The Powerful Effect Of A Relaxed, Deep Voice

[Tarmander]

As someone who uses their voice in both work and my hobbies (podcasting), I am always amazed at how significant a deeper resonate voice is to success.

With a strong deep voice, people listen closer, respect you more, want to hear what you have to say, believe you more often, laugh more at your jokes, and the list goes on.

With a strained voice, you can easily become invisible.

Now I am not talking about just pitch. There are deep voices that sound strained and weak, and high voices that ring strong and true. For example, see The Rock, who has pumped tons of voice deepening testosterone analogs into his body, but who has a strained weak voice indicating poor health:



I believe it more has to do with whether your vocal cords are relaxed or tight. As Peat says, the ability to relax takes energy.

How do we attain this majestic strong voice?

That is what this thread is about.

One of the ways I have found is alcohol, and you can test this out for yourself.

If I drink 3-4 beers or their equivalent, the next day my voice will gain this majestic quality. I have used this for big sales presentations and particularly important podcasts. The night before I will have some beers and I sound great the next day.

See raging alcoholic John Mcafee with a deep resonant voice on display (at 40 seconds):



Mcafee drinks liters of hard alcohol a day. And he isn't the only alcoholic who could voice over any new action movie. It works for women too(go to the 4:30 mark):



On the other side, famotidine I have found does that exact opposite and strains my voice. Even tightens all my muscles up as well.

How does your voice sound? Are you raspy and invisible, or resonate and powerful?

 

[Beastmode]

I had a podcast right before I went full force with diet, lifestyle, etc (aligned with peat) and I was always told I had a trusting and smooth voice. It was deep before, but it's definitely gotten even deeper since sorting out my metabolism.

I don't drink so I don't know how it would impact it.

 

[metabolizm]

I completely agree with all the points you made here. A deep voice (in a man) always commands respect and attention, and a higher pitched voice usually does the opposite. (I suppose Marlon Brando was a rare exception, but he had plenty compensating characteristics). My voice waxes and wanes, but when it's high and weak I'm almost too embarrassed to talk to people.

Here is what Ray said to me in an email on this topic:

"The basic pitch gets lower as the larynx grows under the influence of androgen, but nervous tension, tightening the muscles, increases the pitch. Swelling of the vocal cords affects the sound quality, too."

 

[mangoes]

Unless we’re talking about pop music where a tenor voice is always preferred and more successful

 

[yerrag]

For me, James Earl Jones is the archetypal deep voice. I think the resonance has to do with the facial structure, that brings about a nice timbre based on good resonance. And the nose has a lot to do with it.

A bit of nasality but not too much that the nasal twang isn't going to be detectable and jar the senses.

Maybe the alcohol has the effect of constricting the nasal passageway enough to produce this subtle nasality?

Wonder what inhaling Vicks would do to that alcoholuc deep voice of yours from drinking alcohol.

 

[Tarmander]

Here is an odd example of a high voice that still has resonance and strength...despite being a bit annoying



James Earl Jones is another great example.

@metabolizm I also don't like talking when my voice gets strained

 

[Frankdee20]

Magnesium relaxes the muscles by antagonizing Calcium and the right amount always makes my voice deeper, which is already kind of baritone...

 

[YourUniverse]

So true. I think because a deep voice necessitates that so many other, smaller working parts, are working properly (hormones, situational assuredness/confidence, physical growth and development and etc). Its like a personal health resume that you cant authentically fake, for all around you to see (hear). Similarly, speech pathologies can work against this..

I also find posture to command respect, especially chin raised (allowing the natural curve in the neck). This shows people you are optimally breathing in air, unobstructedly, and are not overcome by fear (and the impulse to protect your neck, putting the chin down).

 

[YourUniverse]

Interesting note re: mcafee and alcohol. The most dominant, successful man I've ever known unfortunately was an alcoholic, and he had a truly deep, commanding voice with voice tone to match.

 

[yerrag]

I wonder if anyone's played around with tuning forks?

If you have two tuning forks of the same frequency, and they're close enough to each other, and you hit one, the other will also hum. That is what resonance is.

And say if you have a tuning fork in your nose, and another one, same frequency in your lung, and they start humming together, and the lungs and nose each have the structure that amplifies the hum, then you will have a deep rich voice.

If you growl, does the growl come only from your chest, and does it come from both your chest and your nose?

 

[Tarmander]

Interesting note re: mcafee and alcohol. The most dominant, successful man I've ever known unfortunately was an alcoholic, and he had a truly deep, commanding voice with voice tone to match.

Yeah there are many alcoholics who match that description.

At first I thought it was a person with that kind of personality/body type who craved alcohol. But after experimenting with alcohol, I think it's the booze that augments their power.

 

[Nebula]

I had a huge feast of grassfed lamb a few weeks ago with my brother who raised them in his pasture. I noticed my voice could reach a few steps deeper than normal when we were playing guitar and singing together. It was amazing I was hitting bass notes strong I usually can’t hit in my usual tenor/baritone range. I’ve also noticed a similar effect a few times with topical progesterone on my neck, but the voice deepening and resonance effect doesn’t seem predictable or as strong every time. I’d love my voice to feel that resonant all the time. It feels great and always seems to be accompanied by a jolly, confident, relaxed mood too.

 

[boris]

I have a deeper voice when I am well fed. When I‘m stressed out and skip a meal my voice gets high pitched / weak.

I noticed the same thing you said about the next day after drinking. It sound like a completely different person to me. Very deep sounding, I wish it was always that way .

Although I don‘t understand why it happens, is it just a loosening of the vocal cords? The alcohol aromatizes androgens to estrogen right, so hormonally speaking the effect should be the opposite.

 

[Inaut]

I also find posture to command respect, especially chin raised (allowing the natural curve in the neck). This shows people you are optimally breathing in air, unobstructedly, and are not overcome by fear (and the impulse to protect your neck, putting the chin down).

Very astute of you to pick up on this. Well done my boy! (in an old Sean Connery voice)

 

[YourUniverse]

Very astute of you to pick up on this. Well done my boy! (in an old Sean Connery voice)

 

[Tarmander]

The alcohol aromatizes androgens to estrogen right, so hormonally speaking the effect should be the opposite.

I think Androgens lengthen vocal cords and make them deeper, but that doesn't necessarily mean the voice will sound resonate and powerful. Deep voices, like the Rock above, can sound raspy and tired. So something else is going on. Maybe GABA from the alcohol?

 

[YourUniverse]

I think Androgens lengthen vocal cords and make them deeper, but that doesn't necessarily mean the voice will sound resonate and powerful. Deep voices, like the Rock above, can sound raspy and tired. So something else is going on. Maybe GABA from the alcohol?

It may be authenticity. When you speak from your heart, and not with an agenda or from being a dancing monkey, I think it resonates more deeply (even from an audial standpoint). The rock has become a bit of a dancing monkey, I doubt his soul is captured in the video clip you shared.

 

[TheCalciumCad]

Breathe into your BALLS

 

[MatheusPN]

Thanks interesting points, thanks, makes lots of sense that a relaxed/ unrestricted person while talking will have a more powerful voice.

In relation to voice pitch...
Wagner83, posted that:
"Redirect Notice
A shortish text on voice and hormones: DHTdht, excess gh, ACTH , estrogens, menstrual cycle and thyroid are all mentioned. It seems that voice could become deeper ("lower frequency") through negative hormonal changes too."

To which I add something similar to this: Hypothyroid was more correlated with a deeper in one study...

That topic of voice is very similar to the beard... Anti-androgens (minoxidil, castor oil etc) are the most established ways to induce beard growth and at the same time androgens...
Even finasteride/ dutasteride users said that their DHT or androgens was lowish/ zero and they continued to have a full and thick beard... A very complex topic apparently
My guess goes towards inflammation, a high hCG/ GH and secondly by a good space to androgens/ estrogens, they being the most significant hormones for voice and beard...

Conclude that, after puberty ceases, hormones aren't so important to determine beard/ voice pitch, a man will have almost the same type in his 20 all the way to his 80...

 

[David PS]

I have taken a different approach to developing my speaking voice. A strong (powerful) relaxed voice was my goal. My approach to strengthen my voice was similar to a body builder who wants strong biceps; perform exercises that strengthen the relevant muscles. Here the muscles to strengthen are the vocal cords. The deepness of my voice was not my concern. Having strength in the upper and lower ranges was my goal. To achieve that goal, by necessity I had to strengthen my voice in its entire range. Hence, my speaking voice is more relaxed.

Back in 1988 I spent $68 ( amazon keeps track of my purchases) on a book/audio program for singing. I practiced every workday in my car during my 20-minute drive in the morning. It took over a year to achieve may goal. When I travel for work or pleasure or simply do not practice for a few months, it takes about a week for my voice to expand back to its full range.

I have attached the introduction mp3 for you. I find his voice to be naturally relaxed, which was my goal.