Chapter 4
Curing Common Vocal Problems
IN THIS CHAPTER
Getting rid of vocal fry
Alleviating upspeak
Batting down breathiness
Revoicing your voice
Do you remember being a baby? Probably not. But let me tell you how it was, having had two babies of my own. The biggest difference between me and my babies that I noticed (aside from the littleness and not being able to do anything) is that they experience little stress. They might cry over not getting fed immediately, but a few words from me might have them smiling. This is not to say that babies don’t experience stress, but definitely not as much as they will when they get older.
As they grow up, with each upsize of shoes, an added layer of stress and worry gets lumped onto them. At first, it’s just spelling tests. Then homework and chores. Then standardized tests, more chores, and so on. But with every level of stress they accumulate, they also learn behaviors to mitigate that stress and figure out what needs to be figured out. They may hold their breath, clench their teeth, or tense their facial muscles. Some of those behaviors will ...
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