This video is part of a series that focuses on the voice. Voice refers to how a person sounds
when they speak: It's not the words that a person uses but how they say them. Many of my clients
want to speak with a confident-sounding voice or speak with more authority. Those are maybe some
positive adjectives to describe a voice. And what about some negative adjectives? Creaky,
rough, speaking with a fry voice. I think we all can agree that confidence and authority are more
desirable than rough and fry. But how do you achieve a confident and authoritative voice?
How can you change your voice to sound that way? I created this voice series to teach my
clients how they make their voice and then how to change them to sound better, more professional,
more exciting. This first video will give you the background on how the voice is made in the
body. It's a bit technical, but it's worth it to learn about the different systems in the body
that control the voice. Once you understand how the voice is made, it will make much more sense
when you start to exercise the voice. You'll know what to do, how to do it, and why you're doing it.
Hi everyone. In this video, you'll learn about the basics of voice production. The voice is
a delicate yet complex system that is capable of producing a wide range of sounds, emotions,
and hidden undertones that add meaning to what we want to say. For the most part, our voices work
automatically. We have a thought about what we want to say and then we say it. And because most
of the inner workings of the voice are internal, we can't see the voice when we use it. That makes
it difficult to fully understand how the voice happens. Today I'll try to explain this process
with an introduction to how we produce our voice and the body systems that are involved in the
process. There are four main body systems involved in producing voice and speech. The first system is
the respiratory system. The respiratory system provides the voice with its power source - the
breath. It includes the lungs, ribcage, diaphragm ,and other muscles that are responsible for
opening up the lungs to allow air to flow in, and then contracting the lungs so that air can flow
out. The second system is the phonatory system. The phonatory system provides the voice with its
sound source -the vocal cords. The vocal cords are located just behind the Adam's apple. The
vocal cords are small pieces of tissue that are shaped in a V configuration. They are attached at
the front and open in the back. The movement of the vocal cords is controlled by muscles within
the inner throat. When we breathe, the vocal cords are open to allow air to flow down into the
lungs out again without any obstruction. When we speak, the vocal cords come together. Air from the
lungs is pushed up through the vocal cords, which causes them to vibrate. This vibration is called
voicing or phonation. The vocal cords are also responsible for changing the pitch of the voice.
When they are stretched out ,similar to a rubber band when it is pulled, the pitch of the voice
is high. When the vocal cords relax and shorten, the pitch of the voice is low. But this sound is
not yet considered to be our unique voice. That happens in the next system. The third system is
the resonatory system. The ressonatory system provides the voice with its distinct quality,
and it is why we all sound different from each other. The resonatory system is made up of the
open spaces within the throat, mouth, and nose so you can think of the resonatory system as an
open space. The sound that is made at the level of the vocal cords is only a buzzing sound ,and
we all sound very similar to each other at this level. However, as that buzzing sound travels
up through the resonatory system, it bounces from one surface to the next. Certain frequencies are
enhanced and other frequencies are dampened ,and the end result is our unique sounding voice. If
you open your mouth and say ah, you will hear an example of your unique voice a pure vowel tone.
The fourth system is the articulatory system. The articulatory system uses the lips, tongue,
teeth, and jaw to shape the voice into speech. For example, if I open my mouth and say ah,
I will hear a pure vowel tone. But when I bring my lips together and quickly pull them apart,
I have now shaped that pure vowel tone into a speech sound - the P sound like in please.
These systems are powered by lots of muscles, cartilages, and bones that work together like
a well-oiled machine to produce intelligible speech and voice. I'm going to demonstrate how
each system works together. I start by taking a deep breath using the respiratory system.
Then as I exhale or push the air out, my vocal cords close together and a sound is produced,
called phonation or voicing. That sound travels through my resonatory system, the open spaces
within my throat mouth and nose. And then you hear my unique-sounding voice saying ah. I'll
use the phonatory system to change the pitch of my voice from low to high to low. Now I'll
use the articulatory system to shape my voice into speech. Hello my name is Julie. How are you doing?
Each system of the voice is equally important to producing a strong voice and clear speech, and
they each require exercise to keep them in shape. In part two of the Basics of Voice Production
Series, you'll learn how to work out each system of the voice with vocal warm-ups. Thanks so much
for watching, and let me know if you'd like more information about the basics of voice production.