I posted an article last week about the book I'm reading: Is Your Voice Telling On You? by Daniel Boone. Boone's thoughts are interesting. He claims that your natural voice may not be the voice that you are used to hearing yourself speak every day. He encourages you to find your natural voice by doing vocal exercises and breathing properly along with a number of other things (you'll have to read to find out Janell.. lol =P ). Here is a voice self-analysis test from his book. The test contains 20 statements. Check the ones that are true to you, according to your view of you voice.
1. You frequently find that you are short of breath as you speak.
2. You don't like to listen to yourself on a tape recording.
3. You voice gets tired as you use it.
4. Strangers on the telephone think you are younger or older than you are.
5. When your voice is tired, it sounds distant and weak to you.
6. Your voice is different in the morning than it is at night.
7. After you talk a lot, your throat hurts.
8. People have difficulty hearing you in a some situations.
9. Your voice doesn't sound as good as it used to sound.
10. Your voice sounds as if it is in your nose.
11. Your voice sounds as if you are nervous.
12. You may lose your voice when you are nervous or tired.
13. When you speak, you don't have the voice you want.
14. You would like to change the pitch of your voice.
15. You feel that your voice isn't "really you."
16. You frequently clear your throat.
17. When you have an allergy or a cold, you sometimes lose your voice.
18. Your throat feels excessively dry and scratchy after prolonged speaking.
19. People frequently misunderstand what you say.
20. Strangers on the phone think you are of the opposite sex.
Double check to make sure you really feel the ones you check are true. Count up the true answers. Boone states that most of us will have "a concern or two (a few true answers) about our voice."
Rate if you should be concerned by the number of true answers:
0-2 = no concern
3-4 =mild concern
5-8 = moderate concern
9 or more = severe concern
Boone states, "The higher your degree of concern, the more probable it is that you are using a voice that is different from your natural voice. If you are concerned about your voice, do something about it." What can you do? Drinking a lot of water is a given and avoiding foods that give you heart burn. More tips are coming....
On a lighter note: Noah is developing quite a set of lungs that accompany his opinionated personality. He thinks he's a preacher like his daddy. Here he is with his daddy last Sunday night after church.
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8 comments:
Wow...I flunked that one! But I honestly have never had anyone mistake me for the opposite sex!
I must say though that my doctor has diagnosed my problem. I have just not completed the steps to fix it - acid reflux. That's why my voice is tired, it hurts, sounds different in the morning, etc...well, that and I attend a Pentecostal Church. By age 40 my voice will be gone and I'll be requesting hearing aids. Healthy stuff. Ah well...at least I have a beautiful young wife! :) ha!
I have moderate concern! Haha! I hate to hear myself on a recording! Teach me how to talk right Von de Leigh!!!!!!!!
Well, I am occasionally out of breath when speaking and people think I am one of my kids on the phone, but guess that doesn't leave any concern. I might would say I don't like to hear my voice recorded, but that would hurt CD sales. lOL j/k
James - acid reflux is dangerous to your voice and if left untreated can cause serious health complications. You might should consider some diet changes. Get to steppin' and correct this problem. Even if everybody else tires of hearing you, your wife will still want to hear your sweet nothings. At nearly 50 years old, I think I can qualify as an elder to you, so listen up, boy. LOL
I sure did fail this test. Oh well, life goes on. :D
James, listen to Sis Allard and take care of that acid reflux. I had it and it nearly killed me. I had major repairs done to my esophagus due to acid reflux 2 years ago. Best surgery I ever had. If not taken care of it will lead to cancer of the esophagus. So change your diet and take any proper meds and get it under control. Take it from someone who knows.
Thanks both of you for the advice. I've been counseling with the doctors for a couple years about this. I haven't gone back in six months because they upgraded me to a third prescription that was over $200/month! The doctor only wanted me on it for 1-2 months, but the timing was awful as I was just getting married.
You've all made me think more serious about this. I appreciate it.
With acid reflux, I am often forced to sing harder, thus my range is decreased and I'm constantly pushing when leading worship. Mondays I can hardly speak. By Tuesday I'm pretty much back to normal (after gallons of water and rest).
James - you said, "By Tuesday I'm pretty much back to normal." This is actually bad. "Pretty much" is not enough. If you continue, that little bit that does not clear up will become a big bit. There are alternatives to prescription meds. You might first want to consider your diet and timing of meals. Some of the prescription meds have terrible side effects. Try a bland/low-fat diet until you get the acid reflux cleared up. Even if you feel better, you may not be internally healed. It takes time. One of the terrible things about Pentecostals is late night eating. This usually further complicates acid reflux.
James, I was just with a cousin this past week who used to sing all the time. She had an incredible soprano range and used to sing with the Rock Church choir when she lived there. She since got married and she and her husband pastor out of state. I spoke with her and noticed immediately that she had a hoarse voice. I asked her about it and she told me that she never sings anymore. Acid reflux has caused this. She has changed her diet for the most part, but the damage is done. She says sometimes she'll sing at the altar call if she has too, but afterwards she'll just cry because it just isn't there anymore. I concur with Sis.Allard and Jolene, don't wait until its too late. Change your diet pronto.
Kristy, The other night you came up to me talking really funny sounding. Have you been practicing? hahaha
Sis.Allard, thanks for running with this post. There's probably not many more capable than you are to talk about voice care and use. About your vocal sound, you have a Disney princess sound. =) Its beautiful.
Jolene, thanks for sharing your info and personal experience. I didn't know it could lead to cancer. I'm glad it made a positive difference getting the surgery. I hope not many people let it go that far though... that doesn't sound fun at all... OR cheap for that matter.
Von de Leigh - Thanks for your sweet compliment. From my experience, people can sing properly but abuse their voice with other behavior. Most of these people don't realize that damage can be permanent. Jolene is from our church and the surgery helped her, but it was a very rough surgery that required a lengthy rehabilitation. I have been fortunate to maintain a healthy voice. I can probably count on one hand the times I have lost/hurt my voice in 46 years of singing. I started singing at two years old and have never stopped. With God's help, I want to sing when I'm real old. LOL
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