For those who are unaware, having a deep voice surprisingly has many benefits. By widening your vocal range, you can achieve a smoother baritone sound for a track. You can also become a better voice actor with a new range of voices. And believe it or not, it can make you seem more attractive.
Speaking slowly can help in controlling the flow of speech and preventing a higher pitch out of breathlessness. It allows more air to vibrate around the words before they are projected outwards, giving more resonance and depth to the voice.
In this article
- Understanding the Different Voice Types
- Soprano
- Alto
- Tenor
- Bass
- What Makes a Deep Voice? The Role of Vocal Cords
- Simple Tips on How to Make Your Voice Deeper
- Good Posture and Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Exercises to Strengthen Neck Muscles
- Other Vocal Exercises Connected to Posture
- Drink More Water
- Why Would Voice Actors Try for a Deeper Voice?
- Iconic Actors with Deep Voices
- Should I Hire a Vocal Coach?
- Conclusion
It’s important to maintain a natural voice while attempting to deepen it, avoiding any strain or harsh changes.
A deep voice is authoritative and thunderous, demanding attention. This is a typical trait of a leader and is a highly sought-after range in voice acting. If you want to learn about some of the ways you can deepen your voice, read on here.
Understanding the Different Voice Types
There are many different voice types, and being able to switch between any of them is a valuable talent for an actor. Mastering control over vocal depth can create opportunities for voiceover work in areas such as commercial ads, animated films and video games.
The four main vocal types are soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Other vocal types fall between the ranges of the main four.
Soprano
The soprano voice stands out from other voice types due to its distinctive timbre and impressive high notes. Sopranos are singers who bring a light, airy tone to the mix and who frequently possess tremendous tonal richness and depth.
Alto
The alto has an interesting vocal range with a dual meaning that can refer to either a woman with a deep voice or a man with a high voice. Altos often use a breathy voice, speaking in a more aspirated kind of way, which results in a deeper and more attractive tone.
Tenor
The highest male voice is a tenor, who, like sopranos, can sing exhilarating high notes and frequently has a brilliant shining timbre. This vocal range falls between the countertenor and baritone voice types and has the smallest range.
Bass
The bass is a rare but crucial component of musical creation. It is the deepest of the four major vocal types and is typically only found among men. Bass singers need to develop a powerful lung capacity to deliver their powerful voice to its fullest.
What Makes a Deep Voice? The Role of Vocal Cords
The size and thickness of the vocal cords have a major impact on how deep a voice is. Longer and thicker vocal cords produce lower pitches, which means you need to lengthen your vocal cords to attain the sound you want. The vocal tract — which includes the throat, nasal passages, sinus and mouth — also plays a crucial role in the production of a deep voice by enhancing the resonance of the sound.
Diaphragmatic breathing can impact the way a person’s voice sounds. This technique, often used by voice actors and singers, can help control the pitch of the voice and create a vibration while speaking or singing.
During puberty, our larynx vocal cords lengthen and thicken. Additionally, as you age, your facial bones and sinus cavities enlarge, giving your face more room and enhancing the reverberation of your voice, resulting in a deeper voice. Factors affecting voice depth include physical attributes such as the size and shape of vocal cords, age-related hormonal changes and health conditions like acid reflux or respiratory issues.
Simple Tips on How to Make Your Voice Deeper
Since you can’t physically lengthen your vocal cords to attain the vocal range you desire, let’s go over other ways of accomplishing this.
Good Posture and Diaphragmatic Breathing
Surprisingly, many people don’t breathe properly. They breathe in a way that puts more tension on their vocal cords, raising the pitch of their voice. However, this is an issue that you can correct with practice.
Good posture can contribute to a deeper voice by allowing for better breath control. When you slouch, your lungs have less space to expand, limiting the amount of air you can take in. This can lead to shallow breathing and a thinner-sounding voice. Conversely, standing tall with your shoulders back and chest open creates more space in your lungs. This deeper breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, provides a stronger foundation for your vocal cords to vibrate, resulting in a richer, deeper tone. It is also one of the easiest ways to make your voice deeper.
To breathe from your diaphragm, inhale through your mouth and allow your stomach to flex outward. Avoid moving your shoulders to avoid performing this task incorrectly. Then, your stomach will tighten as you exhale, allowing the air to come from your diaphragm. Mastering this technique will give you a richer and more resonant voice.
Exercises to Strengthen Neck Muscles
You can also lower your voice by loosening and toning the sternocleidomastoids. These are the muscles that run from behind your ear to your collarbone. When they become tense, they tug on your vocal cords, which raises the pitch of your voice. But, when you relax them, it does the opposite.
Other Vocal Exercises Connected to Posture
Similar to using your diaphragm to breathe, performing vocal exercises while maintaining proper posture is a simple way to make your voice deeper. Maintaining proper posture aids in breathing and ensures that your vocal cords are free to produce a loud and clear sound. The airflow required for a deep voice is constrained by poor posture, slouching and dropping your chin.
Using the chest voice in vocal exercises is crucial to develop more resonance and depth in your voice.
The combination of a correct posture alongside voice exercises is the most effective way to achieve the vocal change you desire. These methods strengthen your neck muscles, including neck stretches, and help you attain a deeper voice. The humming exercise is just one of the many examples.
To start, put your head down with your chin against your chest. Let out a deep hum from your diaphragm and slowly raise your chin off your chest as you do so. Continue until your head and chin are pointing up into the air as you finish your hum. Try to maintain the deep natural tone and repeat this exercise at least five times twice a day.
Another effective method is to focus on downward inflection. Additionally, training the respiratory and resonatory systems can help make your voice sound deeper.
Drink More Water
Drinking water has so many benefits that many people don’t even know they are missing out on. Thicker vocal cords are just one of many. Unexpectedly, many people are dehydrated because they don’t drink half a gallon of water per day. Your vocal cords will shrink as a result of dehydration, which is just one of the many reasons drinking more water is vital.
Why Would Voice Actors Try for a Deeper Voice?
Having this talent allows voice actors to voice a wider variety of characters. Voice actors should broaden their range because doing so not only gives them new experiences but also increases their income by auditioning for a wider variety of jobs.
Deeper voices are often associated with control, sincerity, leadership and attraction. Voice actors with this skill have more opportunities to portray authoritative and compelling characters.
Iconic Actors with Deep Voices
The most iconic deep voice in recent popular culture has to go to James Earl Jones. As the voice of many iconic characters from Darth Vader to Mufasa, there isn’t a more dominant voice actor that commands attention like Jones. Many other voice talents can contend, however, such as Morgan Freeman, Geena Davis, Keith David, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kristen Stewart, Sean Connery and Vin Diesel.
When it comes to singers, however, it doesn’t get any deeper than the legendary voices of Barry White and Isaac Hayes.
These naturally deep voices might have also used various techniques to sound deeper, focusing on the respiratory and resonatory systems rather than forcing the voice unnaturally.
Should I Hire a Vocal Coach?
Working with a voice coach can help you understand your usable vocal range and improve the resonance of your voice.
A vocal coach can be a valuable asset in your quest for a deeper voice. While there are exercises you can try on your own, a coach can provide personalized guidance to ensure you’re using healthy techniques. They can identify any bad habits that might be hindering your progress, like vocal strain from forcing a lower pitch. Moreover, a coach can tailor exercises to your specific voice and goals, helping you achieve a deeper tone that sounds natural and complements your overall speaking style. They’ll also be there to monitor your progress and adjust your approach as needed, maximizing your chances of achieving the richer, more confident voice you desire.
Conclusion
You may not attain the deep voice of someone like James Earl Jones or Isaac Hayes, but with the information above, you will surely expand your vocal range in no time. You will be able to gain the attention of casting directors and music lovers all over.
Let’s hear how deep your voice can go! Tag Voices on TikTok to show us your deepest voice over.
Comments
Great voices
Excited about the prospect of getting voice over jobs. Thank you for the opportunity.
What time is suitable for neck rolling excercise ?