Our voices are one of the things that make us unique. Many times you can recognize a person simply by the sound of their voice, without needing to actually see them. Each person’s voice is completely unique and is the combination for their size and shape of their vocal cords, as well as the shape of the individual’s body.
Some voices are like music to our ears, while others can sound like nails being scrapped down a chalkboard. One thing that most people have in common is that they don’t actually like the sound of their own voice. When you hear a recording of yourself speaking, most people shudder and feel very uncomfortable with how their voice sounds. There is a big difference between how a person thinks their voice sounds, and what it actually does sound like.
Factors that influence your voice
As mentioned previously, two important factors that make a person’s voice what it is are the size and shape of their vocal cords as well as their physical shape and size. There are of course some additional factors that have an influence on what we sound like when we speak.
Our gender is an obvious one, and boys will develop larger vocal cords than girls do from birth, with studies showing that the larynx is enlarged due to testosterone. The height of a person is also a factor, with taller people usually having larger lungs and airways that give them much deeper voices than shorter individuals.
Another factor that not many people take into consideration is that elements of your voice are actually heredity. You’ve probably noticed that you and other family members have similar voices. This is not a coincidence and is something that is passed down through the generations.
How to change the sound of your voice
Many people have a very strong desire to change the way their voice sounds, whether it be for personal or professional reasons. There are a number of ways that they can achieve this, from everything such as hiring a vocal coach or purchasing a voice changing device from an online store such as SpyCentre, which has a range of unique gadgets and equipment for sale.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the most popular ways in which a person can work to change the way their voice sounds, as well as a look at a couple of unusual methods that some people are using.
Disguise your voice
There are a few techniques that people often use to try and disguise their voices, but these are only practical for situations where you can speak over the telephone, and not face to face.
If you want to really change the way your voice sounds when speaking on the telephone, you simply need to hold your noise as you talk. By blocking air from entering and exiting your nostrils, you will have more air trapped inside the mouth and throat, which results in a deeper sounding voice, as the vocal cords will be vibrating differently.
You could also try and put on a different accent when speaking to disguise your voice, but this is only going to be effective if you are able to stick to a specific accent, and not drift around to different ones. That will be a dead giveaway and won’t take the person at the other end of the telephone line too long to realise that you are messing them around.
Another similar way, but one that’s slightly easier than doing an accent, is to muffle your voice when speaking. This can be done by simply holding your hand over the mouthpiece on the phone or covering it with a handkerchief or some other form of material.
Learning to speak again
In addition to working with a vocal coach, which in a lot of situations can be a pretty expensive solution, there are a number of different exercises that you can do daily to help modify your voice.
Once you’ve decided what you’d like to change about your voice, such as whether you want to increase the pitch, then there are lots of websites that have various vocal cord exercises that you can do each day. Though this is a long term process and one that will take a lot of time, practice and dedication, it is something that a lot of people are willing to do, especially those that have a serious desire to alter the way their voice sounds.
Surgical solutions to change your voice
If you want to change your voice on a more permanent level, then there are several different surgical procedures that you can have done that can change the pitch and tone of your voice.
One popular procedure for individuals that have a deep voice and want it to sound higher, is to undergo what is known as voice feminization surgery, or feminization laryngoplasty (which is the medical name). This is a technique where the size of the voice box is reduced, and the vocal cords are also made shorter. This is a procedure that is often undertaken by trans women.
Another procedure is one that involves loosening an individual’s vocal cords, which lowers the pitch of the voice. Mass can also be added to the vocal cords by the rearrangement of soft tissue.
One other surgical procedure involves the use of a laser. This is known as laser vocal cord running, and can assist in raising the pitch of an individual by tightening their vocal chords.
Novelty and fun ways to change your voice
Sometimes you might want to change yourself simply for a joke or to have a little fun. One of the most popular and fun ways of doing this is through one of the various voice changing apps that you can download for your mobile.
These apps are usually available for both the iPhone and Android devices, and though free, usually have in-app purchases, which will let you purchase additional effects.
These apps are lots of fun, and you can create voice messages to send to your friends or relatives. Some of the apps also have a real time function so you can chat with your friends in a completely different voice to your real one.
