Christie Block  Speech-Language Pathologist

Exercises

The following exercises are designed to only be a start: To warm up, to become more aware of how you sound, and to learn simple techniques. Seeing/hearing a model and getting feedback is key! Video and software coming soon! Be sure to STOP if your voice feels tired or your throat hurts (you may be pushing or doing them wrong). See an otolaryngologist if you have voice problems.

Vocal warm-up

  1. Loosen up with a few shoulder shrugs, shoulder rolls, and exaggerated chewing.
  2. Do lip trills (like making a horse sound with your voice on) in a comfortable pitch.
  3. Slide your pitch up a little and then down a little, 6x each: "ee," "oo," "ah," "mm."

Pitch

  1. Step-up technique: Find your target pitch by counting up from your typical masculine pitch, one number at a time. Go up until you feel vocal strain, and then go back down one note so that there is no vocal effort. That note is your target. Most people go up about 4 or 5 notes. 185 Hz (F#3) or 196 Hz (G3) is a typical target.
  2. Count to 20 in a chant and then regular. Use a pitch tool to match your voice to your target pitch. Buy a KORG guitar tuner for ~$20.00 to play the pitch for you. Or go to www.cmagics.com/beta/piano/ to download a virtual piano keyboard to play your pitch. Or better yet, go to www.speech.kth.se/wavesurfer/, click and download "Binary release for Windows." That gets you the Wavesurfer program, which shows you your pitch as you talk. It's clunky but it's free! Better software to come!

Intonation

  1. Read aloud. Stretch and blend your words, so that your voice moves like rolling hills rather than sharp peaks (in other words, legato instead of staccato).
  2. Read aloud. Bring out the meaning. Slide into higher pitches, to be easier on your voice and avoid voice breaks.
  3. Read aloud. Try to end on a higher pitch at the end of every sentence, to avoid a gradual overall drop in pitch as you talk more.

Resonance

  1. Try speaking with a very slightly nasal voice while humming and while saying words that start with "mm"and "nn" such as "moon," "noon," and "money."
  2. Experiment with raising your larynx: Swallow and feel your larynx move up toward your chin. Feel your larynx stay high when you say "gee." Try to keep it in that high position as you say "gah." Move from "gee" to "gah" a number of times. Then try keeping that high laryngeal position when you say the days of the week.

Vocal quality, articulation, and loudness level

  1. Use a breathy vocal quality when alternating "ah" and "ha" many times slowly. Then read aloud, listening carefully as you add in a little extra breath to make your voice softer.
  2. Say "two turtles" many times, placing the tip of your tongue directly behind your teeth when you say "t." Try it again, with your tongue tip slightly farther back. Listen to how the "t" is lighter when the tongue is closer to the teeth. Then say "2x2," "10x10," and "12x12" with the lighter, more anterior "t."
  3. Alternate saying "knees" and "news" many times, keeping your lips in a more smiling position during both words.

Spoken language

  1. Use a more feminine conversational style while talking to a friend: Listen, give eye contact, and contribute by showing understanding, interest, and shared experience when possible.

Laugh and cough

  1. Laugh with a "hee hee," noticing that your lips are in a slight smiling position. Try to keep your mouth in the same position when you laugh with a "ha ha."
  2. Cough with your lips in smiling position. Notice how much smaller/higher it sounds compared to when your mouth is more open.