You must find the center! It is not reaching forward and up—no reaching forward at all! Never reach forward, for this is how you reverse! It is not quite pressing down and forward either.
A little more history
Originally, I was trying to speak as effortlessly as everyone around me; then, I became obsessed with singing like my favourite singers, but became scared of using my voice outside singing because I thought it would wear out; then, I did become fully immersed in my ‘work’. I was on a mission! I did feel I was on to something! Today I share with you the epiphany: The growth of VE can be accelerated to a great speed when the right force is placed upon it.
But I was so lost! I didn’t think pushing down and out was right anymore, simply because the forces you feel when singing really confused me. That’s when I lost it: in a conversation.
What does one with a superior mass of voice energy reap as reward?
• Penetration, i.e.: ability of the voice to vibrate molecules so that the sound passes through them • Ease of use, i.e.: ease of uttering • Ease to shift tone, i.e.: some of what you see in phonetics • Ease of articulation, i.e.: more of what you see in phonetics, but more concerned with language • Ease to control, i.e.: quite a hypernym to the previous three and more; ability to start and stop, change pitch, carry notes through interference, use vibrato • Vocal range, i.e.: ability with respect to the ‘ability’ known to a singer • Length of sustain per breath, i.e.: greater ability for a length of utterance for a time per breath • ’Naturally’ ‘richer’ and ‘fuller’ in ‘sound’* • Effect by growth algorithm, i.e.: states last longer making it less likely to be inhibited by the growth algorithm • Feeling of VE, i.e.: both heavy and dense feeling at all times† • Accessibility of texture, i.e.: texture added by the vocal folds
In every way, superior VE translates to everything.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, one with inferior VE will experience fluctuations in a sustained note because of the heartbeat, the natural growth pattern VE experiences, and other interruptions or intrusive events, e.g.: walking, running, taking steps, etc. It will be harder to utter, harder to talk, harder to have the voice reach the target, will have a very limited range of pitch (including no falsetto), vocal fry will be quieter, registers will be unreliable and one will have little ‘stamina’, i.e., vocal folds will become inflamed quickly from overwork; and, while the contrary has likely or absolutely likely been taken for granted, the voice isn’t felt. Basically, think of the opposite of everything mentioned above in the bullet points. The opposite of them, really, is a frightening thing!
Additional points when affected by weak VE (these are mostly for future reflections): (Because I’ve never learned the word for it) that phenomenon when two notes of the same pitch are uttered next to eachother does not happen.
*Sound, richness, and fullness are all dependent on the overall state of the mass of VE, i.e., some states make the voice have a more piercing or sharp effect, etc. Also, not to be confused with someone’s timbre. Naturally is scare-quoted for emphasis.
†There is no way anyone even realizes their voice has ‘feeling’ in this sense (except under very special circumstances). We do feel the voice when we utter, but we take for granted the feeling of VE as an unyielding presence!
Imagine a train sitting on railroad tracks. Now, rather than the tracks supporting the train, instead the tracks thrust out from underneath the train. This is, essentially, the vision someone may have to describe ‘skipping of the voice’.
(Ctrl + F > ‘skip’ here: https://curtis-experience.net/2022/08/23/vst-final-edit/. Refer back to this body of text for the little-more concerning data on skipping the voice.)
Don’t—and I repeat, don’t move focus away from the center of origin! The origin of utilization for the voice! The very place is natural to speak!
But once you are sure—once you are absolutely positive—after months, if not years of training (Ctrl + F > ‘glottal stop’ in the aforementioned body of text), try initiating the voice and pushing at the same time.
Remember all that I’ve spoken of in these relevant VST papers!
No! There is no guarantee! You must meet the criteria set by nature’s awesome law first (and I believe it high time to give it a name): ‘Copley’s Theshold’; that threshold that perhaps some of the population have already passed. (I say this without any true certainty).
Fear of voice – The makings of irony
I stood for a long time in the dark. The closer I [ultimately] came to understanding, the more I grew fearful. ‘THE VOICE!’, I scream. Terrified—with two conditions arousing, agitated and continuing whenever found to be in use or during my toiling.
I hated it, but I needed to know and understand! The persisting paid off; it also destroyed me. The back, in shambles from collateral discovery and some brand of stupidity. Undoubtedly, a topic to be revisited at a later time….
Just explain to me the significance of burning in the mouth, throat, and later, the eyes! It’s absurd how fright makes for the onset of physiological symptoms a real thing!
Well, forgive me. I don’t mean to put one over on you and lump them together!
One would arise in everyday speech; the other arising during my training, exploration sessions.
Yes; and it became chronic, the burning. I hated it, but I was terrified the voice wore out.
While this is definitely the reason for my breakthrough, it bothers me: the situation, however transparent [now], was a great source of fatigue – causing great strain and worry most of my 20th year. I’m sure if my memory was as sharp as it once was, I’d be able to tell you earnestly, ‘It was actually most my late teens and 20th year’.
The second condition was more of a ‘level’; you reached it with the help of music, the weight of the voice (its states), and drive during a walk.
I used to think, ‘This is getting mighty close multiple personality disorder’, due to how separate I felt from my own self during these times of labour.
Chalk it up to insecurity and known fears that I never attempted to achieve this level of concentration without music.
The weight of it all….
You’d be surprised how heavy the voice is; and you wouldn’t know unless you lost a good chunk of it.
I had a thought: Why not make a small ‘update’? Not necessarily an update, per se. It is more of an attempt to confront something I’d speculated in the past, to the applicability of measures to measure the impact or more specifically, the strength of a voice. And while that’s all good and dandy, leaving everyone off with ‘burp or inhale’ is a little silly. I’ll answer the question right now. It is possible! It must be! Yes! I realize I wasn’t really asking the question to begin with, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is of highest importance. Well, next to spreading the message, of course. More need to read and be aware; however, let’s not try to be off-topic here.
Back on track!
What news has been circulating in my head for however long now? It is that ‘edging the voice’ is a fantastic indicator of voice strength. That is all!
I don’t know that edging the voice will stick because it may not mean exactly what you think it does. I do mean ‘edge’ as in its verb form meaning ‘advance slowly, as if by inches’. Thank you, TheSage version 6.10 from 2016! (By the way, as a small aside, TheSage sucks now (or it may still suck) because the search field used to automatically be activated following a word search. That functionality was done away with in the next release… which was so dumb! I reverted instantly!) The only condition being usage of the voice is not actually fully initiated. Edge kind of works. Let me think of a perhaps-better way to express this action…. ‘The sustaining of loud whispers’? Maybe not quite there, but maybe it’s closer.
I don’t have anything else to add. This was the tidbit of information. Let loose! Go out there and compare your whispers! See who can whisper louder without the use of the voice! See who can whisper the loudest when using the very faintest of ‘sound’!
Over the course of the past however much time, I’ve been trying my best to think of things I thought about way back when. All of this has happened some time ago. Still, I’ll try to go over them in a sort of as-they-come-to-me way; and they’ll be described as best I can. And that’s about all I can do….
（１）I mentioned some behavior of my voice in the weeks leading up to my breakthrough. ‘Chest rumbling’ is one such thing. I am uncertain if what I was experiencing was anything like the rumbling another person feels when singing (it was my first experience with such a sensation). All I know is that I felt it. Supposing you’re experiencing this sensation while performing the exercises I’ve written about, perhaps that is an indicator of having met one or more of the criteria needed to greatly accelerate voice growth in ‘short spurts’….
They are short spurts, after all. I get the feeling great amounts cannot be covered in stride. Why? Because of the behavior of the waves of growth. I get the feeling there’ll be some rinsing and repeating amongst your trying for success. I should like to point out: Specifically, this was happening during long single note humming roughly about my natural speaking pitch at the time. And while I’d like to move on to the next point, I believe something begs to be brought up once more. I underline that I was NOT exerting such great force as to yell or anything of that nature. There were concentrated bursts of utterance (with a little bit of confident humming to mix things up). The utterances were all aiming to be as exact as the last fired off – in quick succession in many instances. You could say it was an exercise in perfectionism. ‘Make each feel exactly the same as the last’. Repeat this line to yourself, for that is the great goal and the great mystery – that each following the last can be different. If that isn’t possible, then your voice is not strong enough. Of note: Waiting a modest time between utterances… apparent exactness could be both felt and, yes, even predicted! Yes, I did find myself falling quite squarely into the role of the perfectionist, both in activity and in thought, which is maybe why I am quite certain it will take a very special person who has significant qualities of patience, diligence, and persistence to see any hint of progress and, finally, truth to any of this. This leads to point two quite naturally.
（２）When the voice is not strong enough, sing and sing lots. Singing is, by far, the quickest way to build voice energy…. Give yourself a year or two to gain voice strength. Then, granted your lineage gave you just enough strength, perhaps that time is all you needed. I know I needed much longer to see some headway. I realize it wasn’t until later on that these revelations came to me, but it’s a feeling I can’t help but have.
（３*）I was dreaming about this following point a few days ago. It is regarding the ‘sweet spot’ that the essence of the voice should be placed in (probably) before ‘skipping’ is possible. (I am, of course, speaking of states of voice energy.) I do recall needing to shift focus ever so slightly when uttering. I do remember feeling as though the diagram that was illustrated in my previous paper was somewhat misleading because it showed the course of the arrow raising somewhat before pointing a little downwards. Truth be told, I am not very smart. This, I believe, was my way of hinting at there being a ledge of some sort (apart from the very real upward force voice energy exhibits at around that point). (Again, this is explained by there being states within the waves of growth. The ledge is the center where focus must be placed.)
So, in theory, you are uttering, but not just uttering straight out at first. You are trying to change the state of the energy first to one that allows for you to feel this ledge, then press out from on top of it there. Why is this such an afterthought that I hadn’t mentioned it in any of the times I’d published articles on this topic? Insecurity, for the most part. Insecurity stemming from the feeling that I didn’t know for certain which directions to guide others in (in application, of course). I only managed to do it once. It was once for a split second, and then I fell into a deep depression after I ‘lost’ my voice. I wasn’t trying to remember or write anything down. I apologize for this all being fairly messy. If there is any truth to this point, you’ll notice it. Just pay attention to the feeling of your voice changing over the course of utterances.
（４）There is no point in which you’ll be pushing out from the gut during these utterances (or perhaps it became so natural to me that I didn’t notice that it all was coming from the gut). I believe it was all purely from the throat, focusing solely on the center of the voice’s root. There’s no way for me to really teach the nitty-gritty of what it was I was doing. Experiment. Don’t rule out anything. The best I can do is leave clues (that may or may not help).
（５）This final item has to do with the placement of stress. During my experimenting, I found it best not to try to hold stress at basically any angle other than centered at the root with no tilt, completely inline with the body. This may sound silly to point out as we learn to speak at a very young age (and it’s all very unconscious and instinctual); however, if you find yourself in the same position as I did, you will raise questions such as: what is the right way to focus while speaking or uttering?; (or) is there a better place to focus on when speaking? The jury was out during my experimenting, and it stressed me out to no end. In fact, I was absolutely convinced pressing down while talking was detrimental to the voice at the time. Point three is clearly to blame for this. I was terrified of losing my voice, and I didn’t have anyone to tell me how to just talk normally. Thus, what came to pass, passed, and we’re indeed here now regretting beliefs and theories and actions founded on ignorance even years later.
Yet, the full depth and scope of the possibilities of ‘true’ experimentation is limited, first, by one’s assumptions, and second, by one’s ignorance. I mean that it was my intent to, essentially, ‘forget’ how to speak… how I use my voice… to test everything imaginable. I, at one point, had everything imaginable pinned down. I placed stress every which way and memorized every response. I had to give it to my sore larynx many times for putting up with me. Now, seeing as how none of this is possible for me any longer (it all relates to the mass of your voice energy), I can’t go ahead and try to learn it all once more. Sorry about that too. You all could have greatly benefitted from some elaboration. (I do remember the tearing sensation just under the belly button, but don’t remember how it was pulled off….) I would like to be able to offer more insight for those that end up stumbling across this…. This’ll have to suffice.
Something among the many sweet nothings I often think about in my free time while I’m dozing off before some slumber is how a good number of advances in that or the other thing come about after so and so has long left the living. Is this true? I have no idea; and I don’t have any urge to find out either. There are plenty of fun things to recite to ourselves; and as a result of propaganda, bias, ignorance, censorship, and/or etc., we end up with various levels of comprehension, ignorance (the ironic kind), and acceptance. I think how I want. Folks that want to do the same should definitely stay on their own track. I am leaving this here as a kind of testimonial, you see? I am not interested in changing the minds of those who’re dedicated to the teachers of the past; however, one can merely glance at history and see that with time and exploration come invention and progress. I ask for a simple read-over.
… You take all that stuff you’re subjected to over the course of your lifetime; what else is there left to do in the time of a lifetime?! Think upon things when you’re old and mature enough to think and think upon more things (or the same things) when you’re young enough to still be able to think., of course!
Now, can I make sense of 2+2? Yes. Similarly, the answers I’ve sought and revelations I’ve made are just as clear. I recognize I won’t have the clearest English, but I’ll try my best. I don’t go out of my way to spread misinformation. I’d like to underline that. There are things like fact and opinion, and that’s fantastic! The latter, opinion, funnily interpreted (on some occasions). Conversely the former, tend to stay the same. And that’s the purpose of the scientific method, as an example, and all those learned people there that seek the ‘Truth’ have brains in their heads. I was one of them. I dare suggest I am a learned person in one thing; though, I have not any academic background in ‘it’. But to go and then prove, whether out of curiosity, or demand, or calling, that this thing and that thing does THIS, and that this thing and that thing ALONE does such a thing, is truly both a most gratifying and a most scary thing in that very moment! Truly! I tasted that revelation. I bathed for just so long in the power surrendered by that insight by putting it to the test. ‘Unlimited potential’? Surely, you jest!
This paper’s creation was heavily influenced by the writing’s of alchemists, because at the same time, it, too, IS gold before its purity has been restored. While I may not be turning lead to a precious metal, I am sharing what the other face of a coin looks like. The value of the coin is up to you the reader. Additionally, this is to be read in a passionate way.
There existsherein an attempt to explain without accurate device readouts and statistics what is. So – there – validity of happenings and good word may easily be ridiculed. There has also been some good passage of time since understandings made way for events. Some notions that will be spoken of in later publications are more recent. You will have to forgive there being no dates neither any journal entries to quote. The loss I suffered, to me personally, was far too great to justify an in-the-name-of-science mindset. I ask that those that have read this far, at the very most, scrutinize my words instead. It may be some time before others experience what I have or come out with what they have experienced. Plainly, before you think to ridicule, think of a man (or woman) who has lost their arm. This person knows that they have lost their arm. For someone to say to them that they do indeed have their arm is to convince them of a falsehood.But don’t stop there! Truths can likewise be corralled in a similar fashion! Organisms eat because they need energy. Now, specifically—of the focus of this paper—it is something felt, not seen, and like hunger: there, too, is no device to measure its sensation nor its intensity.
All we can do is make use of the ~70 years we spend here. While the intent is to bring attention to a phenomenon that exists in nature, I can fully appreciate Their decision to ignore or try to dispel what is described in these papers. There surely will be frustration felt amongst many groups. Perhaps technology must be advanced before these things written will be widely accepted. Only time may tell…. On the bright side, there is no one out there that is forcing you to remember this stuff yet. Of course, there is always the reality wherein nothing spectacular happens from here on out. Either way: I’m not holding my breath. This thing can just sit here collecting dust.Maybe it’s even fitting for an end like that. For something as niche as THE voice having ‘more to it’… … who really needs to consider that? Putting all these hypotheticals aside, what matters to me is that I took the time to write this out. Folks can take it or leave it – all as it is. Just know that Curtis experienced, documented (though it was like eight years later (originally written Nov. 25th, 2019 (21–29y/o))), and offered his mentation on the matter. Need a name (provided VST isn’t… sufficient?)? Call it ‘pseudo-voice science’ or PVS!
Understanding the Full Potential of the Voice
Understanding the full potential of the voice takes years to uncover (at least, that’s what it took me). In this paper, it will be attempted to both bring awareness to one’s own voice and describe the complex, yet simple, Voice Strength Theory. Everything here is taken for granted as there is no precedent. Take what is written here as the understandings drawn from the shell of an idea from one person; no more, no less. There will be included some ideas for voice exercises to play with; though, the main focus herein is to contemplate a mysterious phenomenon that resides in each of our bodies.
I call it Voice Strength Theory (or VST for short). Each individual is born with their own unique voice. It has been made up by the inherited strength—voice strength (or voice energy)—your lineage granted you. It’s uncertain whether the vocal cords themselves are the reason for the uniqueness of the sound of a person’s voice or if it is as a result of the composition of their voice energy. It may very well be a combination of the two. (Personally, I find it highly likely that it is a combination of the two.) Even twins can be told apart from the sound of their voices. This is just an example—when realistically, there would be some variance in the two’s voice strength (especially over a larger amount of time).
Previous generations typically have stronger voices because it was a necessity to have a strong voice, to be heard across great distances. Nowadays, this is something only some people in certain careers or workplaces require. More on that later…. Save for a handful of industrial settings, humans in this modern age (in 1st world countries) don’t require strong voices. In place of the voice (like how the rest of the animal kingdom has to rely), mankind has technological devices. These make communication require much less effort, thus, taking away any burden for our voice to carry. Here is an image of what is to come for mankind:
You are sitting at the dinner table with your family. Your voices are no longer utilized in this day and age. As a result, a device has been invented…. It is called ‘Voice-O-Matic’ …. With its help, it is possible to hear the voices of your loved ones. Let us contemplate for a moment just how small some dinner tables can be! Forget dinner tables! You’d need to carry the Voice-O-Matic with you at all times!
Evolution is the observable change in organisms over periods of time. Now take the discernable change in human voices’ power since the 40s, let’s say – just for a quick case. Of course, there are those that can point out: technology has changed since the 40s. Yes, but compare any actor’s voice from the 40s to those we have now. Sure, the acting method has changed, and sure, the expectations have changed, as well, but simultaneously the voices’ power has changed. (I had originally included allusions to older recordings of singers; however, it is much easier to cherry-pick with singers’ voices’ power, and so have left them out…. Though go ahead and compare them too, if you so desire.) Some may cry out, “Oh! It isn’t fair!”; but go and listen to animals in the ‘wild’ too! The disparity in voice strength to humans is unmistakable. But think about it: How else does one explain why change occurs in organisms than by surmising one thing or anothing was needed due to necessity—conditions in its environment. Humans don’t need their appendix anymore, am I right? So get rid of it! Who’s to say the same can’t be done with the voice (in a more less rip-out-your-larynx way)?
It is understood that our vocal folds grow as we age. Let us not forget that tidbit, thus, somewhat explaining the change in deepness or richness of its timbre. However, what if I was to say that that change is mainly to do with voice energy? From the time we are born to the time we are without life, the growth of this energy is constant—through the force exerted on it: constantly building…. The desire—striving to be heard—pushing it out. Something that you may be familiar with is the wanting-to-be-heard or wanting-to-sound-‘better’ feeling. In what calibre this behavior or motive manifests is purely a personalized matter. For parents, teachers, peers, those hard at hearing—”They need to hear!” or “I want to be heard by ___!”—it might just ring true. These are the basic thoughts behind what actions we take that drive us as individuals to behave the way we do; and this situation has become ever more dire with each new generation because of technology. (There is an elephant in the room named Eugenics, too, but let’s just keep that in our back pocket….)
LIke the heart that, throughout its lifetime, forever cycles the blood in our bodies, voice energy is always moving and compounding conditional to demand. In fact, sleep-time may be the only time when it is not actively doing anything. It can only be speculated what voice energy does—how it behaves—during the unconscious period of an animal (… with vocal folds). Perhaps it does indeed accelerate its growth, encouraged to do so from the nature of the dreams we have…. So, then, from this natural growth to what all this looks like:
The first three images are of (from left to right): the spherical nature of voice energy and two images depicting one of the more common patterns that voice energy makes.
The two pairs of images on the far right are of (from top to bottom): force exerted outward from below the jaw and the corresponding place an airy sensation is felt in the larynx to its right, leading to a great increase of voice energy, and its counterpart which leads to a great decrease in voice energy.
Above there is illustrated a single fragment of a single piece of a common pattern that voice energy repeats. Of course, you are not seeing anything. Really! The energy of the voice is something you feel. (Thanks to the great loss of voice energy that I sustained, I was able to gain a wholly different perspective on voice energy – of which no other has ever been privy.) It can be thought of as a large orb around the throat area. When put into motion by constant force, the effects of its energy rotating a.k.a. growing may be perceived in a limited way.
Waves of growth is what the behavior of the patterns of the voice energy is called. Without technology making some fantastic leaps, it is certainly impossible to record how complex the waves of growth are; and it will likely not ever be possible to properly document how they begin. The most anyone can do is feel them when (and how) they are felt. Plainly speaking, waves of growth are only perceivable when significant force is placed on the energy of the voice. ‘Force’ is not to be mistaken for yelling. No! Rather, by ‘force’ what is meant is the intentional use of the voice especially when sustained. Why ‘especially when sustained’? Because, if it is of no surprise, merely using the voice when its energy has been partially drained counts as enough force to feel your voice cycle through many states in a day.
One potential way to experience the after-effects of the states of the waves of growth is to choose a moderately high pitch and hold that note firmly. A sort of pressure in the chest may present amidst any number of other sensations. Dizziness is not uncommon, so be careful! As essentially what you are doing is ‘suffocating the brain’ through an ‘extreme’ state created intentionally. Consciousness really has only one thing it can do under these circumstances. (I have blacked out multiple times (and almost broke my pinky during my adventures (I presume by squarely landing on it)). Relating to after-effects: enhanced vocal fry, changes to resonance, more difficulty or more ease in projecting the voice out. In any case, expect change when subjecting the voice to strenuous activity. Singers are probably most aware of the changes in their voice because states and waves of growth directly affect accessibility to ‘established’ vocal range. It should be noted: When any trait or quality in your voice appears after or during exercising, it is solely the fault of whatever state the waves of growth have settled into (provided you haven’t damaged your vocal folds in any way).
My thoughts into the validity of ‘warming up of the vocal folds’ are surrounded by great skepticisms. It is the inconspicuous nature of states that has led them being overlooked for so long. Someone who regularly uses scales to exercise their range will undoubtedly encourage a state respective of that exercise to manifest. In the same way, someone who must push their voice out every day will have a much louder and fuller voice than others. Yes! This is exactly how unnoticeable voice energy is!
Make note of how it is impossible to maintain the way your voice sounds at the time you wake up. In fact, conduct a small experiment yourself! Refrain from speaking until noon after waking up in the morning. Then ask yourself: Does your voice sound the same as it would had you spoke upon first waking up? You can guess what I think you’ll notice. These are states. It is inferred that with unconsciousness comes something akin to little to zero force being placed on your voice energy. So, essentially, from the time you wake up until the time you fall asleep, there is some force, regardless of whether you’re speaking or not. I call this passive force. It is just simply more intense when speaking (for which I have no name), and more so intense when doing any kind of training like singing or voice exercises (for which I call active force).
And so, keep in mind, you’re always adding to the strength of your voice. Especially for a singer, the reality behind states and the waves of growth that make them up can be greatly frustrating; because one’s voice strength can be manipulated only so much, desires are often accompanied by high expectations – expectations that cannot be met. Once one state has passed, voice energy is already on the move into another – being led into by waves of growth. Remember: The states of this energy are formed by the whole ‘orb’. The bigger the orb, the more densely packed the waves of growth are, leading to much longer-lasting states. ‘Richness’, ‘fullness’, ‘power’: these then come into the critic’s vocabulary. Vocal exercises are proven to work because the force transforms the state into one that is more appropriate for pitch ascent and descent. Beyond this, it is ignorant of wants, because it is a natural construct – built to last – and not particularly for the purpose of maintaining a wide vocal range indefinitely (though it does eventually come…). At least most noticeably in singers, once the overall orb of voice energy has been sufficiently packed, its state must observe an even greater change. Music appreciators witness this happening through the lens of recordings of music groups or artists whose lead singer makes use of a gradually decreasing vocal range over the span of their career. And, honestly, I am generalizing so very much too (much more than I like); but it is near impossible to explain each of the states without going through it yourself. It is unreasonable to expect the clearest depiction of this particular phenomenon by a pioneer (or perhaps it isn’t).
In the illustration above there is reference to airy sensations that can be felt in the larynx region when a technique is used to force voice energy to accelerate its growth. The sensation itself is ‘airy’; though, it is also so condensed to feel sharp as it rises up. It is not painful. It is also not felt in the actual tissue of the larynx but to its left or to its right. To explain this behavior, one may need to fully comprehend the “true” shapes of the waves of growth in their most rudimentary stages. Until technology has developed to the point where it can measure voice strength and more, we can only guess at the hidden equation that makes it all work. Prepare yourself! Should you decide to try this technique for yourself, there is one consequence so weighted: it is hard to underline it enough. While it is possible to very quickly grow your voice, weakening (or ‘losing’) it IS attainable too! All that can be told of this technique will be available in the following section of this paper.
Surely when the people of human civilizations find more confidence in their voices through understanding and the knowledge that this golden age can bring, they will make even the animal kingdom envious. And from then on, expect voices strong and stronger than the vehicles they operate. Although there is so much to learn, the fundamentals of communication are discovered, first, by inspiration and empathy, and then with change. Those that use their voices a lot or are more empathetic to their voices, and will have their own recongnizable perspective unlike the strangers around them. Do not take for granted what you hear in another’s voice. Listening intently (especially to singers’ voices – for those that have an affinity for music or actors – for those that have an affinity for the stage) can be very rewarding and grant much insight; new insight, even!
Technique and some theory
So, basically, the theory behind why this works is as follows: A particular state allows the energy of the voice to ‘skip’. But first, a threshold must be crossed. There is no way to actually know how strong one’s voice must be before this technique becomes viable. All I know: it took about seven years of singing before a question of what might be possible popped into my mind. I specify how long it was because it is known that a certain voice strength IS needed. This all hinges on the power of your voice and the state that it has been pushed into. For me, I don’t know whether it was possible at an earlier time. That is completely up in the air; though, I am hesitant to believe I could have done it much sooner, given the way my voice had begun to behave months leading up to the big ‘breakthrough’. So, yes, there are a couple prerequisites. Among the words I use, ‘critical mass’ seems to work well with labeling the mass of the voice required that enables moments of rapidly accelerating growth.
To go about readying the voice, you’ll need to practice glottal stops while making a short, sudden utterance like uh. Do not edge. Make sudden utterances. I recommend listening to music, uttering to the beat or to the syllables of the singer or whatever works well for you. Do this for up to two hours at a time for days and for months – for as long as it takes to grow your appreciation for the strength of your voice. Keep in mind: this is something to do to push the state of your voice into the right shape. I am not about to speculate how long it would take for this to push your voice energy beyond critical mass without first singing for years and years (provided you were born with roughly the same voice energy as me). And perhaps what i had aforementioned would grant some great boost to potential and efficiency (you know, the part about choosing a somewhat high note and holding it for extended periods of time…). In any case, all I know is what I did to achieve success.
• Seven years of singing nearly every day (including 4-6 hour nightly walks (no, not for the entire seven years, but it was for a long period of time), singing all the while) • Glottal stops with sudden utterances for roughly a 2-3 months for extended periods of time • Epiphany: What if by pushing out in a straight line from the throat while uttering, something would happen? (Because it became clear that my voice was inferior in some way to the singers I was listening to) (The opening of Dirt by Alice In Chains) • Push out in a straight line from the throat while uttering once (there were a couple test-gos which harnessed some weaker effort first) • Sensation as described in image and in text above happens
I do believe it does take some time for the state to come about. I, personally, experienced a sort of rumbling in my chest when I was testing out the theory days leading up to the day. A confident amount of effort is required. But you think about how long it takes to ‘warm up’ from vocal exercises…. An hour may be the minimum time necessary before ‘skipping’ is possible at all. Furthermore, these ‘grunts’. if you will, aren’t to just be done haphazardly either. You must be trying to make each uniform and the same in every way. Feel is of the utmost importance as well, for it is left to intuition, for the most part, to tell you when you’re doing it right or wrong – when your voice is sufficiently strong too! Each individual utterance must be identical! Someone with too small a mass of energy making up their voice will not be able to replicate and deliver utterance after utterance in the exact same way. (I know when I began, I was not capable of doing so.)
Now, producing glottal stops alongside the utterances may sound redundant as we’re using the voice and sucking out as much potential from it as possible, yes; however, they are incredibly important to do in unison! The reason they are so essential is because they act as a guide, to stop you from placing focus too far left, right, forward, back, &/or any possible degree of constituent making up the sphere! Even with glottal stops to aid you in maintaining a center and keeping focus anchored to its origin, you WILL experience strange pains and soreness in the larynx from all the trial and error. Maybe earlier I had stated multiple hours a day for months would suit you in training to ‘skip’ voice energy. The truth: work up to that or, at least, don’t be shy about cutting a session early if you get hit by something alarming. Be patient and relaxed and don’t ever force anything through pain or soreness. That is how you injure yourself! (Personally, the most interesting of all the pains I’d experienced: a sharp pulling sensation near the belly button (if I recall correctly, that meant focus was facing too far down (be mindful! It has been years for me! This may very well not be what it was!)).)
A couple other things to keep in mind is that when performing the actual skip, you are pushing out solely on your voice, not air, not your neck, and certainly not any other place on your body. If this is something that is foreign to you, you either have not the strength in your voice to achieve the purpose of skipping through critical mass or you have not trained long enough. Secondly, pay attention to how much effort you are placing into these glottal stops and utterances. Little effort is harnessed! I cannot stress that enough….
I found it very helpful to have the singing of my favourite singers in my ears as all of this was going on. It served as the catalyst for my epiphany, to try to push the sound of the glottal stop out. It was from hearing the ‘impact’, for lack of a better word, during their singing that made me wonder if the answer was so simple. It was, honestly, the very next day that I put the revelation to the test. It pretty well just feels like your voice skips out from your mouth along with the sharp, airy feeling rising up the right side of the larynx.
Please let this also be a cautionary thing. I don’t know how to prevent the weakening of the voice other than by simply talking and/or singing normally. Don’t let the waves of growth or abrupt change of states (after a successful skip) make you think you need to change anything in the focus of your speech. In fact, I believe a great way to avoid weakening one’s voice is to do some regular voice exercises… … up and down, up and down… … just before heading inside. Something easy to help you settle down. At all costs, avoid trying to push straight out and somewhat up when in regular speech! This is how I ‘lost’ my voice! Do not repeat what I did! The reason I point this out is because the sudden change in states really confused me. I didn’t know which way was up, or down, or anything! Be confident in how it was you used to speak before taking on anything. Pressing down while speaking is not harmful! There seemed to be a sort of sweet spot that you could reach just a little ways out during the exercising after a couple utterances. I am not talking pitch or volume! It was this spot that led me to try to speak that way, to try to reach it during regular speech. The best advice I can give is: Don’t do that! Talk regularly, and save the change in focus for when you are out exercising.
You know, I’ll admit that by putting this out there, it’ll greatly increase the risk of individuals finding success, but then succumbing to weakening their voice. Whether it’s on purpose of accident, it really doesn’t matter. The bottom line is: the effects are permanent or they’d may as well be seen that way. It took me six months to not be bed ridden (because of depression), and then an additional couple years to no longer have to yell (and yes, I mean literally yell) to be heard. The rapid development of voice energy you experienced while you were in the womb is not possible once you’re out and about. You can expect to never be able to recover the power you once had. So, don’t fool around. I speak with what is now 10 years of experience. I cannot sing even remotely close to how I used to be able to; and all because of one fateful day when I got into an argument over how 8-track tapes worked. This technique is like taking nature in your hands and truly modifying it at will. Evolution in a can is not something to take lightly.
Q & A
Q: I’ve been yelling like you said and nothing is happening! What am I doing wrong? A: There is no yelling in any of this. People have been yelling with all their hearts for centuries. Don’t expect something miraculous to happen doing that.
Q: What does all this mean? A: This paper explains why some people are naturally louder than others (not just explaining their loud personalities), why many people that try to sing can’t, and, by extension, why voices change the way they do as we age.
Q: Can anyone do this? A: I don’t know. Probably.
Q: Are you sure you’re not just the only person in the world with this ability to make your voice louder? A: While that’s a cute thought, I do have the suspicion that someone somewhere has already accidentally done it.
Q: Is this meant to be serious? A: Yes. It was my intent to write out what I’ve come to understand (as rationally as possible) after experiencing things following extensive voice experimentation.
Q: How does this affect me? A: Think about it like you would about your car. You don’t know how the car works, but it drives around just the same. But if you want to be able to understand how the car works, you’ll read about it.
Q: Do you believe in ghosts? A: Kind of, I guess. I don’t really care. If they exist, then that’s good for them.
Q: What are your thoughts on measuring voice strength? A: I have a couple ideas. My first idea was using burps, as ridiculous as that sounds. The issue being that no burp is the same as another. A far better way would be to hear how loud someone is when they inhale and utter at the same time instead. There’s only so much anyone can do to force air in and vocalize at the same time, so it’s fairly sure to give okay results. If you’re curious, for me, I’m really quiet – and it’s really difficult to even make noise while inhaling. I remember from before all of this, I could make pretty decent sounds while inhaling…. … Not anymore.
Q: If this picks up and lots of singers and actors begin to take advantage of this, what do you think would happen? A: Well, that would be up to them, really. I have no idea what people would end up doing with unlimited potential. There might be those that want to have voices stronger than a jet engine. Others might be satisfied with just not needing a mic. I can’t help but wonder what it feels like to have a voice as strong as an elephant or other larger animal (as modest as that may sound). I’m sure it feels unreal especially when the strength of a regular voice feels pretty cool in of itself.
Q: How many people do you think will read this and think it was anything worth thinking about? A: One. Me for thinking of the question in the first place.
Q: What will your later papers be about? A: More VST things. There’s a lot I think about but forget… … which turns around and end up remembering some time later. I have three more written out, but they need about as much help as this one needed. So really, it may be quite a while before I publish any more. Don’t remind me of the times I’ve already tried talking about this stuff….
