The Voice Book: Caring For, Protecting, and Improving Your Voice

249 Pages·2009·1.61 MB·English

by  Kate DeVore, Starr Cookman

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Caring For,
Protecting,
and
Improving
Your Voice

Kate DeVore and
Starr Cookman
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DeVore, Kate.
The voice book : caring for, protecting, and improving your voice / Kate
DeVore and Starr Cookman. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55652-829-3
1. Voice—Care and hygiene. 2. Voice culture. 3. Voice—Physiological
aspects. 4. Speech—Physiological aspects. I. Cookman, Starr. II. Title.

QP306.D48 2009
612.7'8—dc22
2009006436

Cover design: TG Design
Interior design: Jonathan Hahn
Photographs: Starr Cookman
Illustrations: Linda Tenukas

© 2009 by Kate DeVore and Starr Cookman
All rights reserved
First edition
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-55652-829-3
Printed in the United States of America

5 4 3 2 1

To our many teachers, who take the shape of
professors, clients, family, and friends.

Contents

Acknowledgments ............................................. xiii

Introduction ................................................... xvii

1 Getting Started ................................................... 1

Using the Audio CD............................................. 4

One Last Note ................................................... 5

2 Opening the Channel: Alignment ................................ 7

Free Your Neck and the Rest Will Follow ..................... 8

Alignment as Habit ............................................10

Exercises to Explore Alignment ................................11

Rest Position ................................................11

Wall Exercise ...............................................14

Shoulder Blade Squeeze ....................................15

Stretching the Head and Neck.............................16

Frequently Asked Questions about Alignment .............17

3 Summoning the Power: Breath .................................19

Building a Case for Low Breathing ...........................21

Exercises to Explore Breathing .................................23

Increasing Awareness ......................................23

Fff Exercise .................................................23

Lower Rib Side Breathing .................................24

Back Expansion Breathing ................................25

Breathing with Speech .....................................26

Candle Blowing ............................................27

Pant from the Abdomen ...................................27

Sniff and Blow ..............................................28

Exhale Your Voice ..........................................28

Pulse Sounds ................................................28

Deep Breathing .............................................29

Frequently Asked Questions about Breathing ..............29

4 Bringing Sound to Life: The Vocal Cords ......................35

Your Larynx and You...........................................36

True or False Vocal Folds? .....................................41

The Ceiling of the Larynx .....................................42

Exercises to Explore the Vocal Cords ...........................43

Finding Your Larynx .......................................43

Feeling Vocal Fold Vibration ..............................44

Controlling Vocal Fold Closure ............................44

Understanding the Ups and Downs of Your Larynx ....44

Frequently Asked Questions about Vocal Cords ............45

5 Tweaking the Filter Settings: Vocal Resonance ...............47

The Vocal Tract .................................................48

Vocal Tract Tour ................................................50

Ground Floor ..............................................50

Going Up ...................................................51

Next Stop, the Tongue ....................................51

Rounding the Bend: The Nasality Muscle ..............52

Last Stop: The Lips ........................................53

How Not to Have a Resonant Voice ..........................54

Using the Vocal Tract to Change Vocal Loudness ..........55

Vocal Placement: What Is It and Why Is It

Important? ...................................................56

Finding Your Resonant, Strong Voice ........................56

14 Steps to Build Your Resonant Voice ........................57

1. Anchoring ................................................57

2. Arcing.....................................................58

3. Increasing Forward Vibrations .........................59

4. Finding Forward Vowels ................................60

5. Feeling N .................................................61

6. Forward Focus: One Syllable I ..........................61

7. Forward Focus: One Syllable II .........................62

8. Forward Focus: Two Syllables ..........................62

9. Forward Focus: Three and Four Syllables .............63

10. Forward Focus: Phrases .................................64

11. Forward Focus: Paragraph ..............................65

12. Forward Focus: Conversation I .........................65

13. Forward Focus: Conversation II ........................66

14. Forward Focus: Conversation III .......................67

Troubleshooting Tips ..........................................67

Tongue Tension ............................................67

Jaw Tension .................................................68

Breath .......................................................68

Pitch .........................................................68

Intention ...................................................68

Frequently Asked Questions about Resonance .............69

6 Creating Music and Flow: Easy Onset, Linking,

and Emphasis .................................................73

Easy Onset and Linking .......................................73

Exercises to Explore Easy Onset and Linking .................75

Onset Options ..............................................75

Practicing Both Techniques ................................76

Emphasis ........................................................77

Intonation Techniques ..........................................80

Pitch .........................................................80

Loudness ....................................................80

Rate .........................................................81

Enunciation .................................................81

Pauses .......................................................81

Frequently Asked Questions about Easy Onset,

Linking, and Emphasis ......................................82

7 Speech Training: The Lips, the Teeth, the Tip of

the Tongue .....................................................85

Under Pressure .................................................86

On the Tip of Your Tongue ....................................87

The More the Merrier .........................................87

Consonant Sounds ..............................................88

Plosives ......................................................88

Tongue-Tip–Gum-Ridge Sounds .........................88

Consonant Clusters ........................................89

You’ve Got the Moves ..........................................90

Mouth Calisthenics .............................................90

Open Wide ..................................................91

Tongue Base Stretch ........................................92

Strengthening the Tongue Tip .............................92

Working the Back of the Tongue ..........................92

Energizing the Lips .........................................92

Engaging the Speech Muscles ..............................92

Lip Range of Motion .......................................93

“Speak the Speech, I Pray You” ...............................93

Frequently Asked Questions about Articulation ...........94

8 Voice as a Metaphor ............................................97

Figurative and Literal Voice ...................................97

Voice as Energy ............................................... 100

Exploring Your Voice from the Inside Out .................. 101

Journal Topics ............................................ 101

9 Preparing the Playing Field: Warm-Up and Cool-Down ... 103

The Warm-Up ................................................ 104

Warm-Up Exercises, Part I: Musculature ................... 105

Neck Stretches ............................................ 105

Jaw Massage .............................................. 106

Tongue Exercises.......................................... 108

Alignment ................................................. 109

Warm-Up Exercises, Part II: Breathing ..................... 110

Low Expansion Inhale ................................... 110

Fff Exercise ................................................ 110

Adding Speech to Breath ................................. 111

Warm-Up Exercises, Part III: Warming Up the

Vocal Folds .................................................. 111

Hum and Chew .......................................... 111

Puppy Dog Whimper .................................... 112

Sirens ...................................................... 112

Lip Trills .................................................. 112

Decrease Tongue Tension ................................ 113

1-to-20 Counting ......................................... 113

Humming into Resonators .............................. 114

Warm-Up Exercises, Part IV: Forward Focus and

Articulation ................................................. 114

Forward Focus Progression .............................. 114

Tongue Twisters .......................................... 116

The Cool-Down .............................................. 116

Cool-Down Exercises ......................................... 117

Frequently Asked Questions about Warm-Up and

Cool-Down ................................................. 117

10 Safeguarding the Valuables: Preventing Vocal Injury ...... 121

How Vocal Folds Get Damaged ............................. 122

The Wetter the Better ........................................ 124

Vocal Cord Enemies .......................................... 127

Smoke and Other Drying Agents ...................... 127

Reflux ..................................................... 128

Postnasal Drip ........................................... 130

Environmental Irritants ................................ 131

Beauty Rest .................................................... 131

Don’t Slam the Cords! ....................................... 132

Amp It Up ................................................ 133

Use It So You Don’t Lose It .................................. 134

Danger Signs .................................................. 135

Managing Laryngitis ......................................... 137

Seeking Help .................................................. 138

Frequently Asked Questions about Preventing

Vocal Injury ................................................ 139

11 Vocal Success: What to Do in Specific Situations and

Environments ............................................... 143

Speaking to Groups .......................................... 143

Small (1 to 10) ........................................... 144

Medium (10 to 40) ...................................... 147

Large (40+) ............................................... 148

Adjusting for Room Acoustics .............................. 149

Room Size ................................................ 150

People and Objects in the Room ...................... 150

Echo, Echo, Echo ........................................ 151

Making the Most of Your Microphone .................... 152

Managing Stage Fright ....................................... 153

Pacing for Marathon Talking Days ......................... 154

Using the Telephone ......................................... 155

Using Voice Recognition Software ......................... 157

Speaking, Cheering, and Shouting Outdoors ............. 158

Speaking Over Background Noise: Classrooms,

Cars, and Bars ............................................. 159

Enhancing Your Vocal Image ............................... 160

Confidence ............................................... 161

Charisma ................................................. 163

Power ..................................................... 164

Approachability .......................................... 165

Trustworthiness .......................................... 166

12 Behind the Scenes: Additional Technical Information ...... 167

Breathing Basics .............................................. 168

Breathing and Alignment ............................... 170

More Interesting Facts about Vocal Cord Vibration ..... 171

The Larynx and Alignment ............................ 174

Crash Course on Vocal Acoustics ........................... 176

Overtones ................................................ 176

Resonant Frequency ..................................... 176

Selective Amplification and Reinforcement .......... 177

Formants ................................................. 177

Acoustics and Alignment ............................... 178

Working with Students Who Have Medical

Complications ............................................. 179

Asthma.................................................... 179

Paradoxical Vocal Fold Movement .................... 181

Acid Reflux ............................................... 182

Anxiety ................................................... 183

Working with Hoarse Students ............................. 185

Instrumentation for Voice Analysis ........................188

Laryngeal Videostroboscopy ........................... 189

Acoustic Analysis ........................................ 191

Aerodynamic Analysis .................................. 192

The Voice Evaluation ........................................ 193

Appendix: Organizations and Web Sites ....................... 195
Glossary ............................................................ 199
References .......................................................... 211
Index ................................................................ 217

Acknowledgments

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those teachers from
whom we have had the privilege to learn. While much voice train-
ing has historically been passed from teacher to student orally,
there are those who have shared their wisdom in written form.
Arthur Lessac, Kristin Linklater, Patsy Rodenburg, and Cicely
Berry in particular have written outstanding books on voice
from a theater training perspective, and we acknowledge and
appreciate their value and influence. In the field of voice reha-
bilitation, we would like to acknowledge experts Kittie Verdolini,
Daniel Boone, Arnold Aronson, Ray Colton, and Janina Casper.
As the exact origins of most voice exercises are impossible to
ascertain, we are grateful to the collective consciousness that has
informed our work. And to our patients and clients—you are the
driving force behind our current quest for knowledge in the field
of voice. We are simultaneously humbled and inspired by your
courage, and it is an honor and privilege to earn your trust and
to assist you in a time of great vulnerability.
We thank our agent Rita Rosenkranz and editors Sue Betz
and Devon Freeny for seeing the value in this subject matter and
shepherding us through the process of publication. We also offer
our thanks to our team of editors, Kylee Fenton, Kalia Kellogg,
Kittie Verdolini, Bonnie Raphael, Rocco DalVera, Heidi Adams,

xiii

Patricia Kilgarriff, and Cynthia Wolcott, and to Hazel Liebert
for completing our initial transcription. Kalia Kellogg, you have
graced our book with your beautiful face; thank you so much for
sharing your time and talent. Our gratitude to Linda Tenukas for
her illustrations, Kristine Teets for checking references, and Tim
Brown for help with photography equipment.
Kate says: I offer deep thanks to my mentors Kate Ufema,
Kittie Verdolini, Bonnie Raphael, Ingo Titze, Julie Barkmeier, and
Joy Gardner. Thanks, too, to the gang from Boston (Pam Harvey,
Maria D’Antoni, Marvin Fried, Ann, Sue, Rainbow, Ronnie, and
Curious George). I also thank the family of friends whose support
has been so valuable over the years: Rick Fiori, Ashley Sovereign,
Heidi Adams, Liz Baqir, Helen Mathison, Tiffany Johnson, Amy
Wink, Miriam van Mersbergen. And especially Jay “Total” White,
my rock, playmate, and comfort. My deep gratitude goes to my
first teachers, my parents, Patricia Kilgarriff and Duane T. DeVore,
for their intelligence, wisdom, humor, creativity, integrity, curi-
osity, and unconditional love and support. Dad and Linda, I still
miss you. And finally a heartfelt thank-you to Starr Cookman for
always modeling and radiating compassion, for taking the won-
derful photographs in this book, for your freakishly generous
spirit, and for taking one for the team by doing all the format-
ting! It is a delight to be both little and big sis to you, and I marvel
at the synergy created by our collaboration.
Starr says: Without my brilliant voice mentors, I would still be
aimlessly seeking answers. So much gratitude to Kittie Verdolini,
Ingo Titze, Michael Karnell, Linda Carroll, and Jenny Hoit. For
inspiration in the art of voice, many thanks to Onalee Grimes,
my first voice teacher, and to my singing and musical guides,
Kathy DeJardin, Richard Franz, and Angela Cofer. To my fam-
ily, Darrell, Rowan, and Ella. Without your patience, love, and
help, this book would not have happened. A shout out to Denis

xiv
Acknowledgments