Professional singers work long years, even decades, developing their voices. The voice, “the instrument,” is taken out in the morning, examined, painstakingly tuned note by note like a harp, and then exercised carefully, stretching its flexibility and dynamic range. It is refined to obtain maximal resonance and power with the least amount of effort.
But there is another voice. This one is almost never exercised or tuned. It is used for hours on end, and without a second thought for projection, support, dynamic range and efficiency. This is your speaking voice, the stepchild of the larynx; and even the most dedicated Wagnerian will use the larynx to speak more than to sing.
The art of speaking is complex, and part of the actor’s, rather than the singer’s, repertoire. Singers must also learn, to some degree, to speak effectively, since performances (Singspiele, such as in The Magic Flute) often include speaking parts. But that stage speech is usually left on the stage, and even there, it is better done by straight actors (witness any recording of Der Freischutz or Oberon, where speaking bits are doubled by legitimate actors)
This leads to the obvious question: Since singers have the training to maximize resonance and projection and to minimize trauma to the larynx, why is this training usually not carried over to the speaking voice?
The main reason might be how we look at the speaking voice vs. the singing voice. The singing voice is a thing—“the instrument,” “the voice”— something that is psychologically outside the performer. The speaking voice, by contrast, is the person himself. It is an auditory representation of who you are. It immediately reflects or emotions, our intentions, without the filter of thought and control that is in place with the singing voice.
I have over the years treated many patients who are trained singers but speak poorly, and sustain laryngeal trauma not from singing but from non-musical vocal abuse. The reasons for this are many.
First comes personality. Loquacious, extroverted people talk incessantly. The late Dr. Eugen Grabscheid often, and only half in jest, would attribute voice strain to “telephonitis.” If someone has difficulty being heard or socially recognized, they may speak more loudly. The typical child with vocal fold nodules is the middle child, who is neither respected, nor spoiled. That “middle child personality” often persists into adulthood.
The speaking voice is also used to gain social status. A low-pitched voice projects authority, whereas a high-pitched “Betty Boop” chirp will make little impact, even if what is said is profound. Women in business therefore will often try to artificially lower the pitch of their voice, and to modulate it within narrower extremes of frequency, emulating the male executive voice
Singers often try to wish-fulfill with their speaking voice. Bass-baritones may push the speaking voice unnaturally low, whereas tenors may speak in a high chest voice, as if to signal their Fach to the listener. The vocal folds of such speakers are often slightly red, reflecting the unnatural effort that goes into their normal conversational voice.
The speaking environment is also important. By virtue of the Lombard effect, we automatically speak about 35 decibels above the ambient noise floor. This is instinctive, and takes place without awareness. So if your day-job is in a library, you may be speaking at 35 dB, whereas if you work as a waiter at Carmine’s restaurant in New York (ambient noise level 80+ dB), you’re putting it out there at 115+ dB, for eight hours a day. Furthermore, even if you are not speaking, in a noisy environment the larynx will develop prolonged and heightened muscle constriction, instinctively prepared to speak (prephonatory posturing). Again, no matter how much you sing every day, you will invariably spend more time speaking.
The solution? Listen to your speaking voice with singer’s ears. I’m not saying you should speak in Sprechstimme, but men should pitch the speaking voice at comfortable mid-chest range. Let it sit where it is comfortable, and not where it has to work hard. The speaking voice does not have to reflect your singing voice—remember that most countertenors are baritones. The head voice is even less strenuous to the vocal muscles, and women should consider speaking in head voice to minimize vocal trauma. This voice quality may feel alien initially, but many prominent female singers have adopted head voice for their speaking voice, as it spares the larynx.
If you take a day job, try to find one that is not too noisy, and one that does not involve speaking loudly. If you are by nature given to loud emotional outbursts, try to filter and calculate these for maximal impact. Remember, both your speaking voice and your singing voice emanate from the same vocal folds, your instrument.
Disclaimer: The suggestions given by Dr. Jahn in these columns are for general information only, and are not to be construed as specific medical advice or advocating specific treatment, which should be obtained only following a visit and consultation with your own physician.
