@Laryngopedia I completely agree with the first commenter. It's like listening to a speech therapist and physiotherapist all rolled into one. Definitely subscribed, and may be bingeing on your content today. Thank you from 🇬🇧 UK
I don't have a, my doctor. I have musical chairs doctors. Never see the same doctor second time. It's very frustrating and Ive stop going there even I'm sick I just wait to get better itself.
@@zartic4life If someone has weak vocal cords it could be they were forced to be silent and never allowed to speak up. Doesn't sound like an easy life at all.
I'm a introvert and don't really like to talk much. My voice is extremely weak, in fact when i was with my friends in a loud bar, i had no voice when we left and my throat was hurting in the morning. I just had my first session of theese exercises and i can feel my throat muscles calling me names for doind that. I hope i am consistent enought and come back here one month from now and tell the results.
Doctor I had a problem of loosing my voice by the evening. I saw your this video and tried your technique for a month. It worked. My voice is better and I am able to speak loudly whole day without get hoarsely voice or loosing voice. I continue to follow your technique to maintain strong voice. May God bless you. Thank you very much.
9:45 I was lying face down with my mouth on the pillow wondering, "How am I going to do this? I live in a dense city. Half my neighbourhood is going to hear me!" Then he tells me how! This video must be the god's blessing. He is so clear and his advices are sound! Just 👌🏿
@@Joeqwerty "Words of advice are sound" since the subject "words" is plural. It's a common mistake that I sometimes make too, because advice is the last subject and is singular so it seems natural to use "is" instead of "are", but you have to remember the subject is the first noun e.g. "words" or "pieces" so you have to use "are".
I'm a "still singing around the house " 65yoa and, used to sing like Sandi Patty in my younger days. Now singing again in a choir, I miss my voice and being older, I recognize the need to exercise my "girls', and breathing technique. So much to re-learn again! Just doing this with this doctor while he's teaching, I see an improvement, my goodness! Doing this daily will get me to almost back to those high C's and power ramps. Thank you and GBU!
Vanessa, I'm impressed by you! You can regain your entire voice, including your former vocal range and even more. Muscles know no age, and that includes your vocal cords. Retrain your voice, use your voice for God's glory, and He will empower you BIG TIME!!!
Just completed Two Weeks TOTAL VOICE REST my ENT recommendation. I am a teacher and a singer. And recently diagnosed with VOCAL CORD NODULE BILATERAL. Thank God there are expert like you Doc🙏
i had got same i am a teacher too.. tried a lot of medication n voice rest but had to undergo surgery for vocal nodule removal …its been 5 days post surgery m still healing
Glad to find this video. My father in law (81 years old) has been experiencing weak voice since 4 years ago, not long after he got covid. Then I remember that it's all about muscles, so I searched youtube for speaking exercise. I will guide him to do the 3 exercises. Thank you so much ❤
I've been told all my life that I speak too quietly, to speak up or louder, and I never really wondered why I simply couldn't "project" myself. Now I have a potential cause, but I will make sure this is the case and see a specialist. Thank you, Dr. Bastian!
When I was in the choir, we would do all the three exercises over time, the sirene, singing over a long distance, and sometimes trying a little anger in the voice to make it sound less hollow.
I work from home, I usually don't go out much and spend a lot of time alone, and when I go out, I usually notice how people can't hear me unless I put a lot of effort into it. I kind of just accepted it as a part of me but that had an impact on my self steem. I am glad I found this video because it opened the door to the chance of change, I will do the exercises. Thank you so much for putting this out there!
Same here! WFH is life haha, but I feel like my voice and social skills/confidence have suffered a bit… time to get back out into the real world more and be loud with it! Haha. Hope all goes well for you!
@@zer0hasnochallengeWell, I stopped doing them shortly after that point because it was just too much noise and I live in a neighboorhood with small houses; HOWEVER, I started doing them again three weeks ago after I bought a vocal dampener and I am starting to feel my voice being stronger. I would totally recommend doing them! It's still noisy though, just not as much. Edit for an additional note: While it has worked, something I will say it's that you have to actually find the right way to do the "voices" for each frequency. For example, when I do the command voice, i know i did it right when I feel some kind of "resonance" in the chest (and suddenly it sounds so much louder as a result). Something similar happens with the ambulance, when I do it right I feel a sort of a "sore" sensation in the nose. So experiment and find the right way to do the exercises!
For about 23 years now, I've had a fascination of the human voice. I love our vocal cords, and I'm all about taking care of them. It's an amazing instrument. You taught me so much in this video.
Thank you ever so much! I'm 70 years old and living alone and I am also one of 'the quiet ones'! And: I am very eager to immediately start practicing!! Once again, a sincere: thank you!
I don’t even have a weak voice. This video was just really well made and I decided to enjoy it. Thank you and may everyone’s voice here become stronger and more confident each day. 🙏
As a professional singer, I use the siren as an emergency warm up when there's almost no time to warm up properly. But when I do the siren I also loosely close the lips and add a brrrrrrrr to the siren. This vastly increases the effectiveness of the warm up as it is effectively switching the power on and off many times per second. It gets my voice ready to sing and helps smooth over the break between middle and head voice. I highly recommend it. Most singers know about this warm up. It's always good to warm up the voice before singing, so perhaps it's an idea to start with the siren, then go on to the deep voice, and finally the yell. I don't agree about gripping the steering wheel. I think it is better to be relaxed, but you might correct me on this since your exercises are designed to be demanding. But for singing it's a bad habit to build tension into the use of the voice. You should be pushing air from the belly not the upper chest and relaxation (keep those shoulders down!) is important for that. I work as an actor now and use my voice very loudly in places. My natural voice is very quiet and quite high, but I use a booming voice in my acting, so I'm definitely going to try these exercises. I also have a slight problem with the cordite smoke on stage during my loudest scene, it feels as if I might lose my voice when I scream in the smoke, and if you have any advice, that would be helpful. Here for fun you can hear me doing 4 different James Bond voices th-cam.com/users/shortsX7fj_XIXoW0?si=T3c4P7dcHpDGNf_i
Good ideas here. Thank you. Keep in mind this video is designed to also work for the voice-unaware person - the person with little “rapport” with his or her own voice who might have no access to a voice teacher or speech pathologist. For lots of non-performers, this approach might be enough. Performers will want to work on support, resonance, vowel shaping, etc.
@@Laryngopediathank you sir for your video! I have a question if you permit: are you planning to make a video on the work of larynx and support of opera singers? I am an opera singer myself and this topic interests all singers - from beginners till advanced performers.
Thank you for your question. Two additional areas of interest on laryngopedia or youtube: One is my video about swelling tests, designed to help singers avoid injury to the vocal cord surface (e.g. nodules). Here's the link: laryngopedia.com/swelling-checks-to-detect-vocal-cord-injury/ Be sure to watch the video on that page. The second is for people struggling with upper voice due to lowered muscular ceiling. Especially mid-to-late career women. Here's that link, and again, be sure to watch the video. laryngopedia.com/ceiling-effect/
Have an appointment two weeks out with a speech pathologist after seeing a great voice doctor. My left vocal chord is weak. This video gave me a way to use self-help to start work on my voice prior to my speech pathologist appointment. Can't thank this doctor enough for posting this video.
As a professional singer, I use the siren as an emergency warm up when there's almost no time to warm up properly. But when I do the siren I also loosely close the lips and add a brrrrrrrr to the siren. This vastly increases the effectiveness of the warm up as it is effectively switching the power on and off many times per second. It gets my voice ready to sing and helps smooth over the break between middle and head voice. I highly recommend it. Most singers know about this warm up. It's always good to warm up the voice before singing, so perhaps it's an idea to start with the siren, then go on to the deep voice, and finally the yell.
Now this is a doctor that looks and sounds like he does have a lot of passion for what he does. Everything explained was very loud and extremely clear. It's probably the first time a doc didn't have to explain himself twice, at least for me. Wish all doctors were like this, but i also can definetly understand why a lot of them just don't give a damn after a lot of years of doing the same thing.
So helpful, love how the Dr cleared the fear of losing voice with 1 min exercise. ! Thanks for sharing the expertise and applicable effective exercise.
I was told my vocal chords do barely move by an ENT doctor years ago after experiencing frequent episodes of aphonia and constant hoarseness. Sometimes when I start a sentence the first word comes out mute (just air, no sound). It’s being like this all my life, even as a child but no one ever suggested doing something about it. I will start with these, thank you so much!
Hope it helps, but the first need is a precise diagnosis by detailed history, vocal capability (vocal phenomenology) assessment, and a detailed examination.
I'm 26, basically always had a deep voice but the last few years have constantly had the "come again?" issue coming up when I talk to people. Trying these exercises just showed me how weak my vocal chords are. Thanks Doc!
@@ProctasisLimerna Not really, its original purpose I assume is supposed to be a very short summary of the video. It can be interpreted by people like you who want a quick and "easy" answer. That's not really how the world works friend. I applaud you for trying to find a way though.
@@Laryngopedia Actually I practiced as you suggested..and just a few hours later it was Yom Kippur. Last night when I sang, I do not kid you when I say my voice felt its best in 30 years!!!! I felt confident and was able to feel so comfortable without worrying of cracking and faltering. Today when I sang for HOURS! just towards the end when I was wiped out, did I falter but even then I was able to still feel in control. Your coaching is a GOD SEND! I am not overstating or exaggerating! I believe I will finally achieve the kind of vocal quality I could not have even dreamed of, because until you feel it, you do know it is available. TY from the deepest part of my heart. I am forever grateful! Years ago I studied voice with 2 teachers but I never understood about the muscles..your tutelage radically upgraded my understanding of the vocal area. Again many thanks!
Dr. Robert, thank you for your good advice. I'm 74 now, love singing in praising God. I lost my voice these days, but from today I will try your advice!
Thanks for your note. There are of course various reasons one might have voice change and if a trial of voice building doesn't make a difference (or even before trying it) consider getting a examination...
My vocal cord was paralyzed during surgery, and after a month and a half it wasn't getting any better. My doctors, surgeons, and speech therapist didn't help whatsoever. That's when I found this video. I did exactly what he said, and within two days I could hear a slight difference. It took a lot of work, but this is how I got my voice back. THANK YOU.
Thank you so much! Just finally found out about this video. Almost all my life I have been insecure of my voice because its not loud enough and people always mocked me of it when I was in high school. I have always been an introvert and I still struggle making it louder. Thankfully I found this video. Definitely gonna do these❤
My husband is sedentary and can’t project. After the pandemic and covid my singing voice has gotten weak and if I go to a party it speak all day I lose my voice. When I sing/ sometimes the note just won’t come out. I saw an ENT and he gave me sprays for my sinus issues and connected me to a vocal coach. Thank you for this video! My coach makes me do the siren!!
Thank you, Doctor; I am a pro classical singer and singing teacher and your professional advices are really helpful regarding a hard daily vocal demand.
3 simple vocal tasks 20 seconds each (1 minute total) 4-6 x a day 6:17 1) Voice of authority Loud, emphatic voice 6:37 2) Ship ahoy voice It’s almost like calling your neighbor across the road by screaming 6:54 3) Siren voice Go from the lowest to the highest pitch in your voice as possible Go loud
THANK YOU I can never be hard in loud places and people ask me to speak up but I literally can’t because it will hurt after a full sentence of shouting. Even at work repeatedly saying directions would tire my voice out sooo much after the 60th person or 100th I could barely say directions or thank you have a nice day.
So sorry to hear this. Of course, a diagnosis is needed first; and perhaps a speech pathologist if this simple voice building strategy unhelpful or not possible.
@@LaryngopediaThis has been helpful!!! So helpful!!! This is helping me mix belt again. I’m an introverted person who doesn’t speak loud ever so this makes sense.
I noticed my voice is fuller and stronger through diet. My health was poor due to high sugar and carb(American Diet) and even could feel my thyroid being weak. After being on a healthier diet I could actually feel strength and vitality re-enter my thyroid. It's pretty interesting and now I'm gonna do these exercises and I think it'll be really good for me :)
I'm glad someone else notices this. Anytime I drink or eat sugar, lactose, or high carbs, my voice feels significantly weaker than if I were to just eat high fat and high protein diet. Anytime I eat the first three things, I feel so tired and it seems like there's this sort of coating on my throat, that makes it difficult to speak. Fasting also helps me with my voice, as I have a slow metabolism, and eating a lot fills up my stomach, and my body uses a ton of energy for digestion. Also notice that smoking helps my voice, and in addition having a light alcoholic drink with a mixer helps my voice for the next day.
Thank you! I so hope this helps me. I was just diagnosed with Vocal Cord Dysfunction due to shortness of breath after seeing multiple drs. It's thought GERD was the trigger. The breathing technique found on TH-cam, I think may be helping my breathing but maybe this will help my very weak voice until my appointment with Speech Therapist in 3 weeks.
I recently was diagnosed with iron deficiency, anemia, and then I looked up the symptoms of it, which includes shortness of breath! Strange that these two things are connected, isn’t it?
Recently I joined a class where Vedic Hymns are recited. Class is conducted three times a week, each a ninety minutes session. When I started I realised that it takes some time for vocal muscles to warm-up. As the class goes on, it becomes much easier to recite loudly. Also, after about two months of attending these classes, I find my voice has indeed become much stronger, and my stamina to recite loudly for longer durations has increased too. This wasn’t a benefit that I even thought would be possible when I started. But I am happy to see this unintended benefit accrue to me. Reading poems or stories aloud to young children or singing prayers aloud everyday or similar tasks when done consistently on a daily basis may help to improve vocal muscles gradually.
Excellent post! Like many singers, my voice "transforms" in response to the singing voice exercises one learns as a part of singing voice lessons. I prefer more sophisticated ways of strengthening voice, just as you have described, but the very basic "voice of authority;" "ship ahoy;" and loud siren work quite well for many.
This is basically the components of the Phonation Resistance Training Exercise program (PhoRTE). It’s an excellent program. I use it often with my patients who have vocal fold atrophy.
yooooooooooooooooo thanks for this video bro im trying to build weak vocal cords cause my voice is just too strong. everyones makeing videos on how to strengthen my vocal cords but they never stop and think that maybe some peoples voices are just too strong. your a real life saver man, keep up the good work :)
I should probably try this but my anxiety is saying I'd rather just stay too quiet my whole life. But I really need to confront that if I want to keep working with customers for my job. I have to talk loudly (loud for me, others sometimes still can't hear me) and it makes my throat hurt and my voice starts to cut in and out. Sometimes my voice starts to die on me even if I'm not at work trying to talk louder. I didn't learn to project my voice until middle school and that was useful for when I really needed to be louder. But several month-long coughing fits later (over the last 12yrs) being louder has gotten harder and harder. I should get things checked and after watching this I know I might have to deal with the anxiety if I want to improve my voice.
Record your voice. Do these exercises for one month and record your voice again. Then tell us about the results. Use a pillow if there are people around you all day. It doesn't take much time, I should try that too.
@@0nly0NE. That's terrible. Hope you'll find a cure for it. Can't recommend any drugs, but I've read mane positive reviews about l-teanine for improving anxiety. Maybe it won't help you, but it's worth a try, since it's cheap and natural. Read about it
I live alone and have been out of work for the past 9 months so I have not been speaking very much. I didn’t even realize it. Today I started a new job and have been talking all day and just after one day my voice and throat feel shredded. I was loosing my voice towards the end of the day. I bought some throat coat tea on the way home and am now watching this video.
Very interesting video. It is nice to see that a doctor takes their time and presents people with such a passionate description of a few excercises for vocal training. As a speech and language pathologist, specialized in vocal therapy, I wanna bring up my takes, hints and maybe a helpful thought for someone with similar issues. * Firstly, I want to outline how positive it is to me that lived, embodied intentionality is part of those vocal excercises. Those sceneries and images might be weird but vocality is a very fundamental, primal part of us. Voice is a movement we can hear, a movement that changes, an embodied accoustic relatedness. When we relate to something or someone, our body tone, breathing and as well our voice follow our intention in slight changes of their tone and organization. A clear embodiment of an emotion or intention can therefore really support vocal function. * Secondly, a protocol that is so short and based on repetition but also on engagement, is more easy to transfer into daily life and doesn't make it a simple excercise where body and mind are disconnected (and therefore we can expect little transferance effect) but is rooted in actual social events and demands a situative attentedness and energy. Voice is a social phenomena. We use it to carry words, yes, but underlying, in its oscillations, we find patterns of habits, life style, biography, emotions, self relation and situative context. When clients master a certain vocal function in our settings, the biggest problems occur when it comes to transferring it into daily life as that requires attention and an deliberate act of adjustment. By binding vocal excercises in imagined or real social contexts, we learn to apply it in those situations where we actually need it (not in isolated excercises once or twice for a few seconds when we think about it to make our therapists happy). * Thirdly, not only is emotional and intentional engagement requested, but also physical activity. I will focus on the gripping of the steering wheel - the despictions of popping veins and eye balls goes in a vocal habit direction that I deem not ideal. Any movement of the arms that relies on shoulder stability and is accompanied with a lift of the arms on the level of the shoulders, activates the vocal folds neurologically and mechanically a bit more. That also transfers to movements where we pull something closer to us (if it is not too heavy). The stabilization of the shoulder girdle requires a stable punctum fixum (the rib cage) which requires under pressure in the thoraic cage. For that, the vocal folds need to close (for literature: V. Negus, J. Pressman, in the 50s). These interrelations are born out of our primate past (you know, gripping onto branches or the chest of our mothers, swinging from branch to branch or climbing). Pull ups are a wonderful way to engage these systematic interrelations. I had a client, years of drug abuse and a voice that was pressed (ventribular folds) and nearly without sound. In the first setting, I asked him to lift his arms inhaling and putting his hands around a pull up bar and give voice on a few vowels. His old voice was instantly back. That was ofc a miracle anecdote but in his case, these interrelations kicked really fast and whenever he did his excercises and tried to transfer better patterns, his voice got better. Depending on how we are capable, are used to or functionally are required to stabilize our bodies, we either engage more strongly with high pressure in the thorax (and abdomen) or a low pressure in the thoraic cage - the first one will close the upper airways (ventribular folds and other constricting muscles, the vocal folds aid), the second one relies on open air ways and closed vocal folds. As someone with chronic pain, I can tell you about the voices of those as their stomachs are often clenched, their breathing limited and their movements stiff and imbalanced. A note about aggression: aggression very much relates to our vocal fold muscle (m. vocalis) yet can easily lead to a constricted throat (high pressure). There is aggression that centres destruction and damage - of our selves and others. And there is aggression that demands space, time, attention. Assertiveness and clear intentionality and focus support vocal closure and volume. Volume, by the way, is not just a product of more massy vocal folds but also a good relation between them oscillating and the space above being an effective resonator (aka "open", unfolded). There have been visualizations of how our upper airways form when we people were asked to embody emotions and give voice and aggression was among those that constricted the throat (to no surprise the sensation of love, also an image from older singing techniques, had the most open throat in the examples). So, differentiation in the field of what aggression is and means, could be necessary, depending on the person infront of me and what their take is on that. Since a "weak" voice can be associated with a hindrance of the expression of aggression, excercises like this - no matter how "healthy" for the voice they might be in the moment - can be a great way to get something back or develop something on a somatic level that also helps to transfer a more massy voice into daily life without the down sides. A note about "strain": In vocal therapy, at least I do not wanna challenge a muscular system like the vocal folds that is put under so much pressure during daily life which can lead to a weak voice. The vocal folds are about as long as a thumb's nail is wide. They already endure lots of pressure during the day, not just during speaking. Knowing about their many functions and interrelations with the body in postural control, for movement as well as shelter, aiding more stress by pressure, might damage them and lead to organic changes (like nodules). Adding more strain is not gonna fix a functional dilemma that usually and in most cases comes from that. Instead, reorganizing patterns, so they can actually work more autonomously and effectively as their functions are not undermined, might do the trick. In short, a good physical condition and certain movements (direction, quality) help to activate our vocal folds and their closure reflex. Out of this closure reflex (that developed out of their shelter reflex), our vocal function developed. The so called "inhalare la voce", inhaling the voice, as image of Belcanto singing, very much relates to that. As people usually tend to use non-suficient patterns to be louder - usually an icrease of air pressure and more closure of the throat which also happens when they over articulate - combining such tasks with movements that support primary activation of the vocal folds and deactivation of the constrictors of the upper airway to close the vestibular folds, are suggested (the ENT and phoniatrist Eberhard Kruse published about his videolaryngoscopic findings about those interrelations in the 90s).
part 2: That might all sound very complicated, but I can break down some key components that are important (at least to me) in every speech therapy setting: *LET COMFORT BE YOUR GUIDE, NOT AESTHETICS. That doesn't mean an excercise cannot be cause of discomfort sometimes (I say this with lots of caution - a laysperson might think "no pain, no gain" - absolutely not what I am saying. Some people might not feel comfortable with an excercise or a sound at first and sometimes need a little push to try and see if they learn from that. Sometimes, I trigger the opposite of what I think is good and closer to their pattern to have them realize what exactly is not beneficial there.). I am talking about looking for states and sensations of unfolding, openness, letting go, balanced tone in the airways and body. A voice that is comfortable. If a pitch or volume cannot be produced comfortably, what is the purpose? Quality is more important thant quantity. A lot of people proudly present their amazing ranges here on youtube, while shrieking or pressing on their notes. That is not a goal of vocal work in my opinion. If your voice is accompanied by strain or pain, finding a NEW pattern that is strange or might sound strange is easier to accept, when it feels comfortable. That also means that a narrow framework of good and bad (good technique, good breathing, good posture) can be more hindering than useful. It dissociates us from our body and yokes our body trough the will of the mind. * AIM FOR FUN, BE PLAYFUL: Simple as that. We learn better and more profoundly when we enjoy what we do. If we are curious and open, we can engage with our body, be witnesses and identify with the new vocal patterns we hear and feel and access them over time. That means you can integrate vocal excercises with things you like. If you are someone who likes to walk, do it rhythmically and maybe hum. If you like to move trough your flat or dance, opening and fluent movements can be accompanied by voice. Dancing generally has many benefits, except from mobilizing the hips. If you "just" get to get daily chores done, keep in mind that these interrelations of breath, posture and airways are there even when we don't use voice. A work out routine, climbing, swimming, (nordic) walking, dancing all rely on these interrelations and as a side effect can strengthen your voice. You also get social contexts to use your voice in. A spacious forest when hiking to experience the resonance and volume of your voice, for example. If you wanna practice your new sound, try a short conversation with a stranger when you buy something or ask for directions; use calls to people you don't know; use the possibility to record voice messages (no one sees how you stand or breathe or how attentive you are of your posture...)... * TRY TO MAKE THINGS RHYTHMIC. No matter if you inhale little or a lot, have a clear, rhythmic transition from inhalation to voicing and vice versa. Rhythm has many, many beneficial aspects and surprising effects on us. For example: If you inhale before speaking, try to find the moment to switch from that into talking. Some of the excercises I suggest rely on the coordination of movement, inhalation and voice. Finding a pattern (5 seconds in, these vowels and these notes, relaxation of a few seconds to feel the difference and stay with that... 5 seconds inhalation... and so on) that works during vocal workout helps to work with voice as rhythmic movement. Rhythm and focus support vocal closure (and more sufficient opening and inhalation). Rhythm is also how we have dialogues: Speaking is very much like ping-pong-ing from one side to the other. The readiness in our body tone to acct fast and flexible, we can also find in rhythmic work. Rhythm also works very well in case you wanna do vocal excercises more like a workout routine in sets and with repetitions. * ALLOW YOURSELF TO BREATHE AND MOVE AND TO STAY FLEXIBLE: That not only relates to those who speak until they gasp for air or hold their breath as not to interrupt or while they are listening (a protective manner btw). Breathing itself is already a wonderful vocal excercise. If we use our breathing to access a higher lung volume and activity of the inhalatory muscles, our vocal tract can open up, unfold, elongate (beneficial as a resonator) and our larynx can descend while the vocal folds open more strongly and close more differentiated. That is the technical side. Maybe, in perception and getting to know your self and needs, you find out what your body needs, which movement it would like right now. And then accompany that with sound. It can be a relaxing yawn, a sigh, a hum. It can also be a more spacious sound, a louder sound, a focused sound, maybe on some prolonged vowels or a few phrases (especially those you use daily). However you do it: voice is movement itself. It relates to posture and movement. Beneficial qualities in these aspects transfer beneficially to voice. * STAY AWAKE, OPEN AND ATTENTIVE. Others might call it being responsive, waiting for the echo. Not only are vocal activities working more sufficiently in their feedback loops when we lean into perceiving them and allowing things to happen without disturbance; but also is the state we are in, when we are curious and open to the world and our experience beneficial to voice (and ourselves). It is the mind of a child that sees things in wonder and awe. Transferring that as dialogic openness will tone our body in a state of readiness and with increased inhalatory volume and more sufficient vocal activity...
and part 3: A BIT MORE MECHANICALLY: * CAN YOU DO YOUR INHALATIONS SOUNDLESS? Related to rhythm, actually. One easy thing to look out for is a noiseless inhalation. If you inhale and there is friction it is based on constriction of the upper airways and insufficient opening of the vocal folds. This also equals imbalanced body tone and a reduction of possibility for the inhalation muscles to really work sufficiently and economically. The opening of the vocal olds already determines the quality of their closure for giving voice. If they cannot open sufficiently, they will not close sufficiently - unless we force them (with muscles of the upper airways, definetly the tongue and pharyngeal constrictors). There are some advantages to mouth inhalation over nose inhalation in vocal work (the normal and sufficient way to inhale is a quiet nose inhalation). If you feel comfortable about trying a mouth inhalation, do so. The less resistance in your mouth and upper airways is, the less friction and dryness will occur. A nasal inhalation can have beneficial effects when you imagine smelling a nice smell that goes all up your nose. * ALLOW YOUR JAW TO LET GO AND EASE (OR: SAYING HELLO TO A RESTING BITCH FACE). A lot of people have the habit to continously smile during talking. A genuine, open laughter has many positive aspects on the voice. However, a lot of my clients - especially with female socialization - show a habitual appeasing smile. The spreading of the lips is associated with a higher tone in the jaw clencher and pharyngeal wall. It doesn't allow your larynx to descend but keeps it a bit more upward. The tensions it causes can limit the ability of your vocal folds to open and close sufficiently, making the voice high, flat, less massy, more soft and sometimes airy. A relaxed lower jaw does allow your larynx to descend - especially during a bigger inhalation. A big, vital inhalation can even apply a slight pull on the lower jaw. If the jaw can open passively (and without the tongue "helping" by tensing the floor of the mouth or pulling back), we have the chance to get a beneficially shaped upper airway ("vocal tract") for a more resonant, loud and deep sound. E: A great, easy excercise is to breathe trough the mouth - have your lower jaw relaxed and round your lips. Inhale a large quanitity of air. Do it WITHOUT ANY SOUND, do it SLOWLY (a few seconds) and see if you can find an expansion of your rib cage and elongated spine that feels EFFORTLESS. When you exhale, see if you can exhale with the same openness (meaning there is no sound of friction). Doing that just 3-5 times can help to open up the vocal tract and activate your vocal folds. A physically errect body that is balanced and vital is btw "inhaled". Inhalation is part of postural errection. The rib cage will have a natural tendency of openness which already neurologically informs the vocal folds and leads to better closure with less air pressure. Working on your physical errection so it is effortless and fluid - having an effortless and fluid inhalation that can go big and spatious means also that your upper airways relax and your larynx can descend (trough relaxation and the pull of the trachea). Put simply, stretching your body, elongating the spine, balancing your self out, finding a proper tone supports breath and vocal function. Some great vocal excercises are * glides / sirens (OOO is indeed a very beneficial vowel - see that your lips are actually rounded) with lower volume * single tones on a prolonged vowel or vowel chain (for example for deeper pitch and loudness open vowels are more beneficial) - especially accompanied with movements that open up, expand, are flexible, fluent and rhythmic. * perhaps: staccati / vocal onsets: that is a short onset and offset of tone. These excercises are often accompanied by a higher pressure - there are ways to avoid that and overdoing it. For example finding a rhythm to do simple short onsets on beat help to focus an appropriate amount of effort. A clear visual focus (pointing, zooming in on an object or person) can help as well. Rhythmic gripping can help or rhythmic pulling (I let my clients pull a thick rope and ask them to switch hands rhythmically every time they go from one vowel to the other while tensing the rope a little bit). Staccati can also be done in a soft inhalation (yes). Staccati equal a short closure and openning - rhythmically done an opportunity to learn how different forms of activity, of activation and letting go, can feel. * air flow excercises: While a certain inhalatory tendency is beneficial, the paradoxic sensation of unhindered air flow is crucial for vocal function. That relates to air that is not hindered by constriction nor pushed out, but released. Air flow excercises are known as Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Excercises. The actual pressure that the vocal folds need to swing is, when everything works out well, very low. Working with air flow (not just in, but also out), however, is in its released and unhindered way a great way to work on mucosal recovery and integrated function and can also be used to access more mass and volume (lip trills, depending on how they are done, can help here for example - if the focus lies on the streaming of air and not enforcing of lip closure and vibration). The vocal folds have a layer of mucosa that has its own oscillation pattern, depending on the vocal folds themselves, and takes crucial part in the sufficiency of a beneficial vocal function. When air passes trough the nearly closed vocal folds, an underpressure develops between them ("Bernoulli effect") that sucks their edges together. The mucosa partakes in that and can even partake in sucking in parts of the vocal fold muscle into oscillation. An excercise could look like this: With a quiet, relaxed breath for example trough the softly opened mouth, we can let air stream out between our softly narrowed lips (like we'd blow a soft feather away or form an ffff sound). A slight rounding of them is beneficial. We then can see if after some repetitions of unforced air flow, we can add voice WITHOUT disturbing the sound of friction and the sensation of our lips. This might read as easy - trust me, it is not easy for a lot of people. When they are used to a higher pressure for vocal function, this can be troublesome) however, when that is finally possible, the voice already has learned to start oscillation by vocal folds that get into better contact with each other, not over strain and force. Lastly: There are many reasons, why a voice might be "weak". Organically, functionally, that determines what exact excercise or approach might be the best. Biographic, social, cultural and personal aspects play their part, too. Depending on that, the goals of a person and needs and their physiology, the list of intervention possibilites is nearly endless.
I don't talk too much, and have a very quiet voice. I have realized now that I am not loud enough to call someone who is a little far away from me. And I am just in my mid 20s. I really need to open up my voice.
I just came across your channel and am looking forward to watching your videos. I have had vocal chord problems for years. I had thyroid cancer in the mid 1990’s with a full thyroidectomy. Since then I have struggled even more with my voice. I tend to cough when I talk for any length of time or if I try to speak loudly. Several years ago I developed a cough for months and saw a laryngologist. I was sx with atrophied vocal chords and sent to speech therapy. She discovered I was breathing incorrectly. Her therapy helped me quite a bit. It’s been awhile though and now I am in rural SC with no laryngologist or speech therapist in site. I could use a refresher on breathing techniques and I am sure others would benefit as well.
In the the workout world this is called "greasing the groove" or a "micro workout". It works with strength and muscle gain. Dont see why it wouldnt roll over to the vocal cords. Awesome video. Thanks from a singer and music teacher!
after months of applying these very clearly set parameters ( thank you doc) i have successfully weakened my voice to nearly zero. my family cant hear any shit talking as it is essentially a soft breeze
Thanks for the suggestion to do this into a pillow. I was wondering how to do this without disturbing neighbors. My ENT guy wants to schedule me with a speech therapist but none close, so searched TH-cam and found your channel. Start today😊
I am extremely grateful for your upload. That makes great sense to me, and it certainly explains why I have been experiencing a weak vocal range for the past few years. I will set to work on strengthening my voice. Excellent work. Most grateful to you. 😊
Thank you for the amazing video! I have Rt side vocal code paralysis from thyroid surgery. I can speak normally but easily get short of breath. Also, I can not be heard in loud public areas. Can I get benefits from the vocal exercise?
Sorry to hear! If surgery less than 9M ago, there is still potential for recovery. And if vocal limitations are unacceptable, an implant can help. Here's an example of the process. th-cam.com/video/IYlzcyHE9TY/w-d-xo.html
By now, this is too late anyways but in case of vocal fold paralysis, vocal therapy and vocal excercising accompanied with electrostimulation can help to activate the impaired vocal fold and/or make the other come closer for efficient closure. Since you say, your voice is normal, the vocal fold probably was paralyzed in a more median position which means less opening in inhalation. Yes, there are excercises to help with that, how is the current state?
@@fynnh.8460hi, I also have been detected with left vocal cord palsy due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve being damaged idiopathically, but my voice is normal. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do to heal it, since even my volume is a bit low and can't speak for longer intervals, and I want to be able to sing back like normal.
@@fynnh.8460 also, what exercises do you recommend, if any, that would help me here with the vocal cord palsy? Because I'm a bit concerned if I should do vocal exercises or would that worsen the problem?
@@m.19960 Since I don't know your paralysis and individual vocal and physical situation, I cannot generally recommend the same excercises. Different forms of paralyses demand different approaches - a paralysis can affect breathing and/or vocal quality and the kind of paralyses suggests different forms of compensation. Some can be compensated by a more sufficient way of voice production, of finding excercises that support a movement of the healthy side to the other, of finding excercises that support laryngeal opening or compensatory structures for closure.. And then the individual's remaining physical situation, goals, motivation, aesthetics, personality play a role, too. Some tips, I have formulated here in the comment section if you scroll down a bit - so that could be helpful. Other than that, I would suggest undergoing vocal therapy by a speech and language pathologist / voice therapist - a youtube comment could only hint towards something; I have no idea if you get the information and are capable of applying them in a manner that is actually helpful for your case. In your position, I'd favour so-called functional approaches (f.e. Rabine, Heptner) that use perception and movement based vocal excercises and work with ways to activate certain laryngeal functions due to used movement, breathing, usage of vowel or more (it is perhaps less known in anglo-american contexts). I might also include some modified "semi-occluded vocal tract" excercises. Generally, using your voice in a way it feels economic (easily done; no pain nor discomfort; the voice easily carries, changes pitch, dynamics, volume...) and enjoyable is helpful. Therefore, using your voice but not aiming for something to hurt or feel overly stressed (misuse can lead to a disorder or permanent damage) - the rule "no pain not gain" doesn't apply here. Avoid whispering, rather speak softly with lowered voice (whispering puts stress on the vocal folds). Our vocal folds are neurologically and biomechanically connected with the muscles of physical erection and movement and breathing. Aim for a postural erection and breathing that feels effortlessly, that allows an increase of bigger quantities without the feeling of it being straining or sounding lout (the less resistance in your throat making noises when you inhale, the better) - a breathing that can react to physical movement. If you combine movements with vocal work, rather look for flexible and fluid movements - not movements that mean more effort or building up of pressure. There are certain movements that, if applied correctly, can support a better closure response when you give tone - for example when you pull something towards you (little effort) giving voice (where you can use a therapeutic rubber band f.e.). If you have a pull up bar, you can apply a slight hanging of the body or gripping movement when you go into sound. Generally, movements of the arms towards you (f.e. hugging oneself), laterally expanding or in front of you (like when you would draw big circles into the air, or move the arms like a conductor, or tip a ballon up over and over again, or movements of the arms and hands as if you'd screw a light bulb in or pick apples or wave with big arm movements towards a stranger in the distance...), on the level of the shourdle girdle can be helpful - that combined with the easy phonation of vowels, vowel chains or spoken words, phrases, sentences. In the beginning, I'd suggest to find a comfortable pitch from where you can hold a note for a few seconds, for example on the vowel [o] (like in "so"). However, depending on the insufficiency of vocal closure, other excercises that work on activating a better closure like rotations of the head, dynamic swinging and rotation movements with fricatives, rhythmic excercises with rhythmic movements, pulling excercises / rib cage expansion excercises and many more combined with short vowel onsets with or without sound ("glottal attack") might be indicated to get the vocal folds close first before establishing their ability to maintain a certain posture and tension over a period of time when prolonging a sound. One thing, which is helpful to know is that the tightness in the throat, the more painful and less economic ways of how the voice is used when people have a vocal disorder, stems from an internal feedback loop, it is reflective. As Eberhard Kruse (phoniatrist) has demonstrated and described, a disturbance of the vocal folds' ability to oscillate and close sufficiently and autonomous will automatically lead to an activation of muscles around the larynx that contribute to this feeling of a tight, constricted throat and make the sound "weird". The reasons for this refer to the different functions of the larynx and shall not be of interest. What is of interest here is that it is no-ones fault (at least to some degree) when the voice becomes weaker, starts to hurt or gets disordered: when your vocal folds are paralyzed and don't close sufficiently or vibrate irregularily, to some degree your body might wanna start addying unnecessary tensions around your larynx and your sound might become pressed or flat or somehow other different and strained. As these mechanisms are related to an increase of constricting muscles (face, throat, tongue) not just in the upper body but also lower body (extremities, chest and abdomen) to supply an increased air pressure - these two dimensions relate to each other in insufficient ways. If you work with your voice doing the opposite: not increasing pressure, rather working with movements that extend your rib cage, work with flexible stomach and back muscles, movements that work with a vital feeling of physical erection - then your vocal folds will quite likely behave more sufficiently and close better (or move better apart during inhalation). Poison for our voice is being too impatient. We increase air pressure to enforce our will and you can try doing that from slightly to stronger and you will feel your throat tighten and your voice collapsing. That is then the contrast to what I'd suggest doing and you might wanna work with how something unbeneficial actually feels and what it means in the long run, to choose for a different pattern. One, where you don't strain your throat nor activate your exhalation (especially stomach) muscles - those should be reactive and in relation to your inhalatory muscle tonus (those who erect you, balance you, expand you) subdominant. In sum, posture, breathing and giving voice + articulating are interconnected to working on different levels (usually with one excercise including all aspects at the same time and coordinating those) is generally something I can advice. That requires perception based work (for example with contrasting ways to produce a sound so you choose perhaps by efficiency) and a frequent work (30 mins a day is recommended in one program when it comes to training - but any kind of supporting vocal activity or breathing that is accompanied by a movement, or a decision to do it differently, or a focus on ease and perceiving... can be helpful, and that can be just a few mindful seconds a day. A breathing quality that allows ease and softness of the throat and neck and laryngeal descent by relaxation is recommendable. Breathing that can be big but easy, that doesn't need the feeling of working against resistances in the body or throat. The quality of vocal fold opening defines the quality of closure, and vice versa. The quality of vocal fold opening and closure is at least determined by our breathing and postural erection. For more specific excercises, I can only recommend going to a colleague.
I'm sharing my experience... I'm 16 and I don't do exercises instead I sing high vocals songs...and I mostly sing high vocal parts of different songs and it really helped me a lot...I do classical singing and used harmonium to check my vocals range before signing high vocals songs...and I was 6 notes away from last note of harmonium and I think now I'm 5 notes away from it...(My explanation is not good but I just shared my experience cuz there are some ppl out there like me who don't like to do exercises they just want to sing so I shared with u guys so u can improve your vocals by singing)
Granuloma is a different problem than weak (atrophied) vocal cords...though the two could co-exist. The best bet is to consult with a good voice doctor to find out which is the primary issue. Granulomas overwhelmingly heal themselves but it can take many months. See my video on vocal cord granuloma for more information...
Why arent all doctors like this? He explains everything so well and clearly 😭😭😭
You are so kind. Thank you…
First video I've seen... I know what I'm bingeing on today 👍.
@Laryngopedia I completely agree with the first commenter. It's like listening to a speech therapist and physiotherapist all rolled into one.
Definitely subscribed, and may be bingeing on your content today.
Thank you from 🇬🇧 UK
I don't have a, my doctor. I have musical chairs doctors. Never see the same doctor second time. It's very frustrating and Ive stop going there even I'm sick I just wait to get better itself.
Because the other doctors want you to Keep coming back. More money for them.
I never imagined that my weak vocal cords would make my life so challenging. Wish everyone great vocal cords.
You must have a pretty good life.
@@zartic4lifenot as good as yours I bet
@@zartic4life If someone has weak vocal cords it could be they were forced to be silent and never allowed to speak up. Doesn't sound like an easy life at all.
These are gonna be great for my already strained relations with my upstairs neighbor.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Strengthen them 💪🏽
😹😹😹😹😹😹😹 too funny
Mr. Heckles?…
😂😂😂
I'm a introvert and don't really like to talk much. My voice is extremely weak, in fact when i was with my friends in a loud bar, i had no voice when we left and my throat was hurting in the morning.
I just had my first session of theese exercises and i can feel my throat muscles calling me names for doind that.
I hope i am consistent enought and come back here one month from now and tell the results.
Did it help?
@@lolasubs._.66 Yes it did. My voice is stronger now. People can hear what I say without me putting so much effort.
I really recommend the exercises.
@@lacerdafelipe thanks
@@lacerdafelipe really ? Thanks for the comment
@@lacerdafelipe new update?
I’m an opera singer/Voice coach and I just want to say that I totally agree with every task he recommends! 😊
Lmao u r a singer and he is a doctor . U really think agreement of you is necessary ?
@@Darrro-vl1hb And you are none of these. No one needed your comment.
@@ExMeroMotu9 there is no need to be one of em to think logicslly, isn't it?
@@Darrro-vl1hb who hurt you?
@@ExMeroMotu9 😂 answer my question before asking me further buddy. Btw rational thinking seems to be challenging you. Keep going
Doctor I had a problem of loosing my voice by the evening. I saw your this video and tried your technique for a month. It worked. My voice is better and I am able to speak loudly whole day without get hoarsely voice or loosing voice. I continue to follow your technique to maintain strong voice. May God bless you. Thank you very much.
9:45 I was lying face down with my mouth on the pillow wondering, "How am I going to do this? I live in a dense city. Half my neighbourhood is going to hear me!" Then he tells me how! This video must be the god's blessing. He is so clear and his advices are sound! Just 👌🏿
Advices is not a word. Proper use of the word would have been is his "words of advice is sound" or his "pieces of advice is sound".
@@Joeqwerty "Words of advice are sound" since the subject "words" is plural.
It's a common mistake that I sometimes make too, because advice is the last subject and is singular so it seems natural to use "is" instead of "are", but you have to remember the subject is the first noun e.g. "words" or "pieces" so you have to use "are".
I'm a "still singing around the house " 65yoa and, used to sing like Sandi Patty in my younger days. Now singing again in a choir, I miss my voice and being older, I recognize the need to exercise my "girls', and breathing technique. So much to re-learn again! Just doing this with this doctor while he's teaching, I see an improvement, my goodness! Doing this daily will get me to almost back to those high C's and power ramps. Thank you and GBU!
Vanessa, I'm impressed by you! You can regain your entire voice, including your former vocal range and even more. Muscles know no age, and that includes your vocal cords. Retrain your voice, use your voice for God's glory, and He will empower you BIG TIME!!!
Imagine hearing your neighbor out of his bathroom window going oooOoOoOoOooOOH for 20 seconds
'Ship ahoy' would also be rather amusing xD
Or someone inside of the basement 😂
Everyday at the same time 😂😂
@@shans2408 In different rooms 😂
Or just mind your business
I was very confused by that title ngl
😭😭😭
😂 same here
@@BhuwanPariyar-bj6fui thought it was a pussy 😂
SAME😂😂😂
The thumbnail got me
thank you for just reminding me as a singer, that it’s all about just using it from bottom to top.
What a doctor, super professional, a real true example of a doctor
Yes
Just completed Two Weeks TOTAL VOICE REST my ENT recommendation. I am a teacher and a singer. And recently diagnosed with VOCAL CORD NODULE BILATERAL. Thank God there are expert like you Doc🙏
i had got same i am a teacher too.. tried a lot of medication n voice rest but had to undergo surgery for vocal nodule removal …its been 5 days post surgery m still healing
z
more than 2 months into this surgery and i must tell you though a little bit uncomfortable this surgery is a blessing
so is it bad?
@@paulosevkexactly
Thank you for not only showing the exercises clearly but also for making them easy to fit into any schedule. I'm definitely doing these!
We all really hope they help! Go for it!
Glad to find this video. My father in law (81 years old) has been experiencing weak voice since 4 years ago, not long after he got covid. Then I remember that it's all about muscles, so I searched youtube for speaking exercise. I will guide him to do the 3 exercises. Thank you so much ❤
You are so welcome!
Remind your dad that muscles know no age and will respond to training including vocal cord strengthening
I've been told all my life that I speak too quietly, to speak up or louder, and I never really wondered why I simply couldn't "project" myself. Now I have a potential cause, but I will make sure this is the case and see a specialist. Thank you, Dr. Bastian!
All the best. Consider looking at this page on www.laryngopedia.com: laryngopedia.com/vocal-underdoer-syndrome-voice-rest-restraint-hurts/
@@BeforeThisNovember Hope you give it a try!
When I was in the choir, we would do all the three exercises over time, the sirene, singing over a long distance, and sometimes trying a little anger in the voice to make it sound less hollow.
Excellent!
I work from home, I usually don't go out much and spend a lot of time alone, and when I go out, I usually notice how people can't hear me unless I put a lot of effort into it. I kind of just accepted it as a part of me but that had an impact on my self steem. I am glad I found this video because it opened the door to the chance of change, I will do the exercises. Thank you so much for putting this out there!
Same here! WFH is life haha, but I feel like my voice and social skills/confidence have suffered a bit… time to get back out into the real world more and be loud with it! Haha. Hope all goes well for you!
All the best to you! The idea is to have a stronger voice when you need it.
Do you have an update 2 months later? I'm curious if you had improvements as I have the same issues
@@zer0hasnochallengeWell, I stopped doing them shortly after that point because it was just too much noise and I live in a neighboorhood with small houses; HOWEVER, I started doing them again three weeks ago after I bought a vocal dampener and I am starting to feel my voice being stronger. I would totally recommend doing them! It's still noisy though, just not as much.
Edit for an additional note: While it has worked, something I will say it's that you have to actually find the right way to do the "voices" for each frequency. For example, when I do the command voice, i know i did it right when I feel some kind of "resonance" in the chest (and suddenly it sounds so much louder as a result). Something similar happens with the ambulance, when I do it right I feel a sort of a "sore" sensation in the nose. So experiment and find the right way to do the exercises!
For about 23 years now, I've had a fascination of the human voice. I love our vocal cords, and I'm all about taking care of them. It's an amazing instrument. You taught me so much in this video.
A 23 year fascination and a 16 minute video taught you so much?
@@BeforeThisNovemberMan.......you're right that's logical
@@om4rg4m4l2 people just say words bro ..
Thank you ever so much!
I'm 70 years old and living alone and I am also one of 'the quiet ones'!
And: I am very eager to immediately start practicing!!
Once again, a sincere: thank you!
Where r ur families 😮
You got it 👍
I don’t even have a weak voice. This video was just really well made and I decided to enjoy it. Thank you and may everyone’s voice here become stronger and more confident each day. 🙏
Thanks so much!
Yes Madelyn Jimenez cabrera vargas yes passworts 6sep1973 Dystuina
As a professional singer, I use the siren as an emergency warm up when there's almost no time to warm up properly. But when I do the siren I also loosely close the lips and add a brrrrrrrr to the siren. This vastly increases the effectiveness of the warm up as it is effectively switching the power on and off many times per second. It gets my voice ready to sing and helps smooth over the break between middle and head voice. I highly recommend it. Most singers know about this warm up. It's always good to warm up the voice before singing, so perhaps it's an idea to start with the siren, then go on to the deep voice, and finally the yell.
I don't agree about gripping the steering wheel. I think it is better to be relaxed, but you might correct me on this since your exercises are designed to be demanding. But for singing it's a bad habit to build tension into the use of the voice. You should be pushing air from the belly not the upper chest and relaxation (keep those shoulders down!) is important for that.
I work as an actor now and use my voice very loudly in places. My natural voice is very quiet and quite high, but I use a booming voice in my acting, so I'm definitely going to try these exercises. I also have a slight problem with the cordite smoke on stage during my loudest scene, it feels as if I might lose my voice when I scream in the smoke, and if you have any advice, that would be helpful.
Here for fun you can hear me doing 4 different James Bond voices
th-cam.com/users/shortsX7fj_XIXoW0?si=T3c4P7dcHpDGNf_i
Good ideas here. Thank you. Keep in mind this video is designed to also work for the voice-unaware person - the person with little “rapport” with his or her own voice who might have no access to a voice teacher or speech pathologist. For lots of non-performers, this approach might be enough. Performers will want to work on support, resonance, vowel shaping, etc.
Lmao nice
@@Laryngopediathank you sir for your video! I have a question if you permit: are you planning to make a video on the work of larynx and support of opera singers? I am an opera singer myself and this topic interests all singers - from beginners till advanced performers.
Thank you for your question. Two additional areas of interest on laryngopedia or youtube: One is my video about swelling tests, designed to help singers avoid injury to the vocal cord surface (e.g. nodules). Here's the link: laryngopedia.com/swelling-checks-to-detect-vocal-cord-injury/ Be sure to watch the video on that page. The second is for people struggling with upper voice due to lowered muscular ceiling. Especially mid-to-late career women. Here's that link, and again, be sure to watch the video. laryngopedia.com/ceiling-effect/
I love how that makes it more effective but also much more silly.
Have an appointment two weeks out with a speech pathologist after seeing a great voice doctor. My left vocal chord is weak. This video gave me a way to use self-help to start work on my voice prior to my speech pathologist appointment. Can't thank this doctor enough for posting this video.
Thank you for your kind comment!
@aaronwalderslade said
As a professional singer, I use the siren as an emergency warm up when there's almost no time to warm up properly. But when I do the siren I also loosely close the lips and add a brrrrrrrr to the siren. This vastly increases the effectiveness of the warm up as it is effectively switching the power on and off many times per second. It gets my voice ready to sing and helps smooth over the break between middle and head voice. I highly recommend it. Most singers know about this warm up. It's always good to warm up the voice before singing, so perhaps it's an idea to start with the siren, then go on to the deep voice, and finally the yell.
Good comment. Thanks for contributing your ideas!
Thank you. After a long illness I have found my singing voice very weak. I will do these exercises and I’m looking forward to getting my voice back.
Really hope it helps!
Now this is a doctor that looks and sounds like he does have a lot of passion for what he does.
Everything explained was very loud and extremely clear. It's probably the first time a doc didn't have to explain himself twice, at least for me.
Wish all doctors were like this, but i also can definetly understand why a lot of them just don't give a damn after a lot of years of doing the same thing.
So helpful, love how the Dr cleared the fear of losing voice with 1 min exercise. ! Thanks for sharing the expertise and applicable effective exercise.
Thank you so much for your comments.
I was told my vocal chords do barely move by an ENT doctor years ago after experiencing frequent episodes of aphonia and constant hoarseness. Sometimes when I start a sentence the first word comes out mute (just air, no sound). It’s being like this all my life, even as a child but no one ever suggested doing something about it. I will start with these, thank you so much!
Hope it helps, but the first need is a precise diagnosis by detailed history, vocal capability (vocal phenomenology) assessment, and a detailed examination.
Damn that's rough
My ENT has referred me to this gentleman. He is brilliant.
I'm 26, basically always had a deep voice but the last few years have constantly had the "come again?" issue coming up when I talk to people. Trying these exercises just showed me how weak my vocal chords are. Thanks Doc!
Thanks for sharing! And I hope the exercises help.
Saw the thumbnail and thought I was on the wrong side on the internet for a moment.
There's no wrong side of the human anatomy 😉
Ha😂😂ha. Me too
5:27 vocal exercises start
Thank you
Five hundred cigarets.
And 500 more cigarettes
And 500 more please
500.5 = 2500 cigarettes
462 cigarettes*
I raise you 500 more
1. Voice of authority
2. Ship Ahoy!
3. Siren
I know you wrote this to save us some time, but I have no idea what any of those mean
@@ToBeKing 🤣
1. Speech must come out like those speaking with authority
2. A shout “Ship Ahoy”
3. Make sound coming out like a 🚨
I did this at 5 am as a warmup before a run and terrified my neighbours
@@ProctasisLimerna Not really, its original purpose I assume is supposed to be a very short summary of the video. It can be interpreted by people like you who want a quick and "easy" answer. That's not really how the world works friend. I applaud you for trying to find a way though.
@@ProctasisLimerna you must be fun at parties
Excellent! I am a Cantor and have been doing scales but I want a bit more power and reserve...this is JUST what I need. Much appreciation and thanks.
You're welcome, and hope it helps you!
@@Laryngopedia Actually I practiced as you suggested..and just a few hours later it was Yom Kippur. Last night when I sang, I do not kid you when I say my voice felt its best in 30 years!!!! I felt confident and was able to feel so comfortable without worrying of cracking and faltering. Today when I sang for HOURS! just towards the end when I was wiped out, did I falter but even then I was able to still feel in control. Your coaching is a GOD SEND! I am not overstating or exaggerating! I believe I will finally achieve the kind of vocal quality I could not have even dreamed of, because until you feel it, you do know it is available. TY from the deepest part of my heart. I am forever grateful! Years ago I studied voice with 2 teachers but I never understood about the muscles..your tutelage radically upgraded my understanding of the vocal area. Again many thanks!
Dr. Robert, thank you for your good advice. I'm 74 now, love singing in praising God. I lost my voice these days, but from today I will try your advice!
Thanks for your note. There are of course various reasons one might have voice change and if a trial of voice building doesn't make a difference (or even before trying it) consider getting a examination...
My vocal cord was paralyzed during surgery, and after a month and a half it wasn't getting any better. My doctors, surgeons, and speech therapist didn't help whatsoever. That's when I found this video. I did exactly what he said, and within two days I could hear a slight difference. It took a lot of work, but this is how I got my voice back. THANK YOU.
Made my day.
"build a weak voice" ... this man has mastered communication 😅
Thank you so much! Just finally found out about this video. Almost all my life I have been insecure of my voice because its not loud enough and people always mocked me of it when I was in high school. I have always been an introvert and I still struggle making it louder. Thankfully I found this video. Definitely gonna do these❤
All the best to you! (I'm an introvert, too...)
My husband is sedentary and can’t project. After the pandemic and covid my singing voice has gotten weak and if I go to a party it speak all day I lose my voice. When I sing/ sometimes the note just won’t come out. I saw an ENT and he gave me sprays for my sinus issues and connected me to a vocal coach. Thank you for this video!
My coach makes me do the siren!!
You are welcome and hope it helps
This video is exactly what I needed and is really well done and clear.
So glad! Hope it helps you!
Thank you for not only showing the exercises clearly.
You are welcome.
@@Laryngopedia damn
What a wonderful video! Thank you so much, Doc!
You are so welcome!
Thank you, Doctor; I am a pro classical singer and singing teacher and your professional advices are really helpful regarding a hard daily vocal demand.
3 simple vocal tasks
20 seconds each (1 minute total)
4-6 x a day
6:17
1) Voice of authority
Loud, emphatic voice
6:37
2) Ship ahoy voice
It’s almost like calling your neighbor across the road by screaming
6:54
3) Siren voice
Go from the lowest to the highest pitch in your voice as possible
Go loud
What an incredibly helpful instructions. A sincere and noble thanks.
Thank you for your kind comment and all the best!
I actually felt great doing these exercises. Like a feeling of freedom!
It can be fun to explore the big side of the voice.
THANK YOU I can never be hard in loud places and people ask me to speak up but I literally can’t because it will hurt after a full sentence of shouting. Even at work repeatedly saying directions would tire my voice out sooo much after the 60th person or 100th I could barely say directions or thank you have a nice day.
So sorry to hear this. Of course, a diagnosis is needed first; and perhaps a speech pathologist if this simple voice building strategy unhelpful or not possible.
@@LaryngopediaThis has been helpful!!! So helpful!!! This is helping me mix belt again. I’m an introverted person who doesn’t speak loud ever so this makes sense.
6:14 Exercises
I feel you!
Let’s all appreciate the hard work that goes into making these videos!
Well, I'm glad your thumbnail clarified itself
The Thumbnail had me stop 💀😂 sorry.
But I loved the video it was great explanation.
thought I was the only one who peeped 😂
As a new teacher I'm going to try this. Thank you. 💜
Wonderful!
Very Interesting I have started this excercise immediately after the video... Hoping for the best...Thanks Doctor for such a good explanation....
It has been 2 weeks.
How is the going?
Any positive change to your voice?
I don't know if I'm gonna be able to do all of these, but this made me understand why I have a very weak voice.
It is only a minute or so a few times a day to start out...
What a kind doctor
As SOON as i began to listen to this I started to hum. I've heard again and again it's a good practice and now here's another reason!
I am a voice trainer in India and this is so informative.. Thankyou for this information.🙏🎤
Such great info which can be easily be overlooked!
Glad it was helpful!
I noticed my voice is fuller and stronger through diet. My health was poor due to high sugar and carb(American Diet) and even could feel my thyroid being weak. After being on a healthier diet I could actually feel strength and vitality re-enter my thyroid. It's pretty interesting and now I'm gonna do these exercises and I think it'll be really good for me :)
I'm glad someone else notices this. Anytime I drink or eat sugar, lactose, or high carbs, my voice feels significantly weaker than if I were to just eat high fat and high protein diet. Anytime I eat the first three things, I feel so tired and it seems like there's this sort of coating on my throat, that makes it difficult to speak. Fasting also helps me with my voice, as I have a slow metabolism, and eating a lot fills up my stomach, and my body uses a ton of energy for digestion. Also notice that smoking helps my voice, and in addition having a light alcoholic drink with a mixer helps my voice for the next day.
I am really optimistic about trying these exercises. My voice is getting weaker and weaker as I age. This video is exactly what I was hoping to find.
Thank you! I so hope this helps me. I was just diagnosed with Vocal Cord Dysfunction due to shortness of breath after seeing multiple drs. It's thought GERD was the trigger. The breathing technique found on TH-cam, I think may be helping my breathing but maybe this will help my very weak voice until my appointment with Speech Therapist in 3 weeks.
I recently was diagnosed with iron deficiency, anemia, and then I looked up the symptoms of it, which includes shortness of breath! Strange that these two things are connected, isn’t it?
Recently I joined a class where Vedic Hymns are recited. Class is conducted three times a week, each a ninety minutes session. When I started I realised that it takes some time for vocal muscles to warm-up. As the class goes on, it becomes much easier to recite loudly. Also, after about two months of attending these classes, I find my voice has indeed become much stronger, and my stamina to recite loudly for longer durations has increased too.
This wasn’t a benefit that I even thought would be possible when I started. But I am happy to see this unintended benefit accrue to me.
Reading poems or stories aloud to young children or singing prayers aloud everyday or similar tasks when done consistently on a daily basis may help to improve vocal muscles gradually.
Excellent post! Like many singers, my voice "transforms" in response to the singing voice exercises one learns as a part of singing voice lessons. I prefer more sophisticated ways of strengthening voice, just as you have described, but the very basic "voice of authority;" "ship ahoy;" and loud siren work quite well for many.
Firstly, Dr. Bastian, those are some really cool specs. Secondly, you're doing the Lord's work. THANK YOU!
introvert with extremely little voice use for like 30 years, ty I'll try this.
So glad, and hope it helps!
This is basically the components of the Phonation Resistance Training Exercise program (PhoRTE). It’s an excellent program. I use it often with my patients who have vocal fold atrophy.
yooooooooooooooooo thanks for this video bro im trying to build weak vocal cords cause my voice is just too strong. everyones makeing videos on how to strengthen my vocal cords but they never stop and think that maybe some peoples voices are just too strong. your a real life saver man, keep up the good work :)
Thanks...so wish we could add "up" as in "build up a weak voice."
Hell yeah I’ve been trying to get a weak voice for so long
I have a weak voice and needed this video. I just removed my tonsils three months ago and still trying to heal.
EXCELLENT! GREAT! woowwWW ! Did you see your exercises in my writing, Dr. Bastian?👏👏👏
Very great vocal exercises. Thanks sir
I should probably try this but my anxiety is saying I'd rather just stay too quiet my whole life. But I really need to confront that if I want to keep working with customers for my job. I have to talk loudly (loud for me, others sometimes still can't hear me) and it makes my throat hurt and my voice starts to cut in and out. Sometimes my voice starts to die on me even if I'm not at work trying to talk louder. I didn't learn to project my voice until middle school and that was useful for when I really needed to be louder. But several month-long coughing fits later (over the last 12yrs) being louder has gotten harder and harder. I should get things checked and after watching this I know I might have to deal with the anxiety if I want to improve my voice.
Record your voice. Do these exercises for one month and record your voice again. Then tell
us about the results. Use a pillow if there are people around you all day. It doesn't take much time, I should try that too.
@@bokento Can’t. I can barely stand to sing quietly out loud when I know for sure no one can hear me. Anxiety. Gotta deal with the anxiety first.
@@0nly0NE. That's terrible. Hope you'll find a cure for it. Can't recommend any drugs, but I've read mane positive reviews about l-teanine for improving anxiety. Maybe it won't help you, but it's worth a try, since it's cheap and natural. Read about it
I live alone and have been out of work for the past 9 months so I have not been speaking very much. I didn’t even realize it. Today I started a new job and have been talking all day and just after one day my voice and throat feel shredded. I was loosing my voice towards the end of the day. I bought some throat coat tea on the way home and am now watching this video.
Teachers often describe vocal discomfort during the first week or two of the new school year, until the voice responds and builds up...
Very interesting video. It is nice to see that a doctor takes their time and presents people with such a passionate description of a few excercises for vocal training. As a speech and language pathologist, specialized in vocal therapy, I wanna bring up my takes, hints and maybe a helpful thought for someone with similar issues.
* Firstly, I want to outline how positive it is to me that lived, embodied intentionality is part of those vocal excercises. Those sceneries and images might be weird but vocality is a very fundamental, primal part of us. Voice is a movement we can hear, a movement that changes, an embodied accoustic relatedness. When we relate to something or someone, our body tone, breathing and as well our voice follow our intention in slight changes of their tone and organization. A clear embodiment of an emotion or intention can therefore really support vocal function.
* Secondly, a protocol that is so short and based on repetition but also on engagement, is more easy to transfer into daily life and doesn't make it a simple excercise where body and mind are disconnected (and therefore we can expect little transferance effect) but is rooted in actual social events and demands a situative attentedness and energy. Voice is a social phenomena. We use it to carry words, yes, but underlying, in its oscillations, we find patterns of habits, life style, biography, emotions, self relation and situative context. When clients master a certain vocal function in our settings, the biggest problems occur when it comes to transferring it into daily life as that requires attention and an deliberate act of adjustment. By binding vocal excercises in imagined or real social contexts, we learn to apply it in those situations where we actually need it (not in isolated excercises once or twice for a few seconds when we think about it to make our therapists happy).
* Thirdly, not only is emotional and intentional engagement requested, but also physical activity. I will focus on the gripping of the steering wheel - the despictions of popping veins and eye balls goes in a vocal habit direction that I deem not ideal. Any movement of the arms that relies on shoulder stability and is accompanied with a lift of the arms on the level of the shoulders, activates the vocal folds neurologically and mechanically a bit more. That also transfers to movements where we pull something closer to us (if it is not too heavy). The stabilization of the shoulder girdle requires a stable punctum fixum (the rib cage) which requires under pressure in the thoraic cage. For that, the vocal folds need to close (for literature: V. Negus, J. Pressman, in the 50s). These interrelations are born out of our primate past (you know, gripping onto branches or the chest of our mothers, swinging from branch to branch or climbing). Pull ups are a wonderful way to engage these systematic interrelations. I had a client, years of drug abuse and a voice that was pressed (ventribular folds) and nearly without sound. In the first setting, I asked him to lift his arms inhaling and putting his hands around a pull up bar and give voice on a few vowels. His old voice was instantly back. That was ofc a miracle anecdote but in his case, these interrelations kicked really fast and whenever he did his excercises and tried to transfer better patterns, his voice got better.
Depending on how we are capable, are used to or functionally are required to stabilize our bodies, we either engage more strongly with high pressure in the thorax (and abdomen) or a low pressure in the thoraic cage - the first one will close the upper airways (ventribular folds and other constricting muscles, the vocal folds aid), the second one relies on open air ways and closed vocal folds. As someone with chronic pain, I can tell you about the voices of those as their stomachs are often clenched, their breathing limited and their movements stiff and imbalanced.
A note about aggression: aggression very much relates to our vocal fold muscle (m. vocalis) yet can easily lead to a constricted throat (high pressure). There is aggression that centres destruction and damage - of our selves and others. And there is aggression that demands space, time, attention. Assertiveness and clear intentionality and focus support vocal closure and volume. Volume, by the way, is not just a product of more massy vocal folds but also a good relation between them oscillating and the space above being an effective resonator (aka "open", unfolded). There have been visualizations of how our upper airways form when we people were asked to embody emotions and give voice and aggression was among those that constricted the throat (to no surprise the sensation of love, also an image from older singing techniques, had the most open throat in the examples). So, differentiation in the field of what aggression is and means, could be necessary, depending on the person infront of me and what their take is on that. Since a "weak" voice can be associated with a hindrance of the expression of aggression, excercises like this - no matter how "healthy" for the voice they might be in the moment - can be a great way to get something back or develop something on a somatic level that also helps to transfer a more massy voice into daily life without the down sides.
A note about "strain": In vocal therapy, at least I do not wanna challenge a muscular system like the vocal folds that is put under so much pressure during daily life which can lead to a weak voice. The vocal folds are about as long as a thumb's nail is wide. They already endure lots of pressure during the day, not just during speaking. Knowing about their many functions and interrelations with the body in postural control, for movement as well as shelter, aiding more stress by pressure, might damage them and lead to organic changes (like nodules). Adding more strain is not gonna fix a functional dilemma that usually and in most cases comes from that. Instead, reorganizing patterns, so they can actually work more autonomously and effectively as their functions are not undermined, might do the trick.
In short, a good physical condition and certain movements (direction, quality) help to activate our vocal folds and their closure reflex. Out of this closure reflex (that developed out of their shelter reflex), our vocal function developed. The so called "inhalare la voce", inhaling the voice, as image of Belcanto singing, very much relates to that. As people usually tend to use non-suficient patterns to be louder - usually an icrease of air pressure and more closure of the throat which also happens when they over articulate - combining such tasks with movements that support primary activation of the vocal folds and deactivation of the constrictors of the upper airway to close the vestibular folds, are suggested (the ENT and phoniatrist Eberhard Kruse published about his videolaryngoscopic findings about those interrelations in the 90s).
part 2: That might all sound very complicated, but I can break down some key components that are important (at least to me) in every speech therapy setting:
*LET COMFORT BE YOUR GUIDE, NOT AESTHETICS. That doesn't mean an excercise cannot be cause of discomfort sometimes (I say this with lots of caution - a laysperson might think "no pain, no gain" - absolutely not what I am saying. Some people might not feel comfortable with an excercise or a sound at first and sometimes need a little push to try and see if they learn from that. Sometimes, I trigger the opposite of what I think is good and closer to their pattern to have them realize what exactly is not beneficial there.). I am talking about looking for states and sensations of unfolding, openness, letting go, balanced tone in the airways and body. A voice that is comfortable. If a pitch or volume cannot be produced comfortably, what is the purpose? Quality is more important thant quantity. A lot of people proudly present their amazing ranges here on youtube, while shrieking or pressing on their notes. That is not a goal of vocal work in my opinion. If your voice is accompanied by strain or pain, finding a NEW pattern that is strange or might sound strange is easier to accept, when it feels comfortable. That also means that a narrow framework of good and bad (good technique, good breathing, good posture) can be more hindering than useful. It dissociates us from our body and yokes our body trough the will of the mind.
* AIM FOR FUN, BE PLAYFUL: Simple as that. We learn better and more profoundly when we enjoy what we do. If we are curious and open, we can engage with our body, be witnesses and identify with the new vocal patterns we hear and feel and access them over time. That means you can integrate vocal excercises with things you like. If you are someone who likes to walk, do it rhythmically and maybe hum. If you like to move trough your flat or dance, opening and fluent movements can be accompanied by voice. Dancing generally has many benefits, except from mobilizing the hips. If you "just" get to get daily chores done, keep in mind that these interrelations of breath, posture and airways are there even when we don't use voice. A work out routine, climbing, swimming, (nordic) walking, dancing all rely on these interrelations and as a side effect can strengthen your voice. You also get social contexts to use your voice in. A spacious forest when hiking to experience the resonance and volume of your voice, for example. If you wanna practice your new sound, try a short conversation with a stranger when you buy something or ask for directions; use calls to people you don't know; use the possibility to record voice messages (no one sees how you stand or breathe or how attentive you are of your posture...)...
* TRY TO MAKE THINGS RHYTHMIC. No matter if you inhale little or a lot, have a clear, rhythmic transition from inhalation to voicing and vice versa. Rhythm has many, many beneficial aspects and surprising effects on us. For example: If you inhale before speaking, try to find the moment to switch from that into talking. Some of the excercises I suggest rely on the coordination of movement, inhalation and voice. Finding a pattern (5 seconds in, these vowels and these notes, relaxation of a few seconds to feel the difference and stay with that... 5 seconds inhalation... and so on) that works during vocal workout helps to work with voice as rhythmic movement. Rhythm and focus support vocal closure (and more sufficient opening and inhalation). Rhythm is also how we have dialogues: Speaking is very much like ping-pong-ing from one side to the other. The readiness in our body tone to acct fast and flexible, we can also find in rhythmic work. Rhythm also works very well in case you wanna do vocal excercises more like a workout routine in sets and with repetitions.
* ALLOW YOURSELF TO BREATHE AND MOVE AND TO STAY FLEXIBLE: That not only relates to those who speak until they gasp for air or hold their breath as not to interrupt or while they are listening (a protective manner btw). Breathing itself is already a wonderful vocal excercise. If we use our breathing to access a higher lung volume and activity of the inhalatory muscles, our vocal tract can open up, unfold, elongate (beneficial as a resonator) and our larynx can descend while the vocal folds open more strongly and close more differentiated. That is the technical side. Maybe, in perception and getting to know your self and needs, you find out what your body needs, which movement it would like right now. And then accompany that with sound. It can be a relaxing yawn, a sigh, a hum. It can also be a more spacious sound, a louder sound, a focused sound, maybe on some prolonged vowels or a few phrases (especially those you use daily). However you do it: voice is movement itself. It relates to posture and movement. Beneficial qualities in these aspects transfer beneficially to voice.
* STAY AWAKE, OPEN AND ATTENTIVE. Others might call it being responsive, waiting for the echo. Not only are vocal activities working more sufficiently in their feedback loops when we lean into perceiving them and allowing things to happen without disturbance; but also is the state we are in, when we are curious and open to the world and our experience beneficial to voice (and ourselves). It is the mind of a child that sees things in wonder and awe. Transferring that as dialogic openness will tone our body in a state of readiness and with increased inhalatory volume and more sufficient vocal activity...
and part 3:
A BIT MORE MECHANICALLY:
* CAN YOU DO YOUR INHALATIONS SOUNDLESS? Related to rhythm, actually. One easy thing to look out for is a noiseless inhalation. If you inhale and there is friction it is based on constriction of the upper airways and insufficient opening of the vocal folds. This also equals imbalanced body tone and a reduction of possibility for the inhalation muscles to really work sufficiently and economically. The opening of the vocal olds already determines the quality of their closure for giving voice. If they cannot open sufficiently, they will not close sufficiently - unless we force them (with muscles of the upper airways, definetly the tongue and pharyngeal constrictors). There are some advantages to mouth inhalation over nose inhalation in vocal work (the normal and sufficient way to inhale is a quiet nose inhalation). If you feel comfortable about trying a mouth inhalation, do so. The less resistance in your mouth and upper airways is, the less friction and dryness will occur. A nasal inhalation can have beneficial effects when you imagine smelling a nice smell that goes all up your nose.
* ALLOW YOUR JAW TO LET GO AND EASE (OR: SAYING HELLO TO A RESTING BITCH FACE). A lot of people have the habit to continously smile during talking. A genuine, open laughter has many positive aspects on the voice. However, a lot of my clients - especially with female socialization - show a habitual appeasing smile. The spreading of the lips is associated with a higher tone in the jaw clencher and pharyngeal wall. It doesn't allow your larynx to descend but keeps it a bit more upward. The tensions it causes can limit the ability of your vocal folds to open and close sufficiently, making the voice high, flat, less massy, more soft and sometimes airy. A relaxed lower jaw does allow your larynx to descend - especially during a bigger inhalation. A big, vital inhalation can even apply a slight pull on the lower jaw. If the jaw can open passively (and without the tongue "helping" by tensing the floor of the mouth or pulling back), we have the chance to get a beneficially shaped upper airway ("vocal tract") for a more resonant, loud and deep sound.
E: A great, easy excercise is to breathe trough the mouth - have your lower jaw relaxed and round your lips. Inhale a large quanitity of air. Do it WITHOUT ANY SOUND, do it SLOWLY (a few seconds) and see if you can find an expansion of your rib cage and elongated spine that feels EFFORTLESS. When you exhale, see if you can exhale with the same openness (meaning there is no sound of friction). Doing that just 3-5 times can help to open up the vocal tract and activate your vocal folds.
A physically errect body that is balanced and vital is btw "inhaled". Inhalation is part of postural errection. The rib cage will have a natural tendency of openness which already neurologically informs the vocal folds and leads to better closure with less air pressure. Working on your physical errection so it is effortless and fluid - having an effortless and fluid inhalation that can go big and spatious means also that your upper airways relax and your larynx can descend (trough relaxation and the pull of the trachea). Put simply, stretching your body, elongating the spine, balancing your self out, finding a proper tone supports breath and vocal function.
Some great vocal excercises are
* glides / sirens (OOO is indeed a very beneficial vowel - see that your lips are actually rounded) with lower volume
* single tones on a prolonged vowel or vowel chain (for example for deeper pitch and loudness open vowels are more beneficial) - especially accompanied with movements that open up, expand, are flexible, fluent and rhythmic.
* perhaps: staccati / vocal onsets: that is a short onset and offset of tone. These excercises are often accompanied by a higher pressure - there are ways to avoid that and overdoing it. For example finding a rhythm to do simple short onsets on beat help to focus an appropriate amount of effort. A clear visual focus (pointing, zooming in on an object or person) can help as well. Rhythmic gripping can help or rhythmic pulling (I let my clients pull a thick rope and ask them to switch hands rhythmically every time they go from one vowel to the other while tensing the rope a little bit). Staccati can also be done in a soft inhalation (yes). Staccati equal a short closure and openning - rhythmically done an opportunity to learn how different forms of activity, of activation and letting go, can feel.
* air flow excercises: While a certain inhalatory tendency is beneficial, the paradoxic sensation of unhindered air flow is crucial for vocal function. That relates to air that is not hindered by constriction nor pushed out, but released. Air flow excercises are known as Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Excercises. The actual pressure that the vocal folds need to swing is, when everything works out well, very low. Working with air flow (not just in, but also out), however, is in its released and unhindered way a great way to work on mucosal recovery and integrated function and can also be used to access more mass and volume (lip trills, depending on how they are done, can help here for example - if the focus lies on the streaming of air and not enforcing of lip closure and vibration). The vocal folds have a layer of mucosa that has its own oscillation pattern, depending on the vocal folds themselves, and takes crucial part in the sufficiency of a beneficial vocal function. When air passes trough the nearly closed vocal folds, an underpressure develops between them ("Bernoulli effect") that sucks their edges together. The mucosa partakes in that and can even partake in sucking in parts of the vocal fold muscle into oscillation.
An excercise could look like this: With a quiet, relaxed breath for example trough the softly opened mouth, we can let air stream out between our softly narrowed lips (like we'd blow a soft feather away or form an ffff sound). A slight rounding of them is beneficial. We then can see if after some repetitions of unforced air flow, we can add voice WITHOUT disturbing the sound of friction and the sensation of our lips. This might read as easy - trust me, it is not easy for a lot of people. When they are used to a higher pressure for vocal function, this can be troublesome) however, when that is finally possible, the voice already has learned to start oscillation by vocal folds that get into better contact with each other, not over strain and force.
Lastly: There are many reasons, why a voice might be "weak". Organically, functionally, that determines what exact excercise or approach might be the best. Biographic, social, cultural and personal aspects play their part, too. Depending on that, the goals of a person and needs and their physiology, the list of intervention possibilites is nearly endless.
1¹
Muito obrigado pela excelente explicação,meu amigo. Parabéns!!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I don't talk too much, and have a very quiet voice. I have realized now that I am not loud enough to call someone who is a little far away from me. And I am just in my mid 20s. I really need to open up my voice.
Go for it! And I hope it helps!
Thank you. Very clear and informative. I will give these a try!
Thank you very much Dr. for sharing this most useful exercise.
You are so welcome.
I just came across your channel and am looking forward to watching your videos. I have had vocal chord problems for years. I had thyroid cancer in the mid 1990’s with a full thyroidectomy. Since then I have struggled even more with my voice. I tend to cough when I talk for any length of time or if I try to speak loudly. Several years ago I developed a cough for months and saw a laryngologist. I was sx with atrophied vocal chords and sent to speech therapy. She discovered I was breathing incorrectly. Her therapy helped me quite a bit. It’s been awhile though and now I am in rural SC with no laryngologist or speech therapist in site. I could use a refresher on breathing techniques and I am sure others would benefit as well.
Please share that breathing techniques
I started doing this when i was 13 now I'm 14 and my voice is just like a Ford advertisement This really works!!
Thanks for your comment!
When belting out high or intense notes, don't forget to flex your diaphragm (lower stomach) muscles to avoid straining your vocal cords.
As a young professor, I find this extremely useful.
So glad. Hope it helps.
**sigh** **opens comments**
This video was unintentionally funny, especially with the vocal tasks, lol. Thank you!
My people you are a breath of fresh air. I love you so much
Thanks a lot; as a singer, I really appreciate the help.
This tips deepened my voice ❤...thanks a lot sir 👍
An excellent informative video! Would these exercises help with reducing snoring, sleep apnea/upper airways resistance syndrome - symptoms?
I don't think so...Sorry...
I’m going to try this. My neighbour’s gonna think I went mad. 😂
@@user-ex7vr1ey2f Let us know how it went 😂
In the the workout world this is called "greasing the groove" or a "micro workout". It works with strength and muscle gain. Dont see why it wouldnt roll over to the vocal cords. Awesome video. Thanks from a singer and music teacher!
Thank you so much for the new terminology!
after months of applying these very clearly set parameters ( thank you doc) i have successfully weakened my voice to nearly zero. my family cant hear any shit talking as it is essentially a soft breeze
What happened and how are you now?
Thanks for the suggestion to do this into a pillow. I was wondering how to do this without disturbing neighbors. My ENT guy wants to schedule me with a speech therapist but none close, so searched TH-cam and found your channel. Start today😊
The very best to you!
1:25 sir, the shade
Powerful I listened the entire program
7:03 my dog looked at me weird than barked _
:-) !!
I am extremely grateful for your upload. That makes great sense to me, and it certainly explains why I have been experiencing a weak vocal range for the past few years.
I will set to work on strengthening my voice. Excellent work. Most grateful to you. 😊
You're very welcome. Hope it helps.
Thank you for the amazing video!
I have Rt side vocal code paralysis from thyroid surgery.
I can speak normally but easily get short of breath. Also, I can not be heard in loud public areas.
Can I get benefits from the vocal exercise?
Sorry to hear! If surgery less than 9M ago, there is still potential for recovery. And if vocal limitations are unacceptable, an implant can help. Here's an example of the process. th-cam.com/video/IYlzcyHE9TY/w-d-xo.html
By now, this is too late anyways but in case of vocal fold paralysis, vocal therapy and vocal excercising accompanied with electrostimulation can help to activate the impaired vocal fold and/or make the other come closer for efficient closure. Since you say, your voice is normal, the vocal fold probably was paralyzed in a more median position which means less opening in inhalation. Yes, there are excercises to help with that, how is the current state?
@@fynnh.8460hi, I also have been detected with left vocal cord palsy due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve being damaged idiopathically, but my voice is normal. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do to heal it, since even my volume is a bit low and can't speak for longer intervals, and I want to be able to sing back like normal.
@@fynnh.8460 also, what exercises do you recommend, if any, that would help me here with the vocal cord palsy? Because I'm a bit concerned if I should do vocal exercises or would that worsen the problem?
@@m.19960 Since I don't know your paralysis and individual vocal and physical situation, I cannot generally recommend the same excercises. Different forms of paralyses demand different approaches - a paralysis can affect breathing and/or vocal quality and the kind of paralyses suggests different forms of compensation. Some can be compensated by a more sufficient way of voice production, of finding excercises that support a movement of the healthy side to the other, of finding excercises that support laryngeal opening or compensatory structures for closure.. And then the individual's remaining physical situation, goals, motivation, aesthetics, personality play a role, too. Some tips, I have formulated here in the comment section if you scroll down a bit - so that could be helpful. Other than that, I would suggest undergoing vocal therapy by a speech and language pathologist / voice therapist - a youtube comment could only hint towards something; I have no idea if you get the information and are capable of applying them in a manner that is actually helpful for your case. In your position, I'd favour so-called functional approaches (f.e. Rabine, Heptner) that use perception and movement based vocal excercises and work with ways to activate certain laryngeal functions due to used movement, breathing, usage of vowel or more (it is perhaps less known in anglo-american contexts). I might also include some modified "semi-occluded vocal tract" excercises.
Generally, using your voice in a way it feels economic (easily done; no pain nor discomfort; the voice easily carries, changes pitch, dynamics, volume...) and enjoyable is helpful. Therefore, using your voice but not aiming for something to hurt or feel overly stressed (misuse can lead to a disorder or permanent damage) - the rule "no pain not gain" doesn't apply here. Avoid whispering, rather speak softly with lowered voice (whispering puts stress on the vocal folds). Our vocal folds are neurologically and biomechanically connected with the muscles of physical erection and movement and breathing. Aim for a postural erection and breathing that feels effortlessly, that allows an increase of bigger quantities without the feeling of it being straining or sounding lout (the less resistance in your throat making noises when you inhale, the better) - a breathing that can react to physical movement. If you combine movements with vocal work, rather look for flexible and fluid movements - not movements that mean more effort or building up of pressure. There are certain movements that, if applied correctly, can support a better closure response when you give tone - for example when you pull something towards you (little effort) giving voice (where you can use a therapeutic rubber band f.e.). If you have a pull up bar, you can apply a slight hanging of the body or gripping movement when you go into sound. Generally, movements of the arms towards you (f.e. hugging oneself), laterally expanding or in front of you (like when you would draw big circles into the air, or move the arms like a conductor, or tip a ballon up over and over again, or movements of the arms and hands as if you'd screw a light bulb in or pick apples or wave with big arm movements towards a stranger in the distance...), on the level of the shourdle girdle can be helpful - that combined with the easy phonation of vowels, vowel chains or spoken words, phrases, sentences.
In the beginning, I'd suggest to find a comfortable pitch from where you can hold a note for a few seconds, for example on the vowel [o] (like in "so"). However, depending on the insufficiency of vocal closure, other excercises that work on activating a better closure like rotations of the head, dynamic swinging and rotation movements with fricatives, rhythmic excercises with rhythmic movements, pulling excercises / rib cage expansion excercises and many more combined with short vowel onsets with or without sound ("glottal attack") might be indicated to get the vocal folds close first before establishing their ability to maintain a certain posture and tension over a period of time when prolonging a sound.
One thing, which is helpful to know is that the tightness in the throat, the more painful and less economic ways of how the voice is used when people have a vocal disorder, stems from an internal feedback loop, it is reflective. As Eberhard Kruse (phoniatrist) has demonstrated and described, a disturbance of the vocal folds' ability to oscillate and close sufficiently and autonomous will automatically lead to an activation of muscles around the larynx that contribute to this feeling of a tight, constricted throat and make the sound "weird". The reasons for this refer to the different functions of the larynx and shall not be of interest. What is of interest here is that it is no-ones fault (at least to some degree) when the voice becomes weaker, starts to hurt or gets disordered: when your vocal folds are paralyzed and don't close sufficiently or vibrate irregularily, to some degree your body might wanna start addying unnecessary tensions around your larynx and your sound might become pressed or flat or somehow other different and strained. As these mechanisms are related to an increase of constricting muscles (face, throat, tongue) not just in the upper body but also lower body (extremities, chest and abdomen) to supply an increased air pressure - these two dimensions relate to each other in insufficient ways. If you work with your voice doing the opposite: not increasing pressure, rather working with movements that extend your rib cage, work with flexible stomach and back muscles, movements that work with a vital feeling of physical erection - then your vocal folds will quite likely behave more sufficiently and close better (or move better apart during inhalation).
Poison for our voice is being too impatient. We increase air pressure to enforce our will and you can try doing that from slightly to stronger and you will feel your throat tighten and your voice collapsing. That is then the contrast to what I'd suggest doing and you might wanna work with how something unbeneficial actually feels and what it means in the long run, to choose for a different pattern. One, where you don't strain your throat nor activate your exhalation (especially stomach) muscles - those should be reactive and in relation to your inhalatory muscle tonus (those who erect you, balance you, expand you) subdominant.
In sum, posture, breathing and giving voice + articulating are interconnected to working on different levels (usually with one excercise including all aspects at the same time and coordinating those) is generally something I can advice. That requires perception based work (for example with contrasting ways to produce a sound so you choose perhaps by efficiency) and a frequent work (30 mins a day is recommended in one program when it comes to training - but any kind of supporting vocal activity or breathing that is accompanied by a movement, or a decision to do it differently, or a focus on ease and perceiving... can be helpful, and that can be just a few mindful seconds a day. A breathing quality that allows ease and softness of the throat and neck and laryngeal descent by relaxation is recommendable. Breathing that can be big but easy, that doesn't need the feeling of working against resistances in the body or throat. The quality of vocal fold opening defines the quality of closure, and vice versa. The quality of vocal fold opening and closure is at least determined by our breathing and postural erection. For more specific excercises, I can only recommend going to a colleague.
I'm sharing my experience... I'm 16 and I don't do exercises instead I sing high vocals songs...and I mostly sing high vocal parts of different songs and it really helped me a lot...I do classical singing and used harmonium to check my vocals range before signing high vocals songs...and I was 6 notes away from last note of harmonium and I think now I'm 5 notes away from it...(My explanation is not good but I just shared my experience cuz there are some ppl out there like me who don't like to do exercises they just want to sing so I shared with u guys so u can improve your vocals by singing)
And the exercise in this video are helpful I'm not saying they aren't helpful...
Thanks for your comment. Singing is great for the voice, but some with weak voices don't sing...
@@Laryngopedia yeah I understand and the exercise you're telling ppl are very helpful...god bless u
Thank you Dr. Bastian. I have a granuloma in one of my vocal chords. Are these exercises still recommended?
Granuloma is a different problem than weak (atrophied) vocal cords...though the two could co-exist. The best bet is to consult with a good voice doctor to find out which is the primary issue. Granulomas overwhelmingly heal themselves but it can take many months. See my video on vocal cord granuloma for more information...
Thumbnail threw me off for a sec 😂.
I learnt a lot though
07:00 Doc got that Bass !!!
Excellent and clear information! Thank you so much!
Thank you for your kind comment...