The Importance of the Speaking Voice for Singers

“Silence is a source of great strength.”
“Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”
Lao Tzu

Average Speaking Range

Did you know that when you talk you are speaking on musical pitches?  For speaking, the vibratory cycle is approximately:

Men: 110 cycles per second (Hz) (of course this varies and can be higher for tenors or lower for low basses).

Women: 180-220 cycles per second (Hz).

Children: 300 cycles per second (Hz).

The average speaking range drops with age; the average male at age 51 speaks around 110 Hz, and males at age 21 speak around 130 Hz. The average female at age 51 speaks at around 174 Hz; at age 21 she speaks at around 196 Hz.

Of course, smoking and alcohol abuse will drop these numbers significantly. For a great example of this, listen to comedienne Lucille Ball’s voice in the early 1940s as opposed to the 1960s. Cigarettes and alcohol caused almost an octave drop in her speaking voice!

Weightlifters (male and female) who are considering taking steroids and hormones to aid in muscle development should know that these substances cause drastic changes in the voice over time; female bodybuilders often have the voices of men. These changes are irreversible.

OPTIMAL PITCH RANGE FOR SPEAKING

There is a distinction between the optimal or natural pitch range and the habitual pitch range used for speaking. If a speaker habitually uses a pitch range that differs from their optimal pitch range, the voice is not being used properly.

This can lead to vocal fatigue and can contribute to the development of vocal problems in singing.

Incorrect pitch in speaking can either be too high (chef Julia Child is an example of this), or it can be too low (Henry Kissinger is an extreme example of extremely low speech).

Most people fall between these two examples, but many people do not speak in their optimal pitch range. Finding your optimal pitch range for speaking can reduce wear and tear on your voice, can help preserve your singing voice, and help you present yourself with confidence and energy.

For the spoken voice to be healthy and vibrant, it also needs to be placed properly. The voice should be focused on the mask of the face- the area that includes the bridge of the nose, the mouth, and the lips.

A well-produced speaking voice has a good balance of oral-nasal and pharyngeal resonance- the same chiaroscuro or balance of bright and dark that creates a beautiful singing voice. Correct pitching and focus of the speaking voice will create a voice that is clear and resonant rather than guttural, breathy, nasal, or thin.

Your speaking voice is a large part of how you are perceived by others- a whiny, nasal voice can be irritating, a breathy, weak voice indicates a lack of confidence and a forced, strident voice can be off-putting to the listener.

Clear, energetic and dynamic voices create positive responses in a listener; weak, ineffective, guttural, raspy, or nasal speaking voices often create a negative psychological response in the listener that causes the speaker to be perceived in less than optimal ways.

Record yourself having a phone conversation. Is your recorded voice anything like your perception of your voice? Probably not. We are not equipped to hear ourselves as others hear us, so what we sound like and what we think we sound like are often two very different things.

You should pitch your speaking voice at about the area that you naturally produce sound when you enthusiastically say MM- HMM as if you are agreeing with someone enthusiastically,or say MM-MM Good! as if you just tasted something wonderful.

This phrase places the voice in the mask of the face, and if spoken enthusiastically is usually a few semi-tones higher than the normal pitch range. If performed correctly, you will feel vibrations due to sympathetic resonance in the nose and lips.

Next, follow an enthusiastic MMM- MMM with a phrase; for example, MMM-HMM—how are you?

If this pitch range differs substantially from the pitch, you typically use when speaking you are not at an optimal pitch and could be straining your voice to maintain a pitch that is too low or high.

For many people in western culture, the pitch on the MMM-HMM is higher than the normal speaking range; both men and women tend to speak on pitches that are too low.

Speaking at a pitch level that is too low, too high, or too breathy is tiring and can result in vocal damage.

Whispering

Never whisper when vocally tired.

You may believe that whispering when you are sick or tired will be restful to the voice, but that is not true; whispering pushes air across already compromised vocal folds and can cause further damage.

Practicing MMM-HMM, followed by phrases with an upbeat and positive approach will help you create a clear and well-pitched speaking voice.

If you find yourself becoming vocally tired from speaking all day, try repeating the following phrases periodically throughout the day to keep your voice well pitched and clear all day.

EXPERIENCE IT: OPTIMAL SPEAKING PITCH

Record yourself performing the following exercises. Note the difference in your speaking voice after the exercises are performed.

Try the following phrases, maintaining the feeling of placement you find with MM-HMM:

• MMM-HMM- I am good!
• MMM-HMM- It’s a Great Day!
• MMM-HMM- Onward and Upward!

Notice that these phrases do not begin with voicless consonants like “H” that cause breathiness but with vowels and consonants that tend to create vocal fold adduction

Now try:

• MMM-HMM- Right!
• MMM-HMM- Really!
• MMM-HMM- Beautiful!
• MMM-HMM- 1-2-3-4-5!
• MMM-HMM- My name is___________!
• MMM-HMM- How are you?

Now stand tall, with your arms stretched high overhead and repeat:

• MMM-HMM- Right!
•  MMM-HMM- Really!
•  MMM-HMM- Beautiful!
•  MMM-HMM- 1-2-3-4-5!
•  MMM-HMM- My name is___________!
• MMM-HMM- How are you?

Now, lower your arms to the sides, remember to breathe low, expanding the lower body, and repeat:

• MMM-HMM- Right!
• MMM-HMM- Really!
• MMM-HMM- Beautiful!
• MMM-HMM- 1-2-3-4-5!
• MMM-HMM- My name is_____________!
•  MMM-HMM- How are you?

Do this routine at the beginning of each day to get your voice warmed up and ready to speak. Repeat it several times a day to keep the correct pitch and placement.

Remember to breathe low! After performing the exercises, your voice will be more mixed, lighter, and less weighty. Practice reading aloud using these new techniques. Record yourself and listen back to your new and improved sound.

Poor breath support when speaking is a contributing factor to many vocal issues; breath support should be used in speaking, just as it is in singing.

Speakers need to apply the same breathing technique that singers use, expanding the lower body in a relaxed way with each inhalation.

To remind yourself to breathe correctly throughout the day, take a moment to place your hand over your belly button and inhale, allowing this area to expand easily. The chest and shoulders should be relaxed and should exhibit no observable motion during inhalation.

OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING THE SPEAKING VOICE

The same issues that are damaging to the singing voice will cause trauma to the speaking voice.

They are:

• Excessive volume and air pressure
• Pressed phonation and over-compression
• Overuse-speaking for too long at any one time, or forcing the voice to be heard in loud environments
• Breathiness: speaking with less than adequate vocal fold adduction
• Pitch- speaking too high or too low
• Acid Reflux- can damage the vocal folds
• Smoking
• Allergies
• Muscle tension leading to dysphonia
• Yelling at outdoor events and loud concerts
• Lack of sleep
• Lack of adequate hydration- not drinking enough water
• Alcohol, drugs
• Artificial hormones
• Continuing to stress the voice when it is compromised through illness or edema
• Toxins and pollutants in the environment
• Pollutants in drinking water
• Whispering
• Coughing and clearing the throat
• Aging
• Talking with constant vocal fry, in an unenergized and lethargic manner

Many vocal issues such as cysts, nodules, polyps, and hemorrhages happen because of repeated and ongoing trauma to the vocal folds.

Less often, but still a possibility, are vocal issues that present after a single event, such as screaming at an outdoor football game, or singing for an evening when the vocal folds are compromised and swollen.

Swelling of the vocal folds due to illness, fatigue, or poor vocal technique prevents midline vocal fold closure resulting in an imbalance in the system as air pushes through.

Manifestations of trauma such as nodules, polyps, and hemorrhages are the result of extended vocal abuse and make midline closure impossible.

Those who speak for a living (lawyers, classroom teachers, preachers) are prone to develop vocal fatigue and vocal fold swelling that can lead to disorders.

Your speaking voice announces who you are to the world. Take time each day to make sure that you are speaking in your optimal pitch range, with a clear, energized, and focused voice that is supported by a low breath.

When your speaking voice is produced correctly, you will present yourself in the best possible light while maintaining your vocal health and stamina.

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