FOR CRYING OUT LOUD: VOCAL INTENSITY ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES

Have you ever imagined how mighty powerful you may feel to hear your voice overshadow the voices of those around you? How assertive and authoritative you will be thought of then? So, in addition to achieving all that, vocal intensity enhancement techniques are also essential for protecting your voice!

One of the most often-repeated vocal hygiene tip is: avoid shouting. But, raising your voice correctly, far from harming your voice, can even strengthen your voice-producing muscles. This is, of course, if you raise your voice in a very specific way, and that you enjoy a perfect vocal health.

A loud voice does not have to express strong emotions, such as anger, fear or pain. Sometimes, raising your voice is necessary to win over or excite your audience, to add passion to your lectures, fully express your opinion, and so on. For example, according to psychology, many children, and adults too, are afraid to raise their voice because of emotional repression. If one dreams about shouting, it probably indicates a repressed emotional storm.

Addressing an audience with a loud, confident voice, may be an enjoyable and confidence-boosting therapy.

So is it possible to sing, speak or shout loudly, without getting hoarse? And if it is, how can one do that?

What a vocal pedagogue treating a hoarse lecturer should teach him, mostly, how to speak loudly, practically shouting, correctly, without harming their voice (if the patient has ailments, the main purpose of treatment should be relaxation).

Some languages are rich in guttural sounds. In addition, a vocal performer is sometimes required, or wishes, to give a temperamental, intense performance. Due to all that, one might intensely pressure one’s larynx.

Therefore, those required to speak or sing loudly, such as singers not using microphones or accompanied by a rock band, or opera singers, must follow certain rules in order to gradually enhance their vocal intensity:

1. Carefully maintain a high energy level: have a sufficient night sleep, and if necessary, have an afternoon rest. If you cannot rest, try to find a quiet spot for performing release exercises, closing your eyes and clearing your mind for a few minutes, just to “recharge your batteries”. Have a nutritious diet and drink a sufficient amount of water. You must also maintain your fitness to bear the great physical effort a loud voice involves.
2. A most important way of maintaining your voice during an intense vocal effort is performing a proper diaphragm support at the right moment. It doesn’t mean just pushing your abdomen. Rather, the moment you need a support to achieve high vocal intensity, draw your stomach in a little, to avoid undesirable air outflow. At the same time, expand your rib cage. Better consult a vocal pedagogue or a vocal therapist before performing these exercises. The higher the vocal intensity you wish to achieve, the greater the support it requires.
3. Practice nasalized voice production, by closing your nostrils with a clothespin, or your hand, (or just imagine it closed) during voice production. This should stress your upper resonance, and help you achieve higher vocal intensity. In this exercise, we recommend using a specialized nose-clip provided in all of our kits.

• Attach the clip to the front of your nose, so it closes your nostrils, and then speak, sing or perform vocal exercises, for 10 minutes. Repeat this exercise twice a day.
• Adjust the clip so your voice gets “shrilly”, clear and piercing, somewhat ugly.

When the clip is on, you can speak very loudly, without pressuring your larynx, since the pressure is directed to the area above your mouth.

. Many lecturers, who, wisely enough, directed their vocal effort to that area, can shout or speak loudly without getting hoarse. Even if this voice may not sound as pleasant as lower, softer voices, its intensity has its benefits.

4. Shout or sing loudly, at the higher tones of your range only. The combination of high tones and nasalized sound produces loud, and slightly grating, or more metallic sounds.
5. Practice an extremely loud speaking with a TMRG clip on your mouth, to stress your front resonance. In this exercise, make sure your lower jaw is not dropped, and not drawn forward. By using a mouth clip, you will slightly stiffen your oral, jaw and some facial muscles, which could help you, generate a higher vocal intensity. This exercise strengthens the upper jaw muscle, increases the resonance, since by drawing your lips forward, you increase your oral cavity surface, and therefore, its resonance. In addition, lips muscles are ring muscles, and all ring muscles affect each other. Therefore, this exercise also strengthens your windpipe ring muscles, which directly improves your vocal quality.
6. Project words: when singing or speaking loudly, launch your words forward, imagining they reach farther than usual, without additional airflow. This way, your voice will sound less “fluffy”.
7. When shouting, smile.

In conclusion:

When speaking with moderate intensity, it is recommended to fully use your relatively low tones. But, when shouting, you should use high, nasalized tone, bursting out forcefully.

When you raise your voice to make sure you are heard loud and clear, you use it differently. It is better to speak using as highest reasonably sounding tone as possible, since when using high tones, either shouting or speaking loudly, significantly amplifies vocal intensity. In addition, it contracts the voice-box part located above the vocal cords, which also enhances intensity. To achieve this contraction, use nasalized, sharp and grating, a duck-call like sound.

Additional tips for singers:

• High-intensity high tones sound better with nasalization and “e” sound.
• When singing high tones at high intensity, it is recommended to open your mouth wider and use diaphragm support.
• In addition, try imitating a baby’s crying, a duck’s call or a cat’s mewing.

Talya

TMRG-voice specialist