How to improve the sound of your voice. What types of voice tones are there? Female singing voices

Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it always improves your results! There are many practical ways to improve the quality of your voice. To do this, you need to learn how to breathe correctly, avoid certain foods, and also perform special warm-up exercises before you start singing or giving a speech. You won't achieve success overnight, but with maximum effort and time spent on it, you can undoubtedly improve the quality of your voice.

Steps

Part 1

Learn to breathe correctly. To have a strong voice, you simply must be able to breathe correctly. The key is to breathe deeply.

Use your abdominal muscles. When you breathe correctly, the lower muscles (diaphragm) above your belly should move forward, making room for even more air. When singing (speaking or just exhaling), use these muscles to push out air.

• Use the muscles above your lower back (around your kidneys) in exactly the same way to control your inhalation and exhalation.
• While tensing your abdominal muscles, try not to lean forward.

1. Learn to stand correctly. Monitor the position of your legs, knees, hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms and head:

   Relax. When you get into the correct position, make sure that you are no longer tense. You shouldn't feel any strain from sticking your chest out or keeping your back straight. Remember to relax the muscles of your face and neck.

Part 4

Drink more water. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. This amount may be higher if you exercise or live in a hot climate (meaning you sweat a lot).

Eat healthy. Eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables helps keep the lining of your throat healthy, which means your voice will be healthy.

Relax. Stress affects everything negatively. Take time every day to do something that helps you relax. You can do yoga, meditation, go for a walk, watch your favorite TV series, read a good book or play a musical instrument.

Try not to shout. This is especially important if you have a performance coming up. Screaming can harm your voice and reduce its quality for the next few days.

Be patient. It may take some time to improve the quality of your voice. You won't see significant improvement overnight, but after you warm up and learn how to breathe and maintain proper posture, you will immediately feel something change in you.

• There is nothing wrong with taking things one step at a time. First, learn to breathe deeply and stand correctly. Once you've mastered this, work on your mouth position and do some warm-up exercises.

1. Ask for help. If your voice quality has recently deteriorated, such as your voice becoming raspier, deeper, or more strained, this may indicate a health problem. Just in case, consult a doctor to rule out the possibility of illness.

Part 5

Find a qualified teacher. A good teacher will be able to advise you on how to improve your voice. Find a classically trained teacher, as this type of teacher will be familiar with a variety of styles.

Listen to professional singers and announcers. Watch how they manage their breathing, volume, articulation, modulation, vocal habits and sonority. If you like their style, try imitating it.

• Imitating a style is a great way to learn to sing because it forces you to do things you wouldn't normally do.

1. Watch professional singers and announcers. Pay attention to how they breathe and hold notes with their breath. Look at their posture and body language. Watch how they use their lips to articulate the sounds and words they sing.

   Don't ignore professionals you don't like. Think about why you don't like this or that singer or announcer. What do they do that's different from others? Are they doing something wrong, or is it just not your style?

Here are some pro tips to help improve the sound of your voice, no matter how you sing:

Each person's voice is unique in its sound and characteristics. If we talk about the characteristics of singing voices, then the distinctive features are: timbre, range, pitch and individuality.

How to determine your voice type? The classification of male and female voices according to vocal characteristics that exists today was invented in the Italian opera school. It’s easy to find out what type of voice a performer has while listening. Experts pay attention to its timbre, tonality, features and tessitura, and then draw a conclusion.

Timbre

The timbre of a voice is its individual color and brightness. The voice may sound rich or soft, the color may be dark or light. Teachers distinguish between the following types of voice timbre: sharp and soft, chest, head, mixed.

A vocalist who has a soft and pleasant timbre to the ear will be more in demand than one who has a harsh and off-putting style of singing. In fact, the timbre of the voice determines whether a person can practice vocals.

Each of us has a unique timbre, so we can easily identify the sounding voice of one of our favorite singers thanks to its individual characteristics.

About tonality

It is worth considering that the voice may sound different in each piece, so it is better to sing in your working range. This, in turn, is what we call the range of notes to which the vocalist is able to give beautiful coloring and high-quality sound. This is not about the full range of notes that a person can hit with their voice. So, based on the working range, it is worth choosing the key for a certain piece.

What is range?

The range of each type of voice is determined during chanting, as well as during the performance of a song in a key that is convenient for the person. In most cases, singing voices have a specific range that makes it easy to determine their type. Particularly valued are performers who have a wide working range and can therefore replace one of their colleagues with a different voice.

About tessitura

Tessitura is the part of the range in which the singer is comfortable singing. That is, it can be comfortable or uncomfortable for a certain voice. It happens that a song may be comfortable for one performer, but not for another, although both have the same range. This means that the part of their range for comfortable singing is different. Therefore, the wider it is, the more convenient it is to sing.

Moreover, the performer must learn the correct singing technique. The wrong one distorts the voice. To make it sound beautiful and convincing, you need to pay attention to the following technical features:

• You should breathe with your diaphragm, that is, your stomach should rise when you inhale and fall when you exhale. This will provide greater control over
• Maintain proper posture while singing. It is better to keep your neck straight and relaxed. If you stand straight, it will be easier to breathe.
• The back of the throat should be open while singing, and sing the vowels clearly.

Anyone can submit their own singing technique. If we talk about vocal technique, development will depend on the concentration of memory and attention, lung capacity and characteristics of the vocal cords. In fact, no matter what physiological characteristics and vocal abilities a person has, it is possible to develop a singing voice.

For voice development

• Don't set too high standards for yourself in anticipation of progress, be patient and continue to train your voice.
• Sing simple songs first, and then take on more difficult ones.
• Cold and hot drinks damage the vocal cords. It is better to drink water at room temperature, and when singing, moisten your throat with warm water from time to time.
• Get into what you are performing, try to feel and convey the emotions of this song.
• It is important to determine which musical style is more native to you; to do this, practice singing different styles of music.
• It is good for your ears to play notes on the piano and sing them.
• Avoid drinking orange juice and milk drinks as they coat your throat and make singing difficult.
• Speak in your normal intonation, since both whispering and shouting can damage the vocal cords.

Characteristics of female voice types

First, let's look at the types of female voices. Most women who practice vocals are sopranos. By the way, it is this one that has the largest number of varieties. It is distinguished by its sonorous and transparent character, as well as expressiveness; the sound is open and light.

There are dramatic, lyric and coloratura sopranos.

The mezzo-soprano is known for its rich sound and deep timbre. The sound of such a voice is lower than that of a soprano. This voice can also be dramatic or lyrical.

Main types of male voices

If we talk about baritone, then this is a heavier type of voice than tenor. It has a bright and strong sound at the top end of the range. Baritones can be lyrical or dramatic.

Some misconceptions about the classification of voices by type

Some researchers express the opinion that there are supposedly no types of voices at all, and they distinguish only female and male ones. They believe that the sound of a voice depends only on the specific features of techniques and productions; in other words, any woman can be a contralto, a mezzo-soprano, or a soprano.

However, the vocal performance of many performers confirms the absurdity of these statements. Only in very rare cases can a person have special vocal abilities that allow him to sing with different types of voices. In most cases, the performer cannot overcome differences in tessitura, such as thirds. Moreover, a tessitura that is too high or low by just one tone can harm the voice.

Let us also mention other misconceptions regarding voice types. There is an opinion that pop performers do not need to determine their voice type, and that they are classified only for academic singing. But this opinion differs from reality, since human voice types are divided by nature into three female and three male.

In addition, some people confuse timbre and voice type, although these are completely different terms. Voice type refers to pitch features, and timbre varieties do not play a special role in such a delicate matter as determining voice type. Individual timbre indicators are important for choosing your singing style, and for noting the artistic characteristics of the voice. So, voice types are its pitch indicators, determined using a scale scale.

About voice features

The human voice cannot be replaced by any of the musical instruments known to us, nor by the voice of any other creatures, therefore the human soul reacts very subtly to live singing, receiving impulses for the heart and mind.

In the past, there was an opinion that phoniatrics was capable of determining the type of voice of the performer by examining the size and shape of the Adam's apple. It was believed that a tenor would have a less noticeable Adam's apple, while a bass would have a more prominent one. But after numerous examinations and scientific studies, it became clear that the structure of the Adam's apple and larynx does not in any way affect the type of voice. When it comes to ligaments, their structure can play a role, but you need to evaluate thickness, strength, size and elasticity.

So, there is a specific set of external signs and personal feelings that help determine the type of voice while singing. A person's vocal cords are very sensitive, they can be damaged quite easily, which will damage the voice or it may completely disappear.

Since teachers also sometimes make mistakes, it is better not to strain your voice too much during listening, for example, by singing a song in a not very comfortable tessitura. If you think someone's voice is brighter and more expressive than yours, do not forget that each of us has a unique voice, so sing only in your own manner.

Interestingly, when law enforcement agencies search for criminals, their voice characteristics give them away. To search for offenders, intelligence agencies use specially developed speech identification methods. Thanks to the individual sound, which is called overtones, it is not difficult for us to recognize the voice of a particular person we know.

In essence, this is an indicator of the mental and emotional state of each individual, an expression of our inner strengths. It is thanks to the voice that you can hear fear of the public, depression, delight, hysteria, feel gratitude or hatred.

All singing voices are divided into women's, men's and children's. The main female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto, and the most common male voices are tenor, baritone and bass.

All sounds that can be sung or played on a musical instrument are high, medium and low. When musicians talk about the pitch of sounds, they use the term "register", implying whole groups of high, middle or low sounds.

In a global sense, female voices sing sounds of a high or “upper” register, children’s voices sing sounds of a middle register, and male voices sing sounds of a low or “lower” register. But this is only partly true; in fact, everything is much more interesting. Within each group of voices, and even within the range of each individual voice, there is also a division into high, middle and low register.

For example, a high male voice is a tenor, a middle voice is a baritone, and a low voice is a bass. Or, another example, singers have the highest voice - soprano, the middle voice of vocalists is mezzo-soprano, and the low voice is contralto. To finally understand the division of male and female, and at the same time, children’s voices into high and low, this tablet will help you:

If we talk about the registers of any one voice, then each of them has both low and high sounds. For example, a tenor sings both low chest sounds and high falsetto sounds, which are inaccessible to basses or baritones.

Female singing voices

So, the main types of female singing voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. They differ primarily in range, as well as timbre coloring. Timbre properties include, for example, transparency, lightness or, conversely, saturation, and strength of voice.

Soprano– the highest female singing voice, its usual range is two octaves (entirely the first and second octave). In opera performances, the roles of the main characters are often performed by singers with such a voice. If we talk about artistic images, then a high-pitched voice best characterizes a young girl or some fantastic character (for example, a fairy).

Sopranos, according to the nature of their sound, are divided into lyrical and dramatic– you yourself can easily imagine that the parts of a very tender girl and a very passionate girl cannot be performed by the same performer. If a voice easily copes with fast passages and flourishes in its high register, then such a soprano is called coloratura.

Contralto– it has already been said that this is the lowest of women’s voices, moreover, very beautiful, velvety, and also very rare (in some opera houses there is not a single contralto). A singer with such a voice in operas is often assigned the roles of teenage boys.

Below is a table that names examples of opera roles that are often performed by certain female singing voices:

Let's listen to how women's singing voices sound. Here are three video examples for you:

Soprano. Aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera “The Magic Flute” by Mozart performed by Bela Rudenko

Mezzo-soprano. Habanera from the opera Carmen by Bizet performed by the famous singer Elena Obraztsova

Contralto. Ratmir's aria from the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka, performed by Elizaveta Antonova.

Male singing voices

There are only three main male voices - tenor, bass and baritone. Tenor Of these, the highest, its pitch range is the notes of the small and first octaves. By analogy with the soprano timbre, performers with this timbre are divided into dramatic tenors and lyric tenors. In addition, sometimes they mention such a variety of singers as "characteristic" tenor. “Character” is given to it by some phonic effect - for example, silveriness or rattling. A characteristic tenor is simply irreplaceable where it is necessary to create the image of a gray-haired old man or some cunning rascal.

Baritone– this voice is distinguished by its softness, density and velvety sound. The range of sounds that a baritone can sing is from A major octave to A first octave. Performers with such a timbre are often entrusted with courageous roles of characters in operas of a heroic or patriotic nature, but the softness of the voice allows them to reveal loving and lyrical images.

Bass– the voice is the lowest, can sing sounds from F of the large octave to F of the first. The basses are different: some are rolling, “droning”, “bell-like”, others are hard and very “graphic”. Accordingly, the parts of the characters for the basses are varied: these are heroic, “fatherly”, and ascetic, and even comic images.

You are probably interested to know which of the male singing voices is the lowest? This bass profundo, sometimes singers with such a voice are also called octavists, since they “take” low notes from the counter-octave. By the way, we have not yet mentioned the highest male voice - this tenor altino or countertenor, who sings quite calmly in an almost feminine voice and easily reaches the high notes of the second octave.

As in the previous case, male singing voices with examples of their operatic roles are displayed in the table:

Now listen to the sound of male singing voices. Here are three more video examples for you.

Tenor. Song of the Indian guest from the opera “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by David Poslukhin.

Baritone. Gliere's romance “The nightingale soul sang sweetly,” sung by Leonid Smetannikov

Bass. Prince Igor's aria from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" was originally written for baritone, but in this case it is sung by one of the best basses of the 20th century - Alexander Pirogov.

The working range of a professionally trained vocalist's voice is usually two octaves on average, although sometimes singers and singers have much greater capabilities. In order for you to have a good understanding of tessitura when choosing notes for practice, I suggest you get acquainted with the picture, which clearly demonstrates the permissible ranges for each of the voices:

Before concluding, I want to please you with one more tablet, with which you can get acquainted with vocalists who have one or another voice timbre. This is necessary so that you can independently find and listen to even more audio examples of the sound of male and female singing voices:

That's all! We talked about what types of voices singers have, we figured out the basics of their classification, the size of their ranges, the expressive capabilities of timbres, and also listened to examples of the sound of the voices of famous vocalists. If you liked the material, share it on your contact page or on your Twitter feed. There are special buttons under the article for this. Good luck!

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• Voice training: is it possible to change your voice and make your speech more euphonious?
• How to attract the audience's attention with your voice during a public speech
• How does a person's voice change in stressful situations?
• Why did the General Director of the Everything for the Garden company decide to work on his voice and what results did he achieve?

In this material we will tell you how to improve your voice and train him. Most people believe that voice characteristics are something given by nature once and for all. However, it is not. Personal development expert Nikolaus B. Enkelman, who has been studying the psychology of successful people for 35 years, states: “He who changes his voice changes his bank account.”

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If you are already a subscriber to the General Director magazine, read the article

When communicating with an interlocutor or speaking in front of an audience, we use three means of transmitting information: words (of which the listener receives 7% of all information), gestures (55%) and intonation (38%). During a telephone conversation, there are only two means of transmitting information - intonation (86%) and words (14%). This is why voice training is designed to help achieve commercial results.

• Should the CEO become a public figure?

What kind of voice do people find pleasant?

Tone. Most people find a high voice unpleasant, but a low voice, on the contrary, is pleasant. It is known that Margaret Thatcher practiced lowering her voice to make her speech more harsh. In the human subconscious, high-pitched sounds are associated with feelings of anxiety.

The pitch of the tone depends on the frequency of vibration of the larynx. Tall people have a large larynx, and therefore a low, subconsciously attractive voice. A deep male voice is associated with strength, leadership, self-confidence and the ability to persuade others. That is why, even without seeing the owner of a low voice, we imagine him tall and handsome. Scientists characterize a pleasant female voice as neither loud nor quiet, not sharp, not too low, calm, and devoid of irritating notes.

Audibility. In voice training, trainees are often asked to convey the same information to different people in an assembly hall, in a church, at a noisy party, and in a small meeting room. The conclusion that trainers are pushing for is that the audibility of the voice does not depend on volume and a correctly delivered voice is equally well heard in all corners of the room. The speaker's task is to ensure that the voice of normal volume spreads evenly. In everyday conversation, we fill only the tops of our lungs with air; to get a pleasant chest voice that easily spreads over a long distance, you need to breathe deeply.

Intonation. This is another important detail. Depending on the meaning of the phrase, the speaker's voice should rise and fall. The speech of a person who does not master intonation is monotonous and therefore tiresome for others. To prevent your voice from sounding too monotonous, it should cover at least an octave.

How to improve your voice: voice training

First of all, get to know your voice. To do this, rhetoric experts advise recording it on a voice recorder. You will probably be surprised by what you hear. If after a ten-minute conversation your throat gets tired or your voice sounds too young for a person holding a high position, then it’s time to work on yourself. Here are some tips to improve your voice:

1. Develop proper breathing. Physiological scientists from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia found out during experiments that the vocal spectrum depends on the volume of air that a person can exhale and on the patency of the trachea and bronchi. To develop breathing, perform the following exercises: smoothly inhale through the nose and exhale freely, pronouncing vowel sounds as you inhale, counting to ten or fifteen while inhaling, pronouncing a phrase or tongue twister on one exhalation. Singing, going to the gym and... inflating balloons can also help improve your voice and strengthen your respiratory system.

2. Increase mobility of the lower jaw, lips and tongue muscles. For the lower jaw, for example, the following exercise is useful: lowering your jaw, open your mouth, stretching your lips into a vertical oval (do not move your tongue), and after two or three seconds close it. Repeat five to six times.

To train your lips, squeeze them and pull them forward, then slowly turn your lips to the right, left, up, down; finally, make a circular motion with your lips, first in one direction and then in the other direction.

Here are some exercises for the tongue. Open your mouth slightly and use the tip of your tongue to write the letters of the alphabet in the air, returning your tongue to its original position after each letter. Or another: with your mouth slightly open and your tongue sticking out slightly, straighten it, squeeze it, or cup it. Repeat five to six times.

3. Learn to pronounce sounds and words clearly. This can be achieved through the correct articulation of each sound. For example, you will develop clear and expressive speech if you read a text loudly without consonant sounds for 5–10 minutes every day. For example, the phrase “learn to speak correctly” will sound like “uee ooi aio.” At the same time, remember: to achieve clear diction, you need to open your mouth wide enough so as not to mutter sounds through your teeth.

As a result of these exercises, the voice becomes lower and more euphonious, its range expands, and pronunciation becomes clearer. Once you learn to speak “professionally,” use that voice in your everyday life. There should not be two voices - for informal conversation and open public speaking.

Voice training: features of public speaking

During a performance, the leg muscles play an important role. You need to lean on your full foot - then the posture necessary for proper breathing and clear functioning of the heart is created. Straighten up to your full height and tilt your head back slightly - it will be easier for you to control your vocal apparatus. The voice should not be hampered by constricted breathing, an elongated neck, a tense lower jaw, or other bodily overloads. Take in more air into your lungs to control your voice.

If you are nervous before a performance, you can walk around a little. Walking is calming and also supports the functioning of the heart and vocal apparatus. You can often see professional lecturers vigorously rubbing their hands before speaking. Such “charging” helps to warm up and relax the muscles of the shoulders and neck, which has a positive effect on the voice.

Also remember that the volume of sounds you make depends on the volume of air in your lungs. If you speak in front of an audience using a microphone, do not speak loudly - otherwise the quality of sound transmission will deteriorate. It is worth noting that the lower the voice, the less it is distorted by amplification devices.

To attract attention, as well as to express sincere sympathy, it is worth speaking a little more quietly, and words that are emphasized can be pronounced half a decibel higher.

But expression in public speaking is inappropriate. In informal conversation, we often emotionally express our attitude towards the subject of conversation. It is advisable to avoid this in an official report.

• How to speak so that people remember you and your company

How to improve your voice before an important phone call

In a telephone conversation, special attention should be paid to confidential, friendly intonation, clarity and sufficient volume of speech. You should not talk loudly - otherwise you may get the impression that you are excited. However, if your voice sounds too quiet, the interlocutor will have to ask again or listen, and this will turn him against you. You need to speak at a normal pace (no more than 120 words per minute): fast speech is tiring, too slow is annoying. Psychologists advise smiling at an invisible interlocutor: a positive attitude is heard in intonation, and when talking on the phone it is more powerful than in a personal meeting. Use phrases that convey an emotional mood: “Very glad,” “Surprising,” “I doubt it.” The best thing your interlocutor can hear from you is: “I think so too.”

How our voice changes depending on the situation

During a public speech, as well as during a private conversation, remember that when you are nervous or stressed, the volume and pitch of your voice automatically increases, so you can involuntarily start shouting. If the speaker is angry, the voice becomes harsh. In moments of uncertainty, a person’s speech rate accelerates. A tired voice becomes hoarse, and the timbre of a sad voice becomes lower than usual. Those who want to discuss a business issue while lounging on a sofa or in an easy chair should remember that the interlocutor will definitely hear it - after all, when you lie down or recline, the angle of the diaphragm changes, and, accordingly, the timbre of your voice. In addition, a voice can make a person older or, conversely, younger. For example, at one of the trainings, those gathered were tasked with determining the age of the speaker by their voice. The same person pronounced the same phrase with different intonations. A raised tone, anger and fear made the speaker look older, while joy and goodwill allowed him to lose ten years.

Also remember: even a singer should not strain his vocal cords for more than four hours a day. Otherwise, after some time, non-closure of the ligaments may occur, leading to loss of voice.

General Director speaks

Andre Bilder, General Director of the company "Everything for the Garden", Oberhausen (Germany)

I have always believed that the voice is given to us by nature and it is almost impossible to influence its timbre and sound. However, the experience of my colleagues convinced me otherwise. There were other reasons to focus on my voice: in search of new customers, I had to participate in international meetings, and there I had to convince potential clients of the reliability of my company during my speech.

The main goal I set for myself was to make my voice lower. A high-pitched voice is not very pleasant to the interlocutor. During the training we solved various problems; here is one of them. We had to get fellow students to agree to the deal in different circumstances: in a full room, over the phone, and in the presence of colleagues. The most difficult thing was not to start shouting at the entire audience, because most people believe that the louder we speak, the better we convey the content. In fact, extra decibels only turn off listeners. Of course, the voice should not be monotonous, but you should not go beyond certain limits.

To change my voice, I worked on my breathing. In addition, to develop the tongue, lips and facial muscles, I did various exercises at home: I made funny faces in front of the mirror, reaching with the tip of my tongue either my nose or my chin, and then I squeezed my mouth into a tube and stretched my lips in an endless smile. Now I hear that my voice sounds not only more friendly and confident, but also weighty and authoritative (I recorded it on a voice recorder before and after the training). I also monitor the clarity of pronunciation of sounds and the choice of the right words. I have changed some of my habits - now, for example, when talking on the phone, I don’t fall back in my chair, even if there is no one in the office. Interestingly, with a new voice I felt better not only at work, but also at home. The children accept my requests and instructions unquestioningly, and my wife argues less.