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Free Your Voice!
Free Your Voice!
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Fifty Shades of Vocal Grey to Vocal Silver
Posted on October 2, 2014 at 11:33 PM |
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I am so delighted to let you all know that my latest 'Easy Voice Book 2' is now available; 'Fifty Shades of Vocal Grey to Vocal Silver' continues where Voice Book One finished. You can pick up this new Voice Book; Easy Voice Book 2: 'Fifty Shades of Vocal Grey to Vocal Silver' and Easy Voice Book 1: Fifty Shades of Vocal Grey to Vocal Color' at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=fifty+shades+of+vocal The books offer a course in Effective Communication with Presentational Skills to Build Confidence in your Personality, Passion and Power. In this second book I focus on ways that will encourage you to access a vocally free sound supported by the breath. There are many practical exercises in the book to help center the breath. There are exercises to develop the principle muscles used in breath support such as the The Roll Up, The V Shaped Stretch, The Criss Cross, Cobra, Sphinx, The Wheel and my favorite….The Superman Stretch….to name but a few. Each exercise is clearly explained and demonstrated with colorful pictures by my students as they perform the exercise. These exercises will not only strengthen the abdomen muscles for greater breath control but they also will help you get fit and tone the body. You will feel truly revitalized after these exercises: Fit, toned and vocally powerful. In the second part of the book I discuss some of the fears many experience when asked to speak publicly. Why do these fears exist and how can we address this fear and speak more confidently? I have included a beautiful exercise in the book to support you, if needed, in exploring your own insecurities about the voice. Often this fear is just an irrational fear. We were never meant to be fearful about communicating with others in public. What happened? I offer a few thoughts on what it is to have a fearless voice and to be confident when speaking in public and I end with a few exercises that will help you to increase the volume of your voice, providing you with greater vocal freedom and confidence. The best thing of all…Easy Voice Book 2 is currently on sale and can be purchased for just $2.99 on amazon.com. I hope you enjoy reading 'Fifty Shades of Vocal Grey to Vocal Silver' and are able to move forward with your own vocal training as you use this book to support you. Many more still to come. Easy Voice Book 3: Fifty Shades of Vocal Gold will be out soon. Please enjoy this book from me and feel free to write a review on amazon or on this website. If you need any personal support please do not hesitate to contact me. Happy Vocalizing!!!! Linda Slade |
Are electronic cigarettes damaging my voice
Posted on April 2, 2014 at 1:46 PM |
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I have been asked recently about the electronic cigarettes people have been smoking as a replacement to tobacco based cigarettes. These electronic cigarettes are not good for the voice. They are filled with an ingredient called "propylene glycol, a type of antifreeze." Research suggests that when this ingredient is heated it vaporizes. When inhaled this ingredient encourages the vocal folds to become dry which can result in irritation of the whole vocal tract. I personally would not recommend these electronic cigarettes especially as there are so many now on the market and insufficient research out there. If, as a temporary measure you are able to give up smoking then perhaps (short term) they may be a good thing but know that dependency on anything long term eventually becomes a crutch with its own problems. Good luck! For those looking at giving up smoking I would suggest NLP (Neuro-linguistic programing) or in some extreme cases hypnotherapy. Or simply educate yourself on the damage of smoking until you have enough evidence that tobacco is causing damage and be motivated to give up naturally.) |
Judgments and the effects of judgment on the voice.
Posted on February 25, 2014 at 7:26 PM |
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The psychology behind the voice can
also extend into the accent or the way we speak. As I work with my European
students we discuss why it is often so hard for them to put on an American accent. It is not because the student does not know the different sound changes in the accent, but it does have to do with her attitude to Americans in general. Coming from
Europe she views Americans as silly, loud and immature. These are her judgments
and as a result these judgments block her from taking on the American accent as
the accent represents taking on the ‘negative’ qualities that she so dislikes. As we explore this idea more deeply we will start with clichés. And I hope I do not offend as I say these things, but here they are.
Americans in general, from the perspective of a European, are loud and brash.
When they speak, to a European, it feels as though they are speaking ‘in your
face.’ To Americans, often the average educated European can seem
sarcastic, cold and judgmental. So what is going on here? First, it is important to
understand that the American is not being rude. Nor, from an American
perspective are they being loud or brash. Generally Americans come from a
smaller social bubble. What you see is what you get. They speak as they feel: in the moment. It is socially acceptable in America to be loud and a ‘go
getter’. To the European, American thinking is more black
and white: American thinking represents optimism, positivity and also puritanism, sometimes combined with downright shocking violence. This is reflected in a history of the Hollywood
movie industry: the Cowboys and Indians from the West. The question always
lurking in a good cowboy movie is:- ‘What is wrong and how do we put it right?’
John Wayne in that great movie ‘The Searchers’ is not interested in how the
young girl is raped, or the story or motives behind it. He just needs to know
who is responsible. And once he knows who that man is, that man is a dead man.
No subtlety, no great thinking…just action in the moment. The cliche' about Europeans
is that they will analyze and pontificate way before they take action: Shakespeare’s
‘Hamlet’ is a classic example here. A man who needs all the evidence he can
gather, and still three hours into the drama he has yet to make a decision even
though he has thought carefully through every action with monologues that go on
for pages. An American Hamlet would have hunted down his father’s murderer,
pulled out the gun and shot him. End of play! How is this mentality reflected in
the way we speak? I have observed that Americans generally talk a lot faster
than the average European. It is as though through their talking they discover their
thought…which is why if you listen to many American monologues they meander
around, add a few ‘kinda' and ‘you know’ and
‘likes’ until they discover, in their speaking, their thought. And at
that point many have run out of breath and the end of the sentence slips away
leaving a European listener feeling cheated and denied of something — but
unable to ascertain exactly what it is.
The average American is friendly and open. Extremely in the moment, able to shed a tear or release an angry
gesture at the drop of a hat. But also, because he or she often clarify their subject as they are speaking about it, they can talk their way around it until they finally arrive at the point in the center of it all, the point they want to make. In other words whether Americans
communicate by getting more directly to the point or find their idea through
speaking/thinking aloud, generally it can appear as if they discover their idea as they are speaking. Europeans on the other hand tend to
have the idea formulated in the mind, which leads to the speech. The thought informs the speech.
Generally, before they speak they know what they are going to communicate. It is
in the past. The thought has occurred and all they have to do is to deliver
the information. This is particularly true of Germans. If, as I suggested
earlier, that we think in terms of clichés, Germans come across as extremely
direct and concise and a lot of this has to do with the fact that generally the
verb in a German sentence has to go at the end of the sentence to be
grammatically correct. This means as they speak they have to know what they are
communicating clearly. It also demands careful listening from the other person
as they wait to hear the verb, often the last word spoken, to understand clearly what is being communicated. No wonder Germans are attentive and concise!!!! As I touch on the subject of
listening I also find that many young Americans are not good at listening, and I wonder if this isn't because they are often "finding their subject" as they speak, and once done speaking and now more fully aware of what they had to say, they start to think about it more. In other words they analyze what
they have been saying after the moment…not before like most Europeans. In the
meantime, the person opposite them is responding, but they frequently fail to
hear as they are too busy reflecting on what they have just communicated. American conversational subjects tend to be different from Europeans. They generally are happier
talking about themselves, whereas Europeans are more wont to engage in
religious or political discussions. Again, I have to keep adding that I am not
talking about all Americans - these are cliche's - but if you could listen to the general conversations of
Americans verses Europeans you would notice a discrepancy in subject material.
Neither is better or worse. My point, however, is that the voice student who is judgmental of any of this creates a barrier between him or herself and the accent or voice to be adopted. I address this more in my later books. American’s are present when they
communicate. The words pour out. Much of what they say is not filtered. The European will think
first:- ‘How can I say this without offending? ‘Should I say this?’ ‘How can I
express this point without sounding nasty?’ Etc. By the time the words come out
of a Europeans mouth the phrase is sculptured and well thought out. To the
American this may seem intellectual or cold, maybe even arrogant it can be
so precise. And so once more the judgments preside and may block the American attempting to adopt a European accent. As I work with young American and
British actors I have observed how Americans generally approach an acting
piece with the emotion right there in the moment fully present. The European
actor will speak well but lack emotional presence. Again, this is reflective of
the way the mind is working. The American actor will be in the present and as
they talk the thought, emotion and ideas emerge. They can sound surprised
sometimes in their vocal patterning as the thoughts come to them through the
words as the emotion hits. The Europeans come from an oral tradition. They
tell the story. The thought comes first followed by the careful sculpting of
words and phrasing. The emotion is somewhat blocked as they focus from the past on the careful communication of the story. A European actor will add the
emotional elements to the scene only as the last detail while their speaking,
phrasing and language is carefully constructed. Americans jump right in and
often sacrifice the art of the speaker with instant feelings in
the moment. Interestingly, if you look at the Historical American Characters you see
this less — the European influence was once more prevalent. How interesting that
in only two hundred years we can observe how American thinking has shifted from
a more concise, thoughtful language-orientated speech to the more present here
and now individual oriented speak of the 21 century. For Europeans you can substitute
Asians or other older cultures like Iran. These cultures have a whole cultural system of do’s and don’ts. If you are
Asian, somewhere in your not too distant past it was considered offensive to
even show your teeth. And similarly in Iran women have experienced much sexual
oppression. As a result the modern Iranian girl here in America can be quite
abusive to her voice as she strives to overcome the oppressive past from which
she has escaped physically. So many of my Iranian clients have a raucous voice
that is tired and pushed as they ‘force’ their presence onto the world as
independent women. And I use the word ‘force’ here specifically. To any Iranian
reading this chapter you may want to use the verb ‘assert’ rather than ‘force’
— which from an Iranian perspective that’s what these women are doing: asserting themselves (and good for them). But as this battle to assert themselves is also against the ghosts of their past that are
still lurking in their unconsciousness, against an upbringing that culturally and historically has wanted to
hold them down and restrict their freedom. As a result they often overcompensate vocally: the voice is forced
forward and these women can sometimes do damage to the vocal cords and produce
a tired raspy sounding voice. Similarly Asian women who are
brought up traditionally to speak quietly and not assert themselves are now
exposed to the ways of the West and are finding that they want to work on and strengthen their
voices to be more present like their American sisters. Yet they cannot. Why? Because deep down in their psyche there is still
the judgment that American women are overbearing and loud compared to the more
gentle ways of the East. In writing these thoughts and
observations I am extremely conscious that I am probably offending all or some my
readers. Please appreciate these are general observations, based on years of work with students from different cultures. While broadly accurate, every student is different and unique. But if you are
wanting to settle your voice in any given direction…whether it be to reflect
who you are, or to take on more of the qualities/accents of a particular
culture, you ought to become aware of your judgements about that culture, and about its presiding vocal patterns.
If the voice or culture upsets you the chances are you will encounter resistance to embracing its sound. The working class person
who refuses to articulate consonants clearly publishes to society that he is working
class and proud of it. The Brit may refuse to sound American because it means
sounding ‘silly or ignorant.’ The women who is afraid to drop the voice into
its natural register because that little girl voice goes so well with the image of the girl "needing help" and is a great voice for getting attention from men. These are all clichés but reflect
some of the judgments we hold that in turn restrict the voice, and have, in fact, been issues I have encountered with my students. For a moment consider what your
voice communicates about you. What does your voice communicate about your
sexuality, your culture, your social and educational status? What does your
vocal badge look like and do you like it? If you do then you will not need to
read further, but if you are aware that your current vocal badge is not really
working for you then look at the judgments you are holding about your voice - in what way has it come to serve you? - and
judgements about a vocal sound you would like to have, or adopt. Have fun with exploring the judgments. They are nothing to be ashamed of. Often the greater affinity you have with the history and culture of your country the more restrictive issues you may have blocking the freedom of your voice. As you address the issues honestly you will begin to release the locks on the voice. |
Authentic Voice Verses The Image Voice
Posted on October 31, 2013 at 2:48 PM |
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The voice I will hear in my head is the voice I
like to call the voice of my authentic self or my Inner Counselor. It is with
me, constantly guiding me, advising me or simply chatting away to me but it is
a voice that I know. It is a voice that I'm familiar with. It is the voice that
is me!
So what is the voice that comes out of my
mouth? This voice is the voice I refer to as representative of my image voice.
It is the voice I like to present to the world and it complements the image
that I have created in order to function in the world. For some that image can
be a businessman or an artist, it can be a frail timid woman needing help, or
it can be a little child never wanting to grow up. These images become our
identity and the voice we develop matches that identity. But what happened to truth?
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Easy Voice Book:
Posted on October 4, 2013 at 1:10 PM |
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Good morning: Over the next twelve weeks I will be offering exercises, thoughts and insights about the voice. Feel free to join me for this vocal journey. Day 1: Here are a couple of things to think about: How would you describe your voice...nasally, gravelly, high pitched, croaky, monotonous, back on the throat, slow...resonant....think of as many adjectives that describe your vocal sound. What do you like about your voice and what judgments if any, do you have? |
Easy Voice Books
Posted on October 3, 2013 at 5:11 PM |
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Easy Voice Books...Coming Soon on Amazon. Fifty Shades: From Vocal Grey To Vocal Color: Fifty Shades: From Vocal Grey To Vocal Silver: Fifty Shades: From Vocal grey To Vocal Gold; Fifty Shades: From Vocal Grey To Vocal Platinum; These books are a compilation of many of the exercises I have used and developed in my
vocal practice and classroom experience. It is a completion of twenty-five
years of teaching voice and vocal development. The work starts from the
influence of other great teachers who have inspired me such as David Carey,
Cicely Berry, Patsy Rodenberg, Barabara Houseman, Edith Skinner, Joan Melton,
Catherine Fitzmaurice, Arthur Lessac and Kristen Linklater to name but a few.
Most of these teachers were encountered through my connections and training at
The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. As I worked with their
exercises my method developed through regular teaching and the inspiration I received
from my students. This, combined with my later training in movement, acting,
speech, psychology and later a greater experience of life and appreciation of
the vocal demands that are placed on each of us in today’s competitive society,
is what has formed my teaching. My work stems from the inspiration of all of
those great teachers who came before me but has developed into a methodology
that I can now call my own. And for that I am grateful.
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Easy Voice Book:- Coming Soon
Posted on October 3, 2013 at 4:57 PM |
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Coming very soon: My new series of Easy Voice Books:-
LINDA SLADE
EASY VOICE; BOOK ONE
FIFTY SHADES; FROM VOCAL GREY TO
VOCAL COLOR
A COURSE IN EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION AND PRESENTATION SKILLS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR PERSONALITY,
PASSION AND POWER.
Copyright © 2013 by Linda Slade MA
All Rights Reserved
Including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
Except as
provided by the Copyright Act no part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher
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