***Nasality Puts a Real Damper on a Sexy Speaking Voice

Most people use 4 of their 5 resonators to produce voiced sound; and, of those 4 resonators, the 2 most heavily used are the throat (pharynx) and the voice box (larynx.) The other 2 resonators include the mouth and the nose.

The problem for most people, however, is that they are not using their largest resonator of their 5 resonators. And, that is the chest cavity.

Those who make use of the this cavity have voices that sound like James Earl Jones, Cher, Ashley Judd, George Clooney, vin Diesel, Kathleen Turner, and Sean Connery. Given the right tone, every single one of these voices can be very, very sexy. Those who don’t have the great sound include the likes of Fran Drescher, Don Johnson, and Melanie Griffith. While they may be beautiful to look at, alluring sound is not emanating from their lips!

What separates the voice quality of these two groups of actors is just in the placement of the voice. When you learn to use your chest as your primary amplifier, your sound will be likely to flow along the floor of your mouth and less likely to be averted up through your nose.

If you are plagued with excessive nasality, however, such as the Bronx or Brooklyn sound, you will probably need additional work which you can accomplish with the following exercise.

1. Say the sentence and exaggerate the sound by sending it up through your nose. (Yes, you will feel and sound silly, so do this when you are alone.) Your lips will possibly curl up to accomplish this. (Pretend that you are the wicked witch of the north.) They drove to the store to get a treat. 2. This time, relax and drop your jaw, open your mouth and say the above sentence sending it along the floor of your mouth.

If you will practice this exercise several times every day, you will be re-training your inner ear to recognize excessive nasality. Try this exercise with different words and listen to the difference.

Nasality mars a potentially great speaking voice and certainly puts a damper on anything close to hot. Try some voice training and watch the reaction of that special someone you’re hoping to impress.