Breath, Voice, and Diction

How is the Voice Created? Diaphragm contracts down to allow lungs to fill with air Air travels up through trachea and over vocal folds Vocal folds vibrate to create sound Raw sound “bounces around” in the resonators to create a richer, fuller sound The sound goes through the articulators to be turned into clear speech.

How the Voice Works Continued Resonators: Chest Throat Mouth Nasal cavities Head Articulators Lips Teeth Tongue Jaw Hard and soft palate

Relaxation Degree of relaxation determines carrying power of vowel sounds Proper vowel sounds are key to powerful voice Vowel sounds made with open, relaxed throat, and flexible lips You must relax physically & mentally to avoid having a tense/tight throat – this will cause hoarseness when you try to project

Performance Posture Feet shoulder-width apart Knees slightly bent Hips tucked under the spine Spine is long Shoulders relaxed, down, and back Chin is parallel to the floor

Developing an Effective Voice An effective voice depends primarily on bodily relaxation, proper breathing, and good posture There is a close relationship between the voice, the emotions, and the body Remember how voice is produced: air travels over vocal folds, which vibrate to create sound – travel through resonators & articulators to make clear speech. For correct speech and voice production, you must have an open, relaxed throat, a flexible tongue & lips, and a relaxed lower jaw. You must also practice deep central breathing.

Breath Control Breath control determines the carrying power and loudness of your voice Enables you to perform over long periods of time with less strain/damage to voice Breathing for speech requires a brief inhalation period and a slow, controlled exhalation period Inhale through the mouth – allows for faster intake of breath Control the exhalation so that the outgoing breath will match your needs for sustained vocal tone

Quality Quality: the individual sound of your particular voice Resonance: the vibrant tone produced when sound waves strike the chambers of the throat, head, nose, mouth Best practice for resonance: humming with an open, relaxed throat Voice quality may also be affected by emotion Can quiver with fear, harden with hanger, etc. With age, the vocal apparatus usually becomes less flexible, and has been impacted by life experiences – keep this in mind when portraying older characters

Pitch Pitch: the highness or lowness of the voice at any given time Women’s voices are pitched higher than men’s, and children’s voices are higher still Pitch is determined by the rapidity with which the vocal folds vibrate A good speaker can use two octaves or more when speaking The pitch of the voice gives meaning to speech Inflection: variety in pitch – makes the voice musical and interesting Monotone: speaking continuously on one level – a flaw in speaking Without variety, you will not hold the attention of your audience Try to notice how other people use pitch when speaking

Volume Volume: the relative strength, force, or intensity with which sound is made You can utter a stage whisper with great intensity, or you can call across a room with little intensity Volume depends on the pressure with which the air front the lungs strikes the vocal folds Tension should still be minimal; throat should be relaxed Two types of force: Explosive & Expulsive Sudden, sharp breath = explosive force – used in commands, shouts, loud laughter, screams When pressure is steady and breath is released gradually, the force is expulsive – necessary for reading long passages

Volume Volume is closely related to the expression of ideas & emotions Can suggest various feelings Using greater force to emphasize important words in a sentence or thought – clarifies a thought

Pause & Rate Rate: the speed at which words are spoken Steadily increasing rate indicates tension and excitement, slow rate indicates heavier significance All sentences in speaking and reading aloud are divided into groups of words separated by pausing of varying lengths One of greatest mistakes a beginner can make is breathing in the middle of a thought Logical and dramatic pauses demand thought and feeling on your part, or you will not have your audience thinking/feeling with you Work out your thought groups carefully

Voice & Diction in Acting Conscientious actors should be guided by these 5 principles: Vowels are the sounds actors can work with in interpretation. Vowels can be lengthened, shortened, and inflected. Verbs are the strongest words in the language. Except for forms of be, verbs should be stressed. Look for “color words” – words that are vividly descriptive. Look especially for onomatopoeia. Rarely stress negatives, pronouns, and articles. When a word or phrase is repeated, stress each repetition more than the preceding repetition.