1. Breath, Voice, and Diction

2. 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.

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.