Voice

Breathe!!! Air must move for sound to be created. Use of diaphragm muscle. Exhale and count to twenty while sustaining an even exhalation. Repeat while uttering an “s” sound to check for stops.

Relaxation Take care of your vocal instrument. Hum at a low pitch. Pant. Hah. Blah. Raspberries.

Warming Up Take care of your vocal instrument! La La La La Loaves Ira ira ira very Fuh Da Da Da Dah Me / Mo

Pitch Relative highness or lowness of a voice. Range – The span between the highest and lowest notes on the music scale that one can reach without straining. Count from one to ten in one continuous breath while raising the pitch with each number. Repeat with a descending pitch. Try to get from your highest to lowest pitch with each attempt.

Resonance The vibrant tone produced when sound waves strike the chambers of the throat, head, nose, and mouth. Hum again, then raise the pitch and intensity. You should notice the change in your resonance chambers.

Volume The relative force or intensity with which sound is made.

Projection Making a voice audible to each member of the audience. Say “Good Morning” to someone: 5 feet away, across a crowded room, across a busy street, sitting next to you in church.

Rate The speed at which lines are spoken.

Inflection Variance of pitch with a word, phrase, or line. Monotone – absence of pitch variation. (mono = one; tone = pitch)

Quality The individual sound of a particular voice. Say “Yes, I See the sunset!” as if your were: An earthquake survivor, a frightened child, a old person comforting a child, a nefarious villain, a Shakespearean actor, an inspiring minister.

Diction The selection and pronunciation of words and their combination in speech. Diphthong – vowel sound pairs Mumbling, breath dumps, ums, you knows.

Diction Notes – Making Meanings Clear! Vowels are the sounds actors can interpret. Verbs are the strongest words. Stress all but forms of “be”. Look for colorful, descriptive words. (onomatopoeia) Rarely stress negatives, pronouns, and articles. When repetition occurs, increase stress with each repetition.

Diction Notes – Making Meanings Clear! “chu” not equal to “t” “w” not equal to “wh”

Tongue Twisters To make the bitter batter better, Betty bought better butter, beating the better butter into the batter to make the bitter batter better. Could creeping cat keep crafty claws clear of kitchen curtains? Many mortals miss mighty moments more from meager minds than major mistakes Some people say I lisp when I say, soup, soft soap, or something similar, but I don’t perceive it myself. Fickle fortune framed a fine finale for a fancy finish. Which is the witch that wished the wicked wishes?