15 Fascinating facts on Voice

• When a boy’s voice breaks, it is due to the growing and thickening of the larynx.
• A girl’s larynx will also grow and thicken, but her voice will only deepen by a couple of tones.
• Ancient Sanskrit poets believed that chewing on mango buds would make the voice sound sweeter.
• The American singer, Tim Storms, has such a low voice that he can reach notes only an elephant can hear.
• The record for the longest vocal note was set by Richard Fink IV in New York in 2009.  It lasted for one 1 minute 43 seconds.
• Research has shown that women with high-pitched voices are attracted to men with high-pitched voices and low-pitched women like low-pitched men.
• The normal range of the male human voice, in still air outdoors, is about 600 feet.
• The art of speaking is a wonder.  To produce a phrase, about 100 muscles in the chest, neck, jaw, tongue and lips need to collaborate.
• A simple “Hello” can say a lot more than you think.  The voice’s tone shows if the speaker is happy, pleased, bored, hurried, angry, sad, scared, aggressive or dominant.  It can also show the intensity of these feelings – irony, affection, support or having a joke.
• Learning speech requires early interaction with others.  The brain has a period early in life when it acquires speech and if this is missed the individual won’t gain the skill later.
• Women’s vocal cords perform more than 1 million oscillations per day.  Men make around half a million.  I make no comment on who talks most!
• The average conversational voice (around 3 feet apart) produces 60dB.  Quiet speech hovers around 35 – 40dB and shouting raises to 75dB.  Loud radio music is around 80dB.
• Apart from a few birds only humans have voluntary control over the acoustics in speech.  We can imitate vocal patterns and invent new ones.
• Research suggests that singing ability is much like a muscle and is subject to a ‘use it or lose it’ effect.
• Hearing a mother’s voice eases a child’s stress just as much as a hug.

So there you have it.  Your voice is an amazing instrument so learn about it and enjoy using it.  To learn more click here for free downloads.

Speak wisely
                 Speak well
                                Speak Loud & Clear!

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