In this video, I am going to talk about vocal fry or a creaky door sound and how you can
use it to actually improve your strained voice. Yes, that is correct. I am going to
show you how to use this sound to release tension from your voice. Keep on watching.
Hi! I am Katarina, speech language pathologist and here on this channel, I share practical tips
about using your voice in a healthy way. So, if this is a topic that interests you,
consider subscribing to this channel and hitting that bell notification icon so
that you don’t miss any of my future videos. In recent years, we’ve heard a lot of criticism
about using vocal fry in your speaking voice. And it may be true that when you use vocal fry
in communication with other people they may consider you lazy or untrained.
And some people go as far as saying that it’s not safe to use vocal fry.
However, latest research tells us that vocal fry type of voicing is not harmful for healthy voices
at all, but what is even more interesting is that vocal fry is also very useful for
people with vocal issues. Members of our voice coaching program have been using vocal fry for
many purposes very successfully, for example to release tension from their strained voice,
for building a stronger voice without tension or for finding a better vocal fold closure. Vocal fry
is a wonderful tool for improving vocal function. There are some research studies that are looking
at vocal fry as a therapeutic technique. The biggest benefit so far seems to be its ability to
separate the vocal fold closure from other muscle action when speaking. When your voice is strained,
it means that too many muscles are being used for vocal tasks, muscles that don’t need to work.
Vocal fry can teach you how to separate the action of the muscles responsible for vocal fold closure
from other laryngeal muscles. Isn’t that neat? So, what is vocal fry?
Vocal fry is a type of voicing that is very different. There are a lot of good
things happening when we produce vocal fry. The vocal folds are coming together in a
gentle manner so that there is no squeezing or pushing the vocal folds together. For people
with some breathiness in their voices, vocal fry can optimize the glottal closure pattern.
Because the closure is gentle, it reduces the need for compression or tension of the laryngeal
muscles. Therefore, this sound is wonderful for people who usually push their voice or use
too much vocal effort when speaking or singing. Another benefit of vocal fry is that it uses very
little breath pressures under the vocal folds. If the pressures are minimal, there is no stress
put on the vocal folds. Vocal fry is basically the most relaxing sound you can make. But I am
not suggesting that now you should start talking using a lot of vocal fry. No. That is absolutely
not what I am saying. What I am suggesting here is that you can use vocal fry as a tool
to release tension from your voice or re-build a healthier way of speaking without tension.
If you are experiencing vocal strain, tension or even pain when speaking, and you are ready
to work towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our Vocal Freedom
System coaching program. Check out the links in the description below this video.
It is important to know that there is a good way to produce vocal fry and a not so healthy way to
produce vocal fry. Actually, it may be challenging to produce a really relaxed vocal fry for people
who hold a lot of tension in their voices. In our coaching group, many members who just
join the program have difficulties making this relaxing sound. But with time, they learn how to
relax the muscles and produce vocal fry. It almost becomes a measure of how tight their muscles are.
So, here are three steps to make your vocal fry sound as relaxing as possible.
Step #1: Use very little air Vocal fry is possible only when you use
very little or no breath pressure under the vocal folds. To achieve that, you can blow out
most of the air from your lungs to decrease the pressures. Only then, start the vocal fry sound.
Do not push air through the vocal folds. If you do, you will invite more tension, which is exactly
the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. Step #2 Start at the bottom of the range
It’s much easier to find your healthy vocal fry at the bottom of your range.
It is possible to produce vocal fry higher in your range but it is not as relaxing.
If you want you can use a descending scale to find the bottom of your range like this (demonstrate).
Step #3 Use vocal fry without a tone To keep the vocal fry relaxing,
do not add tone to the sound. For our purposes, try to just make a gentle
popping sound. To me, it sounds like air bubbles coming through the vocal folds.
Try it and let me know in the comments below how it feels for you. How would you describe that
feeling of letting only a very small amount of air through the vocal folds? Bubbles,
pops? Anything else? I want to hear from you.
Once you know how to safely produce a vocal fry sound that is relaxing and beneficial
for your voice, you can use it daily to release tension from your strained voice.
For example, at the end of the day, you can do vocal fry for a few minutes as part of your
de-compressing vocal routine. Or you can even say some words and sentences with a healthy vocal fry.
This can actually be a fun exercise. Just be careful around small kids,
they may not like you speaking this way. Vocal fry has many benefits when used in this way.
It improves the way how the vocal folds come together,
it improves ease of sound production, it decreases compensatory pushing or straining muscle activity
in strained or tired voices, it helps to shape the vocal tract into a more optimal position. And
once you develop these good habits with vocal fry, you can then transfer them to
other modes of phonation or sound production. If your voice feels strained, I made a video,
in which I walk you through 7 steps that lead to a strong voice without tension. If you want
to know what voice, body and mind considerations you need to take to truly free your voice, click
the link in the description below this video. If you found this video fun, click the like button
and share it with your friends. Check out my other videos right here below. I will see you soon. Bye.