Exploring the Musicality of How You Sound
“This approach to voice is designed to liberate the natural voice and thereby develop a vocal technique that serves the freedom of human expression. The basic assumption of the work is that everyone possesses a voice capable of expressing, through a two- to four-octave natural pitch range, whatever gamut of emotion, complexity of mood, and subtlety of thought he or she experiences.” ~ Kristin Linklater
Quick Summary
- Explore your vocal range and all its notes, ensuring you always have enough breath.
- Inflections, parentheticals, and quotes are all great (and powerful) ways to hold attention, break up the sound, and vary the tone of what you’re saying.
- The attitude you bring, along with the rise and fall of your voice, can contribute to a particular feeling in the listener.
To illustrate the points:
One of the greatest examples on film of using his vocal range is Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (for which he won an Academy Award).
In perhaps one of my favorite clips from Saturday Night Live, Jon Lovitz and Jon Lithgow portray “classical” actors (the second clip also features the always outstanding Phil Hartman). Where they take their voices is hilarious, but again—a fantastic example of what you can do with the voice and how it can convey emotion, power, and clarity!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/276070
A silly, but nonetheless, relevant example of the sound your voice can make, from Howard Stern’s Private Parts.
Time to practice!
- Scales. Do a full version (or abbreviated, if you’re already warm) of the physical and vocal warmups, and then do the yawning and scales.
- On camera: select a different short poem/speech (from the one you did in Module 2/Section 1), experimenting with vocal inflections and tone (where can you rise and fall, where can you drive the point, etc.); Post to the group!