Voice: volume and range
Lesson 4 of 16 in the course “Speak with Confidence”. Free, with animations and a quiz.
How your voice is made
Your larynx has two vocal folds. Air from the out-breath makes them close and open many times a second. In adult men it’s typically about 85–155 times a second, in women about 165–255. That rate sets the pitch of your voice. Loudness depends on how strongly the air flows, not on how hard you squeeze your throat.
Loud doesn’t mean shouting
When people need to speak up, many tense their neck and push sound from the throat. The voice turns harsh and gives out by evening. Proper volume comes from support: the belly drives the out-breath, the mouth opens wider and the sound goes forward, to the back row. Imagine calling a friend across the street, not yelling at someone.
Resonance: a voice without strain
Sound from the vocal folds is amplified by your mouth, nose and throat, the way a guitar body amplifies a string. Point the sound forward, “into the mask”, toward your lips and nose, and your voice carries further without extra volume. The test is simple: hum “mmm” with your mouth closed. If your lips and nose tickle slightly, the sound is in place. Then move into words and keep that feeling.
Melody: not one note
A voice on one note puts people to sleep even when the content is interesting. Lively speech moves: the voice rises on the key word and falls at the end of a statement. Range is trained with the “siren”: glide on “oo” smoothly from low to high and back. The trainer measures it in semitones. 12 semitones make one octave, like from one C to the next on a piano.
Look after your voice
Vocal folds need moisture: drink water through the day, not just before you go on. Don’t shout over noise in a bar or at a concert: move closer or use a mic. Before a long conversation or talk, warm up: humming, the siren, a couple of tongue twisters. And if hoarseness lasts more than four weeks, don’t put up with it: see an ENT doctor.
Check yourself
- In a room with no mic, Mira needs the back row to hear her. What’s best?
Correct answer: Belly support, a wider mouth, sound forward to the back row. Volume comes from airflow, not a squeezed throat. With support and an open mouth the voice carries further and doesn’t give out. - Mira hums “mmm” and feels a tickle in her lips and nose. What does that mean?
Correct answer: The sound is forward, “in the mask”, and her voice will carry with no strain. A light buzz in lips and nose means the resonators are working. Sound like that amplifies itself without pushing. - Friends tell Mira her voice sounds “like a sat-nav robot”. Which exercise is for her?
Correct answer: The siren, and lifting the key word with the voice. A “robot” is a voice on one note. The siren widens the range, and rising on the key word brings the melody to life.