Introduction to Voice and Diction

The voice is a powerful communication tool. Consider this:

Political experts agree that the most successful candidates are elected not on the basis on what they say, but how they say it.
Men dominate conversations by interrupting, changing the subject or refusing to participate
Students who participated in speech and drama courses landed jobs much faster than did student who did not take those courses
A University of California researcher determined that 40% of any message is communicated by the way a voice sounds not by the words
We use an average of 30,000 words per day, averaging 4 sounds per word
From empirical studies it is determined that the way we talk is more important than the way we look
One expert says, “Like fingerprints, each of us has a one of a kind voice.”

How the Voice Works

Surprisingly the primary function of the human vocal apparatus is to enable us to eat, drink and lift heavy objects. The second is to produce sound, speaking, and singing. Knowing the organ of speech will help you to understand what the voice can and cannot do. To make sound two factors are needed: something that strikes and something that is struck and resists the impact vibrating according the greater or lesser degree. Basic breathing involves inhaling through the nose or mouth, down the windpipe or trachea and into your lungs. When you exhale air moves up the trachea to your voice box or larynx. Sound originates in the larynx, a cartilaginous box located in the upper part of the trachea or windpipe. Inside the larynx are vocal folds or vocal cords. With the voice the breath is the initial impulse for sound, which strikes against the vocal cords, which have come together in anticipation of the sound and vibrate.

WARNING: IF YOU FEEL YOUR VOICE IN THE LARYNX OR THROAT OR IF THERE IS ANY SENSE OF STRAIN OR DISCOMFORT AT ALL, THAT IS AN INDICATION THT YOU ARE PROBABLY MISUSING YOUR VOICE.

Four Steps in Voice Production

1. Respiration (Breath) is the inhalation and controlled exhalation and the breath which vibrates the vocal cords to make sound. The act of breathing pumps air into the vocal track and provides a carrier for the voice. The first step for the actor is control of breath. If too much air is released the voice can sound harsh or strident because the speaker compensates for lack of breath support by pushing the voice out which usually results in tensing neck muscles and red face.

Exercise 1 page 4

2. Vibration or phonation is the coming together or oscillating of the vocal cords to produce sound waves. The larynx or voice box sits on top of cartilage (elastic) rings that form the trachea or windpipe, vocal cords are attached at one end to the thyroid cartilage (Adam's apple) and to the other to the arytenoid cartilages, which is moveable and allow the vocal cords to open for breathing and come together for producing sound. The vocal cords length, thickness and size determine the pitch of your voice. Thicker and shorter cords equals lower pitch , longer and thinner equals higher.

Exercise 2 page 5

3. Resonance is the amplification of sound waves in the mouth, throat, sinus and nasal cavities of the head and chest cavity. It is the quality that gives a voice richness; it carries the actor's voice out over the theatre ( projection ). Think of a guitar acting as a resonator for the sound the string make when struck. It is the same for the human voice; in essence the entire body acts as a resonator, the principle ones are the mouth, throat and sinus cavities of the head. The nasal cavity gives that special ring to the voice and the chest cavity adds depth and richness. The variety of resonators differs with each unique individual. Resonance can be felt as well as heard. There must be a balance between head and chest resonance. Vowel sounds are resonators.

Exercise 3 & 4 page 5

4. Articulation is the shaping of sound waves into recognizable sounds. The organs of articulation, the lips, the tongue and the moveable jaw focus the voice forward in the “mask” or frontal bones of the face. This has nothing to do with “affected” speech but whether the actor will be heard and understood. Consonants are articulators.

Exercise 5 page 6

Exercise 2: Finding your pitch

Answer a question in the affirmative with a “hmm .. . hum, uh hum.” When you feel the pitch that gives you the richest sound with the least amount of effort, that will be your optimal pitch.

Exercise 3: Resonance

Hum lightly on mmmmm and add an easy “ahhhh.” Repeat the following sound combinations:

Hum ahhhh hum eeeee hum oh hum oooo

Hung ahhhh hung eeeee hung oh hung ooooo

Start a hum on mmmm, drop the jaw to the vowel ahhhh and clasp palms and shake upper torso, and let the chest resonate on the sound.

Exercise 4: Projection

With a partner about 5 feet away from you but facing you with their right hand slightly cupped and facing you. Count to 5 and try to speak into the other person's hand. Have them step back, try again. Repeat until your partner is about 40 – 50 feet away from you. Now reverse the process, one step at a time. Now try the exercise with the following lines:

Hello there.

Watch out.

The other way.

What are you doing?

Exercise 6: Articulation of Consonants

Whisper them through, three times each. Speak them through slowly and accurately three times. Speak each sentence quickly three times.

1. He made a number of accusations concerning his impecunious but meritorious companion.

2. There is a singular irregularity in using this word attributively.

3. Though contentious and obsequious his innocence was emphasized by his superficiality.

4. Energetic precautionary measures of unusual severity will be operated by general practitioners.

5. The professor of biological medicine's self-satisfaction aroused his audience to incomparable skepticism.

6. The traditional violation of professional conventions is undoubtedly intentional.

Often final consonants in a word are omitted and the meaning becomes unclear.

Whisper or speak these sentences slowly working up in speed without sacrificing clarity.

1. I n a n ac t of magnificen t coura ge the firema n leap t towar ds the burni ng she d.

2. The har d woo d fores t wa s abla ze wi th color s.

3. Ge t settle d an d star t a t the beginning.

4. The crow d wa s agh ast a t the la st fa st ba ll passe d the po st.

Consonant Tongue Twisters

Tip it, pippet; tip it, pippet; tip it, pippet
Dab a gak, dab a gak, dab a gak, dab a gak
Azure zoo, azure zoo, azure zoo, azure zoo
Think this fink, think this fink, think this fink
The vase is shaded, the vase is shaded, the vase is shaded
No ming no mong, no ming no mong, no ming no mong
Yell when wending, yell when wending, yell when wending
Tapocketa pocketa pocketa pocketa pocketa
Libid ibid libid ibid libid ibid
Rilly billy dilly killy, rilly billy dilly killy

Proper Pronunciation

The following words are frequently mispronounced. Learn to say them correctly, notice that it is often the vowel sounds that are mispronounced.

Word Correct Rhyme Incorrect Rhyme

get bet bit

again pen pin

just must mist

any penny skinny

assume fume doom

new mew moo

route boot doubt

your sewer per

roof proof foot

suite sweet boot

what dot rut

sure sewer per

Miscellaneous Tongue Twisters

Rubber baby buggy bumpers
Unique New York
Red leather, yellow leather
Lither lather
Blue bugs bleed black blood.
What a todo to die today

At a minute or two to two,

A thing distinctly hard to say

And harder still to do,

For they'll beat a tattoo at a quarter to two

A rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat at two

And the dragon will come when he hears the drum,

At a minute or two to two today,

At a minute or two to two.

Ben bends Bim's broom

Bim bends Ben's broom.

Bim's bends.

Ben's bends.

Ben's bent broom breaks. Bim's bent broom breaks. (Dr. Seuss)

Basic 10 Minute Warm-up

Kathleen Normington

TA 15: Voice and Diction

Relaxation and Limbering (always stand feet comfortably apart and weight balanced)

Puppet: Drop chin to the chest. Neck muscles softened with each outgoing breath. Let the weight of your head stretch the back of your neck. Let the weight of head carry you down until you hang from the base of the spine.

Head rolls: Drop chin to chest. Let head roll the right ear to the right shoulder and then to the back, the left ear to the left shoulder and back to the center, front. REPEAT.

Shoulders: Make a circle with right shoulder – forward and back and repeat with left shoulder. Lift your right shoulder – let it drop, then your left shoulder – let it drop, lift both and let them drop.

Shake out: start with fingers and move to the center of the body and then down to the legs and upwards to the head. Shake the face out with a sound.

Stretch: Stretch arms up to ceiling. Release right wrist – left wrist – right elbow – left elbow –right upper arm – left upper arm – right shoulder – left shoulder.

Breathing

Stand with weight on both feet. Sit as though there were an invisible stool under your bottom, bring fingertips together, exhale, then inhale and bring arms up in a circle, release you breath slowly on a sh-sh-sh and slowly bring your arms down, allowing the rib cage to remain elevated. REPEAT.

Place hands on ribs, round lips as if sipping from a straw. Sip in one, two, three, four, five. Keep chest relaxed and high with shoulders down.

Sustained breathing: Stand with arms comfortably crossed at should height, let fingertips touch the elbow of the opposite arm. Keep arms shoulder high and relaxed. Breath out an “fffff” while letting your upper body slowly rotate to the right. Rotate back to the center with an “fffff.” REPEAT to the left. Repeat this exercise three times.

Resonance and Vocal Energy

Facial exercises: Make you face into a tiny ball – as tight as possible. Now make a BIG face, stick tongue out, drop jaw.

Lips: Blow through lips – feel sound vibrating. Begin at the top of your range and continue to the bottom.

Tongue: Vibrate tongue and work range.

Inhale and intone MMMM ahhhh, allow jaw to drop. Use different pitches.

Finding your Optimal Pitch

Take an easy breath and then ask yourself a question and answer it “uh hum-m-m.”

Run though some voiced consonants: m-m-m-m, n-n-n-n, ng-ng-ng-ng, b-b-b-b, d-d-d-d, g-g-g-g, v-v-v-v, z-z-z-z, l-l-l-l, g-g-g-g.

Articulation

Me-moo-me-moo-me-moo, we-woo-we-woo-we-woo

Re-roo-re-roo-re-roo, lee-loo-lee-loo-lee-loo

Maw-me-maw-me-maw-me

Pitty-pat-pitty-pat-pitty-pat

Little brittle rattle, little metal petal

Fiddle-faddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddle faddle