice are observed in moments of great excitement and tension. To feel more confident when communicating, you can enroll in public speaking courses.
Another option is to contact a vocal teacher who will help correct defects and develop an even voice.

I recommend reading the tips for improving your diction. In the article you will even find a ready-made lesson program for the week.

Try herbal remedies

Many singers use the gifts of nature to soften the sound of their voices. Typical ingredients are ginger, dill, marshmallow root. A few more tips for those who don’t know how to make their voice soft:

Get rid of your cough. For this you can use licorice root, thyme, plantain, elecampane, and rose hips. It is important that you get rid of phlegm and mucus.
Soothe your sore and scratchy throat. Mix honey, cayenne pepper and water to relieve inflammation and infection. You can also dilute a pea of bee propolis in a glass of water and then gargle.

Surgical intervention

When people try to find out how to make a rough voice softer, they inevitably come across an alternative method. Thus, nodules and polyps can be removed surgically under general anesthesia. But there is always a risk of complications with this method: in addition to the standard surgical consequences, there is the possibility that the voice may take a long time to recover after surgery.

Such different exercises

Let's find out how to make your voice softer and softer with the help of professional exercises:

You should start with the basic singing warm-up - Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Do. Accompany each sound you make with a piano key, trying to imitate the note correctly. When you're done, you can repeat the octave in the opposite direction, starting with the final Do. Gradually you can sing this warm-up several times “back and forth”, without pauses or breaks. If you don't have a synthesizer or piano, you can turn on the electronic instrument on your computer via the Internet.
Sing the standard combination with your lips tightly closed - Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Do. When your mouth is closed, you strengthen your vocal cords and improve articulation.
Now try opening your mouth wide and singing a combination with long “aaa” sounds. Pronounce the octave from Do to Si. Open it as wide as possible to make it easier for you to sing.

How to train your voice correctly

If you still want to learn how to make your voice softer, then follow these tips as well:

Always use plenty of air for both loud and soft sounds.
Prefer songs that suit your natural range.
The melodies you use to set up and train your voice should be comfortable. It is important to feel comfortable while singing.
Don't forget to reflect the emotional side of the composition on your face, don't stand like a statue.
When you sing or speak, never inhale through your nose. Imagine what it would sound like if you had to perform with a microphone in your hands. It is best to divide phrases into measures, in between which you can take a “safe” breath. It won't break up the song or monologue, making the listener feel like you're short of breath.
Pronounce all consonants and vowels as clearly and distinctly as possible. To do this, practice reading tongue twisters.
When you sing or talk a lot, drink as much water as possible. Pay attention to all the speakers - they always have a filled bottle on their stand.

Correct exhalation

An exercise that will help make your voice beautiful is a yogic practice.

Stand on any hard surface. Spread your legs - the distance between your feet should be 40 centimeters.
Take deep breaths and exhales. This needs to be done in a smooth rhythm. The duration of the exercise is 3 minutes.
Then inhale slowly and exhale sharply with the sounds “ХХХ-ААА”.

It is important that during exhalation all the air is released from the lungs without any residue. You also need to ensure that the sound is as loud and clear as possible. To enhance the effect, you need to slightly tilt your torso forward while pronouncing the sound.

Voice modulation

When speaking in public, it is best to lower your voice to make it sound better. If your tone has a natural raspy quality, avoid high-pitched or squealing sounds that may cause confusion among your audience.

Try to speak more slowly, relax and don’t be nervous—there’s no need to rush. Pause between sentences and phrases for emphasis and to control the pace of your speech.

Some more useful tips:

The length and scope of the topics you talk about are important. Pronounce each word clearly, with appropriate pauses whenever needed for emphasis. Practice in front of a mirror. Literally pronounce each word using exaggerated movements, because this exercise will allow you to make your speech clearer and clearer.
Yoga is all about connecting with yourself and the nature around you. You can use voice exercises during yoga to soften your voice. Repeat Sa Re Ga Ma several times. You can also say "om" for 5 minutes every day.

Prevention

In many ways, the appearance of dysphonia is a signal that somewhere they haven’t looked after something and haven’t taken care of their health. To avoid having to subsequently be treated by an ENT doctor:

treat infectious diseases in a timely manner;
do not get too cold, do not breathe through your mouth in the cold and do not drink ice-cold drinks;
do not shout, do not speak in a raised voice;
take breaks if you have to talk a lot and for a long time;
do special exercises recommended by phoniatrists to avoid strain on the vocal apparatus;
avoid contact with allergens;
wear masks if you work in unfavorable conditions;
stop smoking.

If a problem does arise, do not engage in self-diagnosis or self-medication: a timely visit to an ENT doctor will help avoid complications and speed up the recovery process.

At the ENT Clinic of Doctor Zaitsev, consultations are conducted by highly qualified ENT doctors and phoniatrists with extensive practical experience. When the first signs of voice problems appear, please call the following numbers: +7 (926) 384-40-04 and come!

We will be happy to help you!

What does voice timbre depend on?

The vocal folds, or ligaments, are important tissues in the larynx that support the vocal muscle. It is its density, size, tension and elasticity that create that unique timbre that distinguishes you from others.

Many people wonder how to increase the elasticity of the vocal cords. According to experts, such folds are muscles, which means, like any others, it is important to train them regularly.

Never start singing without a good warm-up. Pronounce the sounds “a”, “o”, “u” and their derivatives to the sounds of notes, read tongue twisters, do exercises for the lips and tongue.

Additional materials

To better assimilate the material and more conveniently find more detailed information on issues that you would like to study in more depth, we have prepared a list of additional materials for you.

Books on voice and speech development:

S. Riggs, “How to Become a Star”
K. Stanislavsky, “The Actor’s Work on Oneself”
E. Tsaregorodtseva, “Technique of stage speech: speech problems and their solutions”
E. Shestakova, “Speak beautifully and confidently. Voice and speech production"
E. Boyarchuk et al., “Anatomy, physiology and pathology of the speech organ”
A. Akhmetzyanova, T. Korniychenko, L. Suzdaltseva, “Speech therapy atlas”
V. Emelyanov, “Voice development. Coordination and training"
E. Bryzgunova, “Sounds and intonation of Russian speech”
O'Connor, G. Arnold, Intonation of colloquial English

And finally, a little motivation to make it easier for you to start studying the course.

How to Improve Your Singing by Using Proper Breathing

Here are the most popular techniques for developing the lungs and diaphragm:

Stand up and place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale through your nose to increase your lung size. Exhale through your mouth.
Inhale through your nose and hold your breath for 5 seconds. Exhale as long as possible.
Inhale through your mouth and as you exhale you need to sing all the vowels.
Inhale through your nose. As you exhale, you need to say numbers from 1 to 5. Gradually add one number each time you repeat this exercise.

Correct pronunciation

No less important for the development of vocal power is the ability to correctly pronounce all sounds:

Gymnastics. Reach your chin and then your nose with your tongue. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times. Chew your lower and upper lips for 30 seconds. “Clean” your cheeks, that is, blow them out one at a time.
Read tongue twisters.
Pronounce the sound "m". First you need to do a quiet voice, and then gradually increase the volume.
Inhale air through your nose and sharply say: “Ha!” Repeat this exercise for 1 minute.

Everyone knows that a woman's voice is often much higher in timbre than a man's. But it is interesting that representatives of the fair sex are extremely rarely able to hit the highest notes. But the female voice is universal. With regular training, you can achieve both low and high timbres.

Teflon bonds

Among those who do not like long, painstaking work with their voice, another method of rejuvenation is in great demand - plastic surgery. Just yesterday I was croaking like a frog, and today I was croaking like a bell - who wouldn’t be inspired by this to perform a feat?

Ligament surgery is performed according to two scenarios. The first option is to introduce various fillers into them: a special gel, collagen, adipose tissue, Botox, Teflon. This helps relieve ligament failure, a common cause of hoarseness. At the same time, the ligaments become more massive, the timbre becomes lower. So this method is suitable for men who dream of a masculine voice, but not for women - except perhaps in conjunction with gender reassignment surgery.

Plastic surgery in the second scenario just makes the voice higher: with the help of a series of manipulations, the ligaments are “tightened”, and the timbre becomes higher, thinner and younger. Sounds tempting, right? In practice, however, everything is more complicated.