It is a bit odd to hear so many videos (especially shorter ones on YouTube, Instagram and other social media sites) narrated by an electronic voice. Even if the person producing the content has a speech impediment, difficult accent or you just feel timid, your voice is yours, and will bring a special flavor to your material. It seems strange to hide behind a robotic voice that makes everyone sound the same (presumably there are different choices but the default is the one that appears constantly).

I was pondering something similar with a friend today, recalling instances of people (mostly women) who speak in an alternate voice in stressful situations, such as switching to a child-like voice when speaking before a group or in front of superiors; whereas when in private (with trusted friends, for instance) they speak strongly and clearly, without shyness. But we also do this to avoid frightening people who are very sensitive, don’t we? Speaking gently and in a more child-like voice when comforting someone who is startled, for instance?

An unexpected thing with singing has been learning to be comfortable with my own sound, since the sound produced by lyric singing is very unlike the sound produced by ordinary speech. As new sound production develops it can seem too loud, resonant, harsh, brittle, sharp, nasal, vibrant, or even painful to the ears. My professor’s favorite thing to say at times is “If it sounds weird, you’re doing something right!” because if the voice is in familiar territory you are not exercising and expanding the range and quality of vocal production for singing.