Chapter 3

Voice development

(Gura & Lee, 2010)

Relaxation Technique

• Bodies & Voices cannot operate effectively if they are stressed, edgy, or stiff.

• exercise

Breathing

Volume & Projection

• Volume- the degree of loudness & intensity• Projection- directs the voice to a specific targetExercise• Inhale deeply, and with an abrupt action of the ab

dominal muscles explode the voice upon be, ba, baw, bah, bo, boo. Avoid using much force at first.

• • The following should be combined with the same vowel sounds, first in loud whisper, then in loud voice, ex hausting the breath on each sound: P, t, d, v, k, bl, br, ch, dr, dw, fl, fr, gl, gr, hi, kr, pi, pr, si, sm, sn, sp, sq, sk, sh, st, sw, tr, th, tw, wh.

Pitch & Quality

• Pitch- high, medium, low=Melody– Inflection

• Quality- Clarity of pitch

Rate & pause• Rate- speed with which sounds are used

• Pauses- purposeful breaks between words or phrases

• Exercise• The 180 Word Statement by Pennsylvania Bell Company• "Most experts agree that the real rate of speech is between one hundred and eighty to two

hundred words per minute. At this rate, people who are listening to you will be able to hear and understand what you are saying. In the United States, there are different patterns of speech that are product of geographic areas. In the northeastern part of the country, people tend to speak faster than others while people from the southern states speak slower than the ideal rate. However, people in the mid-western states will tend to speak the one hundred and eighty word rate. To test yourself, note your start time and finish time. Use the second hand of the clock to do this. If you read this statement in less than one minute, you are speaking too fast and should make an effort to slow down. But, if you read this statement in more than one minute, you are speaking too slowly and should try to speak faster when talking on the phone."

• The 180 Word Statement by Pennsylvania Bell Company• "Most experts agree that the real rate of speech is

between one hundred and eighty to two hundred words per minute. At this rate, people who are listening to you will be able to hear and understand what you are saying. In the United States, there are different patterns of speech that are product of geographic areas. In the northeastern part of the country, people tend to speak faster than others while people from the southern states speak slower than the ideal rate. However, people in the mid-western states will tend to speak the one hundred and eighty word rate. To test yourself, note your start time and finish time. Use the second hand of the clock to do this. If you read this statement in less than one minute, you are speaking too fast and should make an effort to slow down. But, if you read this statement in more than one minute, you are speaking too slowly and should try to speak faster when talking on the phone."

•

Intelligibility of Speech

• Pronunciation- The correctness of sound• Articulation- the shaping of sounds• Dialect/Accent- the melody, use and way

sounds are formed

Dialects for Oral Interpretation• O ! my, she eesa look so sweet I no care how much fruit she eat.

Me? I am cool an' mak' pretand I want no more dan be her f rand ; But een my heart, you bat my life, I theenk of her for be my wife. Today I theenk: *'Now I weell see How moocha she is mash weeth me,*' An' so I speak of dees an' dat, How moocha playnta mon' I gat. How mooch I makin' evra day An' w'at I spand an' put away. An' den I ask, so queeck, so sly: '*You theenk som' pretta girl weell try For lovin' me a lettla beet?" — O! My! she eesa blush so sweet! — **An' eef I ask her lika dees For geevin' me a leetla keess, You s'pose she geeve me van or two?" She tal me : ' * Twenty-t 'ree for you ! * ' An' den she laugh so sweet, an' say: **Skeeddoo! Skeeddoo!" an' run away. She like so mooch for keessa me She gona geeve me twanty-t 'ree ! I s!pose dat w'at she say — '* skeeddoo" — Ees alia same **I lova you." Ha! w'at you theenk? Now, mebbe so You weell no calla me so slow! T. A. Daly.

Remember …

• Use a relaxation exercise prior to rehearsal or performance

• Practice breathing and controlling breathe during rehearsals

• Practice vocal control during rehearsals• Practice articulation, pronunciation, and vocal

variety during rehearsals