***If You Want A Deeper Speaking Voice, Do Not Do This!

Recently I have been reading some questionable articles about the various ways in which you can gain a deeper voice and I am appalled at the number of people who are giving advice. People who have no understanding of or training in the speaking voice. In addition, their tips and tricks are wrong and can produce serious damage to the vocal folds.

One person suggests singing opera and another recommends yelling. Other advice includes speaking as deep as you possibly can by practicing certain exercises. None of these suggestions are correct because all three are likely to result in vocal abuse.

What is also fascinating is that in none of the articles was breathing mentioned. The depth and power of a great voice is a result of:

1. breathing diaphragmatically, and
2. powering the sound by means of the chest cavity.

There is no other way around it.

When I first started my business, someone said that I was trying to get everyone to speak in a deep voice. Wrong. My job is to show you how to find the optimum pitch of your speaking voice which is going to be in the lower register of your entire range. I am not, however, looking for everyone to speak in a deep bass voice. What I am looking for is the depth that is comfortable and correct for each individual. And that is very individual.

Your optimum pitch is entirely dependent on the vocal makeup of you. Some men may discover they have a bass voice but others will not. This is why I am bothered when someone tells me they want to sound like so-and-so or they want to be a bass. If the vocal apparatus warrants a bass voice, that is great. If it doesn’t, however, the mistake is trying to make it go down that far. This is where the danger lies.

Women will discover that they have a deeper voice as well – hopefully not a bass! – but certainly somewhere below their habitual range. The habitual range is the area in which you have been speaking out of habit.

You can tell if you are speaking too deep because your voice will lose all expression and will have very little power.

Stay away from the tips and the tricks. If the person giving advice is not going to teach you how to breathe first, don’t waste your time on it. Your vocal folds are a delicate organ and once they have been seriously damaged, you will never get your original instrument back as it was. Just ask Julie Andrews if this isn’t true!