VOICE IMPROVING

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1…..How to sing in key

Have you ever told anyone you're tone deaf-or incapable of carrying a tune? Its
usually the surest way of getting out of singing for someone, but is there such a thing as
"tone deafness"? I doubt it. How can someone be born with the ability to hear, but not
comprehend music?

In ten years of teaching voice I haven't been able to place a single person in that category,
and yet here in Australia most people have serious inhibitions about their singing
[Link] many singing instructors, my own experience involves training people
to hear themselves, hear music and to gain control over their instrument. I think with
proper guidance, and the right encouragement, people can learn just about anything.

I would not have taken on students with serious difficulties in pitching their voice if I
didn't begin with a simple premise: Most of the world's people sing. Music making and
singing is common to most religions and indigenous cultures for [Link]
environments provide a supportive musical education for most children, who grow up
regarding singing as natural a skill as speaking.

Having said that, there will always be people with strengths or talents in some areas and
not in others. Being able to draw something in perspective does not necessarily make you
an artist, just as learning how to sing in key doesn't necessarily make you a great singer,
but its a very important start.

A common singing problem is simply not listening to yourself.

Put on one of your favorite songs and then ask your self ; how many voices are singing at
any one time? What, if any are the different harmony lines? How many instruments can
you hear? Can you separate them out? Can you really hear the bass line?

Tap out its rhythm and sing it in the comfortable part of your vocal range. You may be
singing along to songs and either drowning out your voice by the sheer volume of the
music, or ignoring your voice by focussing entirely on the lead vocal or the music in
[Link]'ve all heard people sing out of tune while listening to music through
headphones. They're out of key primarily because they cant hear their own voice.
There are other classic reasons why people sing out of key.

Most music today is sung in high vocal ranges, for anyone with a low vocal range,
especially most men, this is confusing. We all have a natural range of about 8-12 notes
where it feels relatively easy to sing. Men's voices usually sit an octave (eight notes)
below women's. Once you relax and get comfortable with that you will recognize that not
all songs were meant for your voice, at least not in the original key that demands you
strain out of tune to reach the melody.

Once you're comfortable with your natural range which tends to be in the speaking or
"chest" register of your voice, you can start to expand your range to sing higher in what
we call our head register. In the chest register the sound reverberates from the air in your
chest and mouth. It also resonates from your throat where we often speak. Singing and
speaking from the back of the throat strains the vocal chords which is why learning to
sing or developing a professional speaking voice involves projecting the sound forward.

In our head register the sound reverberates around our sinus cavities, that is our nose,
nasal passages and forehead. Children sing and speak naturally in this area. Unless you've
never stopped, you'll have to rediscover this voice to properly extend your range,stop
straining your vocal chords and singing out of key.

The best way to overcome difficulties with singing in key is to get singing lessons.

We dont all have the time or money to pay a full time professional singing teacher. For
some people it can also be an intimidating process to sing in front of a complete stranger.
Now there is another way to take singing lessons.

You can learn how to sing in the comfort of your own home with your pc on the internet.
I have created Explore Your Voice especially for people who feel they need to take their
time and get a feel for singing lessons. It's based on over 10 years as a professional vocal
instructor and I use some highly effective and innovative methods to bring out your own
unique voice.

2…..How to sing high notes

The human voice is naturally divided into at least two registers. Head voice and chest
voice; this is the same for women as it is for men even though men’s ranges generally sit
much lower than women’s. The chest voice or speaking voice as it’s sometimes called is
the voice we’re most familiar with. As the name suggests it’s the voice we speak with
every day.

If we compare for a moment the human body with the body of an acoustic guitar, the
sound we hear when we strike and vibrate the strings is made much louder and more
characterful because it resonates with the air inside the hollow body of the guitar.
Similarly, when we speak the sound that is made by air vibrating our vocal chords
resonates more fully in the air filled chambers of our lungs, throat, mouth and nasal
cavities.

Hitting the high notes involves moving up the scale out of our chest voice and into head
register where the sound resonates more fully from our sinus regions including behind the
bony ridge of our nose and upper forehead. Because we’re creating the sound from a
different part of our body, this head voice, often called falsetto for men does feel strange
at first. It’s where we speak as little children and it can sound and feel very hollow, thin
or breathy.

The more we sing in this voice, controlling our breathing from our diaphragm, the
stronger this voice becomes.

You may already sing in this voice without knowing. It depends on your musical
influences. The late Jeff Buckley has influenced a whole new generation of male
vocalists to develop their head voice, in contemporary pop and rock genres. This is
something that was far more prevalent for male lead vocalists in the 1970’s. Quite often it
adds at least another full octave to a singer's voice in the top range. So hitting the high
notes is not about straining your speaking voice out of key, it’s about discovering a new
part of your voice that’s waiting to be developed.

3…..How To Improve Your Vocal Range

Most people have what we call a chest voice range of about 8 to 12 notes that occurs
naturally. You are born with it and ,even if you hardly ever sing at all, you already have
enough vocal range to sing a lot of songs. The actual range of pitch of your voice on a
scale is however unique to you.

If the lowest note you can sing comfortably is say an E or an F below middle C on the
piano then you are most likely to be a baritone if you are male or a contralto if you are
female. This indicates you probably have a lower range voice. Female sopranos and male
tenors have voices that start typically 4 or 5 notes higher on the scale.

It is important for you to understand what type of voice you have because this will
determine the key you will need to sing a particular song in. Dont worrry too much if the
theory of all this seems confusing. Singing is generally not an exact science because
every person's voice is unique.

All this means is that your vocal range is a relative thing. If you have a low voice, you
can still have a vocal range of 2 octaves , just as someone with a high voice. It's just that
your range will start lower and finish lower than the person with the high voice.

Can you extend your vocal range?

Yes you can. Extending your vocal range can be accomplished by developing what we
call your "head voice' . Your voice is naturally divided into 2 registers called chest voice
and head voice. To find these voices start by singing the lowest note you can and
progress up the scale until you find yourself wanting to change into another more "head"
based tone. It's a strange sensation if you have never tried it. It's important to project your
voice forward onto your lips,so as not to strain your vocal chords.

At some point in this exercise you will find that you cannot sing higher using the voice
that seems to come from your chest and you will feel the urge to sing from your "head".
This is the naturally ocurring break between the registers. Your chest voice will sound
big and full by comparison to your head voice which can sound light and perhaps harder
to control.

Ultimately, your range will increase as your voice responds to regular use . The more you
sing, the better you sound.

Here are some ways to improve your vocal range.

Try singing songs that have a wide melodic range. Be careful not to strain to reach the
high notes in your chest voice. Use this exercise to place part of the melody into your
head register. One of the best and most obvious examples of head register or falcetto as it
is sometimes called is the Bee Gees. They actually deliberately developed their head
voices to create a new sound for their songs. Other singers like Jeff Buckley and Elton
John use head voice in different and sometimes less obvious ways .Women can extend
their vocal range in the same way. Using your voice this way can quickly extend and
improve your range into head register.

Experiment with singing a song in a lower key than is normal for you. To extend your
range downwards you must relax and not force your voice. Dont pitch the song in a key
too much lower than usual. Just drop the song 2 or 3 tones in pitch from where you
normally sing it. Dont squash or force your chin down on to your neck to reach lower
notes. It's natural to want to do this but it will actually make it harder. Keep your head
centered and relaxed at all times. If you are unsure how to transpose a song into a lower
key - make friends with a competent musician and tell that person you wish to
experiment with the key of the song. As you make use of your lower range more
regularly it will develop.

Lastly, consider getting some singing lessons. A vocal teacher will be able to assist in
extending your vocal range and also provide you with the necessary tools to improve and
find your own unique voice.

Our singing course is ideal for improving your range, tone and control of your head
voice. Explore Your Voice provides you with comprehensive singing lessons based on
popular songs and our unique Groove [Link] call and answer vocal games give
you freedom to practise what you've learned.
Explore Your Voice singing lessons were created by a team of world class professional
musicians and educators based on the innovative vocal teaching method I developed.
Take the time to check it out, you wont be disappointed.

4…..How to sing with confidence

Singing is really a confidence [Link] more comfortable you are with the way you
sing- the more confident you will feel about showing what you've got. What is
confidence? How do we get it? Can it be taught?

To properly understand the role of confidence in singing and why it is important we must
look at what is happening between you and an audience when you are performing.
Singing is not merely the reproduction of musical phrases in the correct order. It is one of
the most primal yet sophisticated means of communication on earth. How many times
have you heard a song and been moved by it? Most of us have had the experience many
times where we have simply adored the way a particular singer sings something. It is
often hard to put into words when it happens. Somehow it just does something for you.

This is mostly because that performer is taking a chance. Performance is all about risk for
both the performer and his or her audience. You as the performer must be prepared to
wear your heart on your sleeve. You must allow the audience a glimse of who you are,
what you feel. This is sometimes difficult to do especially if you are anxious about
singing a particular phrase properly or hitting the high notes cleanly. Your audience is
looking for only one thing. They will forgive almost anything if they think you are giving
it your best. They WANT you to take the chance.

Think of performance as a kind of contract between you and your audience. You
promise to deliver the goods - and they promise to pay you for it !

How you deliver those goods is entirely up to you but you must be prepared to take the
chance. This is the most essential element in all music. A performer must be willing to
commit to the best performance possible always. No playing it safe, no shyness - just
sincerity. That's often all it really takes for an audience to be happy.

Here are some great ways to build your vocal confidence

Choose your songs carefully. Dont pick a song just because you think it's cool or you
like the original singer. It is critical that the song you choose to sing actually suits your
voice and vocal style. Many beginners fail to consider this simple fact. Very few singers
can sing literally anything. Consider this a plus.

What you need to discover is your own unique sound. Finding the right material is half
the battle. If you have a smooth voice, try to find songs that allow you to make the best of
that characteristic. If you have an edgy tone to your voice, listen to other great singers
who have that sort of voice and learn from their song choices.

Find the right key. I cant stress this enough. Dont sing so high that you feel like you are
straining. This is both damaging to your voice and pointless as a performance. It's painful
to listen to a singer who has stupidly decided to sing a song in a key that is way too high
for them.

Sing regularly. This means that you should take every opportunity that presents itself to
have a sing. Dont however sing so much that you feel tired or your voice will start to
suffer. Singing regularly will build your vocal conditioning and give you familiarity with
a wide variety of material. It's that variety of your song choices that will allow you to
develop a more distinctive style all of your own.

So, dont just sing the songs that you currently like. Try lots of different material. If you
like hard rock - try singing some country music. If you like singing jazz - have a go at
some reggae. These things will help you to expand your musical horizons and take you
from mere imitation to being a unique singer.

5…..Singing with power

Perhaps you have had the experience of singing with a group of people and finding there
is someone who's voice seems to boom out twice as loud as everybody else's. How is it
that some people seem to have a voice with enough power to wake the dead and yet
others can barely be heard singing in their own bathroom?

It's true that some people are born with naturally louder singing voices than others.
Somehow the unique structure of their throat ,vocal chords, chest and head is able to
produce a larger volume of sound than is normal. The main thing to keep in mind here is
that being able to sing loudly is not necessarily all that musical by itself. Musically
satisfying singing is a combination of many things to do with the range of tone you
produce, the character in your voice, the emotion you can convey and the empathy you
display towards the lyric and music.

No matter what type of voice you have there is plenty of potential for you to build a
strong dynamic voice. Improving your technique will increase your singing power in
many ways.

Here are some ways to improve your vocal power

You need to control your breathing from your diaphragm. A breathy voice is a weak
voice. When taking a breath to sing exert a little pressure from the main breathing
muscles - the diaphragm and upper and lower abdominal muscles. Do this to hold back
the air from rushing out as you sing. Also, make sure you don't lose your breath on the
soft unfocused sounds like when whispering. Focus instead on the hard vowel sounds in
every word , just as you do when you speak.
To create a louder more resonant voice you need to open up the back of your throat
when you sing. Some refer to this as an inner smile, or a half yawn. Either way you
should get used to the sensation of raising your soft pallet when you sing which also
makes it easier to pass more freely from the lower tones to the higher tones without
hearing your register break.

Drop your jaw. Your mouth is your sound hole. Practice singing in front of the mirror
untill you get out of the habit of locking your jaw and muffling your voice when you
sing.

Project your voice forward off the back of your throat when you sing. Don't try to
grab at the sound with your throat muscles , this inhibits your voice and can damage your
vocal chords. These technigues are well tried and tested from the opera house to the
popular stage. Use them and you will not fail to create a powerful singing voice.

Singing lessons can greatly assist in the development of a strong ,powerful voice. I
created Explore Your Voice to provide everyone with the opportunity to find their own
unique voice. I believe vocal training should be fun as well as a great learning
experience.

6…..How to sing in tune with band

Have you ever had the experience of feeling like you are singing perfectly in tune
when you practice but as soon as you get up in front of the band you wander out of
key?

Perhaps you just find it hard to stay in tune when you go for the high notes. Either way,
it's not at all uncommon and there are some straightforward things you can do to help
prevent it from happening.

Getting your reference pitch.

In this issue I’ll talk about how to establish a basis for singing in tune when you are
playing with amplified instruments in a band setting. If you are used to singing
completely acoustically then you may find it quite difficult to make the transition to
performing with loud guitars and drums banging away behind you!

When performing with a band the single biggest problem is hearing yourself properly.
Usually you will have some sort of foldback device like a wedge or a side-fill speaker
box with your vocal coming back at you. Your natural instinct will be to keep turning up
the volume of your voice in the foldback until it is big and fat and you can hear every
nuance in your voice.

While it is true that for good control and preservation of your voice you should be able to
hear yourself properly it also has a serious trap. The problem is that the louder you are the
more the other band members will tend to turn their instruments up to hear themselves
better. The drummer will hit harder, the guitar player will turn his amp up and so on. This
is all because of Performing Law number 1. ( My own laws that I have invented to
explain things like this)

Performing Law 1 states that in most bands the individual players tend to mostly listen
to themselves, not to the other players. This is because when you practice outside of the
band you are only usually listening to yourself and you are looking to have that same
clarity and definition in the band setting. This is almost always not possible. The reason
is that when you practice singing alone you are listening to a voice which is not masked
by other sounds.

The mere presence of a piano, guitar, bass or drums will cause some masking- that is,
some of the frequencies produced by other instruments clash with or cancel out some of
the natural tones of the human voice. This is a well known principle to studio engineers
who use a deep understanding of how masking works which allows them to produce great
mixes where there is an excellent balance across all the instruments and parts to a song.
All this makes it difficult to sing in tune sometimes when performing with a band.
Believe it or not the cure is actually to do the opposite to turning up your voice in the
foldback.

When you are singing live you must train yourself to sing with far less aural feedback
than you are used to getting when you sing by yourself. Try these things to help
overcome live singing tuning problems : - Get used to the overall sensation you get when
you know you are singing in tune. A way to try this out is to get a backing track ( without
vocals in it) and play it really loud on your stereo and sing along with it.

Do not try to out-sing your stereo !!!

Have someone else stand a few feet away and listen to you singing in your normal voice
to a track which is almost drowning your voice out. Ask that person if you are singing in
tune. (Make sure it is someone who can tell the difference !) Resist the temptation to
change the way you sing in this test. Do not try to project your voice more than you
normally do. The idea is to get used to what it feels like when you have far less aural
feedback of your voice and to develop some confidence under those conditions.

After you have done this a few times try doing the same thing in a rehearsal with your
band. Deliberately give yourself far less foldback than you would normally like to
have. Listen very closely to the other instruments and sing to them, not yourself. Get
your pitch from what the others are playing and try to become more familiar with the
sensation of singing in tune without hearing yourself. It’s entirely possible to sing with
almost no foldback.

You will discover a nice little side benefit from doing this. As you become harder to hear
in the onstage mix other members of the band will not turn up and possibly even start to
turn themselves down. If they don’t turn down and still play really loud, point out to them
that they should be listening to you more. They will soon get the message.
Remember that performing live is all about making use of what you have, not wishing it
could be better. Unless you become a huge star and can pay for unbelievable foldback
you will always have to deal with performing conditions that are sometimes far from
ideal.

Lastly, this is what it takes to be a professional. You must learn to adapt and not always
focus on yourself. Performing in a band is not an easy undertaking. It takes lots of
practice and a willingness to try new things, sometimes things that you actually don’t
want to try. If you have an open mind just about anything is possible.

7…..How to be great lead singer with your band

Ok - so now you've got your big chance and you are up there in front of the band.
You've rehearsed your songs and you are ready to do your stuff - what next?

If you are just starting out and you have already sung in front of a band you may have
begun to realize there are many things to learn about live performing. It's often surprising
how little some singers seem to know about stagecraft.

Well firstly, it's nothing to do with stagefright ! I'll talk about that another time.

If you read my previous article about singing in tune with the band you will already know
something about the overall skill set required to successfully perform live. Singing in
tune is not only desirable, it's a necessity. However, performing is not merely stepping up
to a microphone and singing your song in tune. Performing is about the overall
package you present to your audience.

Popular music is mostly vocal oriented- there is nearly always a principal vocalist who
sings the melody. This means that the main audience attention is on you the singer.
Although the other members of the band will attract some attention whilst you are
singing, the spotlight will always be on you because you are the main point of
communication with the listener.

In front of the band you are a salesperson. Your audience is watching every single thing
you do! They will know when you are unsure of what the next lyric is, they can tell if you
missed the entry to the bridge, they know if you are not in control. While it is a common
experience to find members of the audience who don't seem to know anything about
anything there are many who do know something.

Stagecraft for a singer is about leadership, discipline and confidence. It is essential that
you control what is happening on stage. There are many elements to singer stagecraft but
I will cover a few of the key points here.

1. Never develop the attitude that the band is there to back you.
Bands are a collaboration between musicians. All bands have a particular personal
dynamic that revolves around everyone fulfilling a task. This means that you must never
under any circumstances give the band the impression that you regard them as your
backing band.

Work with them at all times and resist the temptation to try to tell them how to play their
instruments, even if you really can do better than them. They have their own parts to
think about and they expect you to have your stuff under control. They will be expecting
you to give them a clear idea of how you want things to sound.

This is where you need to develop good judgement and keep upmost in your mind that a
band is a very egocentric animal and feelings can be hurt very easily if you say the wrong
thing! This means no throwing tantrums or getting pissed off if you find things not going
exactly the way you want the first time.

When you stand on stage make sure you make regular eye contact with each member of
the band. Spend 75% of your stage time looking at your audience and spend the
remaining 25% making eye contact with the drummer, the bass player, the keyboard
player and so on. The band will feed on this unspoken communication, they rely on
subtle cues from you to fine tune what they are doing.

2. Subtle cues? Can't I just sing my song and they play along?

Nope. Remember, they are not there just to back you, the band is part of your
performance. Think of yourself in the role of the conductor of an orchestra. In a
symphony orchestra they are all wonderful musicians, well rehearsed and very
professional. Why do they need a conductor? To pull it all together, to control the light
and shade,tempo and degree of intensity. In the same way you must communicate this to
the other band members in a subtle way.

Here's an example. Say you have decided that you want to sing the 3rd verse of a
particular song much more quietly after you come out of the bridge. You want to put
some contrast at that point because the big chorus leading out of the song comes straight
after. Even though you may have rehearsed it, you must also cue everyone when you
actually perform it. Instead of being obvious and waving your arms around , wait until a
few beats before and then turn around momentarily to the band and sing more quietly
while giving them a knowing look.

It's up to you to control the dynamics of the performance not only by how you sing but
also the way you communicate with the band during the song. The more you do this the
more they will look to you for guidance. They will get used to looking at you for subtle
gestures and facial expressions that will tell them something. You will find yourself
building a repertoire of body language that they will recognize and follow. As you get
more practiced at this you will even be able to get them to slow down at the end of a song
completely on cue with only a look from you.
Finally, this is the great undiscovered country for all lead singers. It takes time to learn
this but it is very worthwhile. If you are not in control of the performance package you
will look and sound like an amateur. The music business is basically smoke and mirrors
from the audience perspective and you must learn to orchestrate that.

8…..Singing and the art of performing

Singing in front of an audience is more than just creating a successful rendition of a song.
If they want to only hear your music they can go buy your CD. When you play live you
must perform!

An audience is not only there to hear you, they are there to watch you. It's an often
neglected topic of discussion in a band - what are we supposed to do while we are
playing our music?

There is a very simple answer to this question - COMMUNICATE!

As an art form in the modern setting all music has two forms - the recorded songs you
write or cover (like a CD) and the performance of that material in front of an audience.
The best way to look at performing is to consider it to be a unique ,one-off snapshot of
you at a particular moment in time. Every performance is different. The essential point
here is that performing is all about you and your ability to make a connection. When
performing you get to establish a connection with the listener that is impossible any other
way.

The most important thing to do when singing in front of a band is to consider how your
audience sees you. Try to think about what they see from where they are sitting or
standing. No matter if you are singing in a bar ,nightclub or concert stage the same
situation applies. Every little thing you do and say is under the microscope from everyone
in the room.

Do you find that thought disconcerting? Many performers do and it often leads to some
bizarre habits by some lead singers. Sometimes they are caused by nerves and it's normal
to experience some anxiety, especially for a beginner. One of the most annoying habits
for an audience is when a lead singer seems to pay more attention to the band than they
do to their audience. You see this a lot where a lead singer will spend a considerable
amount of time on stage with their back to the audience singing to band members.
Whatever the motivation is for this behavior it comes across as indifference and amounts
to a kind of broken contract.

Your audience is your client, your customer if you like. They make a form of unspoken
agreement with you that they will attend your performance in return for something. What
you give them depends on what you are prepared to give and, to some extent, it will
depend on how you FEEL at the time. What they really want from you is a little story.
Each time you open your mouth they want to be taken somewhere,away from their
troubles (or perhaps through their troubles), they want to be taken on a journey to
someplace in your world.

How do you do this as a singer? How do you take them on a trip through your world?
Actually, it's quite easy when you think about what I said earlier about trying to
understand what your audience sees when you are onstage.

Every person I have ever met has a bunch of favorite songs that they always love to hear.
They never seem to tire of them. These are usually accumulated over the years but most
often are associated with their youth. This is essential information you must use when
developing your performing skills. Each person in the room when they are watching you
play has a series of subconcious images running through their mind. These are generated
continually whilst you perform and mix with what they are actually seeing of you.

If you don't believe me watch how your audience reacts when they hear you start to sing
something very popular and familiar. That positive reaction is created by association.
People have favorite songs because they associate those songs with something very
positive in their lives. Perhaps the first time they fell in love, when they passed their
school exams, when they bought their first car. It can be anything. These memories are
associated with songs they heard at the time and it makes them feel good. The funny
thing is, you can be very popular with an audience even if your versions of their favorite
songs are nothing like the originals. This is due to the fact that audiences tend to hear
what they WANT to hear, they seem almost to hear a mix of the original artist and your
version at the same time in their heads. This is a different rave which I will cover in later
articles.

When you perform you must remember that every song you sing can have this nostalgic
effect on your audience. If you are singing covers then make sure you have the correct
lyric and that you understand it. Nothing will come back to bite you in the ass faster than
if you sing the wrong lyric to a famous song!

If you don't know what the song lyric is really about how do expect to communicate that
story to your audience? It can be very useful sometimes to discuss a lyric with other
people to gain an insight into the writer's intentions.

Here we come to Performing rule number 2.

Get rid of all lyric sheets onstage !

It's your job as the singer to know your lyrics. Don't think for one second that your
audience doesn't see those lyric books or sheets of paper on a music stand. This is one of
the most common amateur mistakes and it has a subtle effect on your performance. It will
become a crutch you can never throw away. Make a rule with yourself to always learn
your lyrics properly and not to rely on pieces of paper onstage. This way you will
understand what you are singing and be able to concentrate on telling the story with
confidence.
There are many other things I will discuss in later articles on how you can dramatically
improve your lead singer skills with your band. Your confidence onstage is everything.
Each new technique you add will take some time to perfect and feel comfortable with so
persevere. Your audience will love you for it.

FROM: [Link]

9 Tips To Improve Your Voice

By Kathy Thompson    9/10/05

Feel free to print/reprint this article in its entirety

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Title:  "9 Tips To Improve Your Voice"

   -  by  Kathy Thompson
         writing4u@[Link]

  (c) Kathy Thompson - All Rights Reserved

      [Link]

How much talking do you do during the day?

We take our voices for granted.  A lot of tension forms

in our throats and larynx.  These simple fun exercises
can help you.

6 Tips to a Better Voice

1.  Feel your throat muscles and jaw when you are
speaking.  Note the tenseness.
2.  Open mouth wide.  Yawn and say "Ho Hum." Close your
 lips.  As you do, drop your jaw and waggle it from
side to side.
3.  Repeat the yawning and humming.  Note how the
throat muscles loosen &  Removes strain.
4.  Open mouth wide, drop your jaw, exaggerate your
lip and jaw movements.  Say the following words slowly:
 Prolong the sounds.  Annunciate carefully.  HANG, HARM,
 LANE, MAIN, LONE, LOOM. 
5.  Lightly massage your throat muscles with your
fingers to check for tightness.
6.  Drop your jaw and relax the throat.  Prolong the
sounds. Open wide and use a monotone voice.  Say: NAH,
HAY, NEE, NO, NOO.

Try this several times a day.  You should see an

improvement. in your speaking voice.

1 - Tummy Bounce
Take a  breath through the mouth for three seconds, and
immediately let it out as you say 10 "Ha's" in
succession, using one breath.  Keep the back of your
throat open.

2 - Ka-Ga-Ha
Open mouth wide and open back of your throat. 
Say "ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-" As many times as you can with one
breath.
Again Say; "Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga"  -  As many times as you
can with one breath.
Again With; "ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha"  - As many times as you
can with one breath.
Now With "ka-ga-ha",  "ka-ga-ha",  "ka-ga-ha", 
"ka-ga-ha" - As many times as you can with one breath.

 
3 -Vitalic Breath
 1-Inhale a few short quick breaths through the nose
 2-Open mouth, expel quickly with one blast.
    2 or 3 times only, or you will get dizzy.

Use these tips and watch your confidence improve along with
your voice.

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of Any Group with "Public Speaking Made Easy". Speak With Power
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FROM: [Link]
[Link]

6 Steps For a Better Speaking Voice

by Marlena Reigh
 
1. Control Your Breathing

Breath control is essential for healthy and effective speaking. Breathing from your
diaphragm allows for you to:

← relax
← deliver emotional content
← improve the quality of your delivery.

2. Master Your Volume

Volume should be at a reasonable level. If you are:

← Too loud: tone down.

← Too soft: use breath support -- focus tone in front of you and articulate.

3. Establish a Comfortable Rate

A comfortable rate (or speed) of speaking is approximately 150 words per minute. If you
speak too fast, slow down-pauses are very powerful. If you speak too slowly, practice
developing a faster pace.

4. Vary Your Musical Pitch

Using your entire vocal range through variance in pitch adds interest and personality to
your voice. To improve your pitch, practice "siren sounds." Start on a different note each
time you do them.

5. Articulate

Articulation is necessary so that your words can be understood regardless of your speed
or forcefulness. Exercises to improve articulation include: use of the facial muscles,
dropping the jaw, emphasizing vowels, and emphasizing consonants at the ends of your
words.

6. Practice Excellent Voice Quality

Voice Quality is how pleasing your voice is to listen to. Proper breathing and use of the
resonators will add richness to your voice. To improve your quality, place the sound in
your inner mouth area, not your throat or nose. Also, hum with you mouth closed, teeth
apart, to feel the buzz in the front of your face.

FROM: [Link]
[Link]

8/25/2009

Improve your speaking voice with this simple trick

Last year, one of my intentions was to strengthen my voice and develop more confidence
while speaking. My biggest challenge, whenever I spoke, was the lack of power behind
my words. Because of this, I would often times be asked to repeat my self or speak louder
so the other person could hear what I was saying. Another bad habit of mine was talking
too fast. Again, I believe that had something to do with my confidence levels. I didn't
slow down enough to fully articulate so that others would clearly hear and understand
what I was saying.

Because of my despair in this area, I decided to take a voice coaching class offered
locally. After researching the credentials of the instructor online, I was all too excited
about learning the secrets to a stronger voice. I'll share with you some of the sound
principles I learned in the class. Some of the information was new to me, some of it I'd
heard before. One thing I would say is that all of the info was extremely practical and
would make a difference if applied consistently.

So here are some practical techniques to improving your speaking voice:

1. Open your mouth:

Most of us, when we speak, tend to keep our mouths relatively closed. When we do so,
the sound that we create is altered. The voice doesn't come out as rich and supported as it
does when we open our mouths a little bigger to allow the sound to naturally flow out. I'll
be the first to tell you that it feels a little weird at first, when you open your mouth wider
while speaking. But in all honestly, this really does make an impact on how far your
words will travel.

2. Make the voice travel:

Opening your mouth wider is the first step, the second step to improving on your voice
quality is to support your words with your breath. It's the air you use that will allow your
words to travel and not fall flat. Words that aren't supported by air go absolutely no
where. Then you're tasked with having to repeat yourself once again. What you should
try to do is be mindful of your breathing while you speak. Are you caring your words
with a smooth exhalation? Or do your words struggle to reach it's intended destination?
You should be taking in natural breaths before sentences and allowing the breath to be
released as you speak. It makes all the difference in the world.

3. Relax:
Nervousness will affect your voice more than anything else. When we lack confidence or
feel unsure, our voice will certainly reveal it. There are two surefire ways you can
overcome feeling nervous, adequate preparation and mental toughness. I strongly believe
that confidence follows action and preparation. So I suggest you first start with
preparation. This means that you should never present to a group of people without
feeling absolutely comfortable that you know the information like the back of your hand.
I know there will be times that you won't have the amount time you'd like to adequately
prepare, in that case, use whatever time you are given. Preparation is the speaking
equivalent of giving yourself steroids before a body building event. It gives you an edge
that you might not otherwise have. Soon, you'll begin receiving compliments on how well
you are at presenting (because you were well prepared), not long after, you'll find
yourself feeling more assured and transferring that same confidence with you when
you're asked to speak on the spot.

Finally, I'm going to give you the very best piece of advice I've heard yet on improving
your speaking voice. This tip comes from the audio book 100 ways to motivate yourself
from author Steve Chandler. Steve has a deep strong voice that really resonates with the
listener. What really surprised me is that Steve claims to have once had a voice that was
weak and nasally. So what did Steve do to completely change his voice? He sang. That's
right, Steve claims that he was able to both strengthen and develop his speaking voice by
making it a habit to sing to his favorite tunes at the top of his lungs. With the consistent
practice, his voice (and lungs) became stronger with each passing day.

I heard this advice weeks ago and have been implementing it daily in my practice ever
since. Today, I am more than excited about how much better of a speaker I am today than
I was a few weeks back. My breathing is now consistent, my voice tone is richer and my
confidence levels are sky high. I do want to mention that I am a terrible singer. I probably
have the worst signing voice around. But I don't this to become a better singer. I do this
to exercise my vocal chords and to develop my lung capacity and regulate my breathing
when I speak. The change I've experienced in the past couple of weeks is amazing. I even
received a compliment the other day because someone on a conference call noticed that
my voice sounded more confident. I know for a fact that my preparation for the call,
along with my stronger, more conditioned voice, is how I was able to present this
information with confidence.

The best part of all is that signing doesn't seem like it's hard work. I get to enjoy my
favorite songs while benefiting myself in the process. There's nothing better than that.
Because I actually enjoy this practice, I find myself being consistent in doing it every
day. The more I do it, the stronger and better my voice gets. I highly recommend this to
anyone who is looking to improve their speaking voice. Give it a try for a few weeks,
before long you'll be signing its praises.