With the help of voice a person can reproduce a large number of various sounds. It can express an emotional state: joy, anger, surprise. With the help of the vocal folds, their ability to compress and stretch, a person can change the intensity of the air flow, resulting in sounds of different timbre and pitch.

Vote various types differ in tessitura - the part of the range in which the voice sounds most pleasant and easy. Each performer sings in his own tessitura, although for a short time he can sing in all tessituras.

There are women's:
- alto - the female voice of this range is often called contralto, it is low, but higher than the male one;
- mezzo- – middle voice;
- soprano – very mobile, high, he manages to reproduce sounds similar to a trill.

For men, the ranges are as follows:
- bass – very often a voice of this range can be found in church choirs in Russia;
- – medium in height, most men young have this range;
- – tall, called “royal”, with such a range are highly valued all over the world.

In each human voice, several registers can be distinguished: chest - low, middle - chest-head, and high - head. With a certain type of voice, there are transitional notes between registers that do not always sound pleasant and smooth.

There are lyrical and dramatic subspecies. Lyrical types successfully reproduce the sounds of high registers. Gentle, thoughtful and sad works are suitable for such voices.

You can also meet a person with a lyrical-dramatic voice. Such people can easily reproduce sounds in both lower and higher registers.

There are observational results that a low and more chesty voice is characteristic of overweight, overweight people, and high voices are characteristic of slender and thin people.

It is believed that with in a low voice looks more attractive in the eyes. It seems that there is indeed some truth in this, but the point is not at all in the timbre of the voice itself: low or high, but in the various nuances associated with it. This was proven by the results of a recent study conducted by specialists from the University of Vienna.

Experiment to evaluate female voices

Scientists recruited a team of male volunteers and gave them to listen to recordings of the voices of 42 female students who had previously been photographed. Subjects were then asked to choose the most sexually attractive among the voices. In most cases, participants pointed to girls with good looks, although they did not see their faces.

The authors of the experiment noted that the faces of the students whose voices were more often identified as " " were distinguished by symmetry of features; they tended to have high cheekbones, soft jawlines and full lips. According to experts, such an appearance indicates a good genotype, which also affects the synchronization of the vocal cords, larynx and nasal cavity. On a subconscious level, a man perceives a woman’s voice as a signal that everything is fine with her sexually, which means she can become a wife and mother.

Yes, pronouncing words with aspiration and special nuances may seem attractive. But in other cases, on the contrary, it can make a repulsive impression. And not only if we're talking about about the sphere of personal relationships. For example, statistics show that women with low and hoarse voices are less likely to get a job as a result of interviews. It turns out that many people perceive people with a “squeaky” voice as “unreliable.” Maybe because those with hoarse voices often smoke and have other bad habits.

Female voices and headhunters

A team of American psychologists once invited 800 headhunters to listen to recordings of various female voices and choose which one they would like to invite to. Only a fifth of respondents preferred women with hoarse voices. The rest commented on their choice by saying that a hoarse voice indicates low competence, lack of education and external unattractiveness.

Note that women who work as secretaries or managers and often have to communicate with people on the phone tend to have high-pitched voices. Perhaps such voices on a subconscious level inspire more trust. But at the same time, voices with an overly high timbre, more like a screech, are annoying...

"People prefer voices with vocal characteristics that are typical of the general population," the scientists say. "Although unusual voices may be more memorable, people generally find sounding voices more attractive."

Voice modulation depending on interest in the interlocutor

By the way, a group of experts from the University of Stirling found that our voices can change depending on whether we find the interlocutor of the opposite sex attractive. For the purpose of the experiment, 110 heterosexual volunteers were asked to strike up a conversation with each other. Subsequently, all participants were asked to fill out questionnaires that assessed the degree of attractiveness of their partners. It turned out that if a man liked the woman he was talking to, the tone of his voice decreased and the modulation also increased, that is, the frequency of the tone became more variable.

The head of the study, Juan David Leongómez, explains this by the fact that although a low timbre of the voice indicates masculinity (masculinity), it is also associated with aggression and promiscuity, therefore, wanting to please a lady, a man unconsciously tries to speak in a low voice to signal his masculinity, and at the same time modulates the tone to show that he is not aggressive and reliable.

So, if during the conversation you notice that the voice of a representative of the stronger sex has become more “singing,” then most likely this indicates his interest in you. At the same time, the researchers conclude, modulations can increase the attractiveness of this man in the eyes of a woman. So experienced heartthrobs, consciously or unconsciously, actively use this technique.

All singing voices are divided into women's, men's and children's. The main female voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto, and the most common male voices are tenor, baritone and bass.

All sounds that can be sung or played on musical instrument, there are high, medium and low. When musicians talk about the pitch of sounds, they use the term "register", implying whole groups of high, medium or low sounds.

In a global sense, female voices sing sounds of a high or “upper” register, children’s voices sing sounds of a middle register, and male voices sing sounds of a low or “lower” register. But this is only partly true; in fact, everything is much more interesting. Within each group of voices, and even within the range of each individual voice, there is also a division into high, middle and low register.

For example, a high male voice is a tenor, a middle voice is a baritone, and a low voice is a bass. Or, another example, singers have the most high voice– soprano, the middle voice of the vocalists is mezzo-soprano, and the low voice is contralto. To finally understand the division of male and female, and at the same time, children’s voices into high and low, this tablet will help you:

If we talk about the registers of any one voice, then each of them has both low and high sounds. For example, a tenor sings both low chest sounds and high falsetto sounds, which are inaccessible to basses or baritones.

Female singing voices

So, the main types of female singing voices are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. They differ primarily in range, as well as timbre coloring. Timbre properties include, for example, transparency, lightness or, conversely, saturation, and strength of voice.

Soprano– the highest female singing voice, its usual range is two octaves (entirely the first and second octave). In opera performances, the roles of the main characters are often performed by singers with such a voice. If speak about artistic images, then a high-pitched voice best characterizes a young girl or some fantastic character (for example, a fairy).

Sopranos, according to the nature of their sound, are divided into lyrical and dramatic– you yourself can easily imagine that the parts of a very tender girl and a very passionate girl cannot be performed by the same performer. If a voice easily copes with fast passages and flourishes in its high register, then such a soprano is called coloratura.

Contralto– it has already been said that this is the lowest of women’s voices, moreover, very beautiful, velvety, and also very rare (in some opera houses there is not a single contralto). A singer with such a voice in operas is often assigned the roles of teenage boys.

Below is a table that names examples of opera roles that are often performed by certain female singing voices:

Let's listen to how women's singing voices sound. Here are three video examples for you:

Soprano. Aria of the Queen of the Night from the opera “The Magic Flute” by Mozart performed by Bela Rudenko

Mezzo-soprano. Habanera from the opera Carmen by Bizet performed by the famous singer Elena Obraztsova

Contralto. Ratmir's aria from the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka, performed by Elizaveta Antonova.

Male singing voices

There are only three main male voices - tenor, bass and baritone. Tenor Of these, the highest, its pitch range is the notes of the small and first octaves. By analogy with the soprano timbre, performers with this timbre are divided into dramatic tenors and lyric tenors. In addition, sometimes they mention such a variety of singers as "characteristic" tenor. “Character” is given to it by some phonic effect - for example, silveriness or rattling. A characteristic tenor is simply irreplaceable where it is necessary to create the image of a gray-haired old man or some cunning rascal.

Baritone– this voice is distinguished by its softness, density and velvety sound. The range of sounds that a baritone can sing is from A major octave to A first octave. Performers with such a timbre are often entrusted with courageous roles of characters in operas of a heroic or patriotic nature, but the softness of the voice allows them to reveal loving and lyrical images.

Bass– the voice is the lowest, can sing sounds from F of the large octave to F of the first. The basses are different: some are rolling, “droning”, “bell-like”, others are hard and very “graphic”. Accordingly, the parts of the characters for the basses are varied: these are heroic, “fatherly”, and ascetic, and even comic images.

You are probably interested to know which of the male singing voices is the lowest? This bass profundo, sometimes singers with such a voice are also called octavists, since they “take” low notes from the counter-octave. By the way, we have not yet mentioned the highest male voice - this tenor-altino or countertenor, who sings quite calmly in an almost feminine voice and easily reaches the high notes of the second octave.

As in the previous case, male singing voices with examples of their operatic roles are displayed in the table:

Now listen to the sound of male singing voices. Here are three more video examples for you.

Tenor. Song of the Indian guest from the opera “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by David Poslukhin.

Baritone. Gliere's romance “The nightingale soul sang sweetly,” sung by Leonid Smetannikov

Bass. Prince Igor's aria from Borodin's opera "Prince Igor" was originally written for baritone, but in this case it is sung by one of the best basses of the 20th century - Alexander Pirogov.

The working range of a professionally trained vocalist's voice is usually two octaves on average, although sometimes singers and singers have much greater capabilities. In order for you to have a good understanding of tessitura when choosing notes for practice, I suggest you get acquainted with the picture, which clearly demonstrates the permissible ranges for each of the voices:

Before concluding, I want to please you with one more tablet, with which you can get acquainted with vocalists who have one or another voice timbre. This is necessary so that you can independently find and listen to even more audio examples of the sound of male and female singing voices:

That's all! We talked about what types of voices singers have, we figured out the basics of their classification, the size of their ranges, the expressive capabilities of timbres, and also listened to examples of the sound of the voices of famous vocalists. If you liked the material, share it on your contact page or on your Twitter feed. There are special buttons under the article for this. Good luck!

April 9th, 2014 , 04:57 pm

A voice that does not correspond to gender and age.
Mutation falsetto or puberphonia – a condition in which men retain a high-pitched, feminine voice even after adolescence. People with this condition, even as adults, speak in a high-pitched voice, like that of little boys.

1. Functional factor
In most cases, functional factors arise due to some psychological problems. It often happens that when the voice begins to change in adolescence, a person at a subconscious level experiences resistance to a low tone, and deliberately begins to speak in a high voice.

2. Organic factor
Organic abnormalities are usually caused by damage to the mucous membrane of the vocal folds, such as scars, or disturbances in the development of the endocrine system. In such cases, the larynx has a structure similar to that of a woman.

Symptoms of puberphonia
If, with a normal structure of the larynx, only a high voice comes out, and the frequency of the voice coincides with the frequency of the female voice, this indicates puberphonia. In this case, the voice quickly gets tired, and during singing it often breaks down and higher notes “cannot be played.”
Also, with puberphonia, the tone of the voice is constantly high, and it is impossible to speak in a low tone.
If puberphonia is caused by organic changes, the appearance of scars in the mucous membrane of the vocal folds, or disturbances in the development of the larynx, then hoarseness, a weak or rough high-pitched voice is noted, which comes out along with the air.

Diagnosis of puberphonia
If puberphonia is caused by a functional factor, then examination with a fibrolaryngoscope and stroboscopy of the larynx will reveal normal vocal folds. During sound production, excessive tension in the external muscles of the larynx can be noted.
With organic puberphonia, damage to the mucous membrane of the vocal folds or impaired development of the larynx are observed.

Treatment of puberphonia

Treatment of functional puberphonia is possible with the help of voice development exercises, but it will take a lot of time. Recently, the method of injecting Botox into the muscles of the larynx, which are responsible for high tone, has been used. In this way, the tone is lowered, and then, during lessons with a phoniator, the method of voice formation is formed so that it becomes a habit. Classes with a phoniator carried out after a Botox injection significantly shorten the treatment period and the voice recovers faster.

In case of organic puberphonia, percutaneous injection laryngoplasty may be required,

If a woman has a rough, hoarse voice, and a man has a squeaky one, this is unusual. And, most likely, it causes complexes in humans. Today in Asian countries, operations have become very fashionable to make the voice more feminine or, conversely, more masculine. For example, to lower the voice, the surgeon removes part of the cartilage of the larynx and injects Botox into the vocal cords. The ligaments shorten, become looser and flatter. To raise the voice, doctors suggest placing titanium plates in the throat muscles - and the ligaments are stretched. It happens that part of the ligament is burned out with a laser. As a result, a scar appears, the ligament becomes stiff, and the voice becomes high-pitched. But with any operation complications are possible. For example, Botox temporarily paralyzes the ligaments, leaving the lungs vulnerable and even causing pneumonia. But this does not scare patients. We asked you to tell us whether such operations are carried out here. otolaryngologist of the Kyiv Clinical Hospital No. 9 Vladimir Dints.

— In order to simply improve the voice, operations are usually not performed,- says Vladimir Yakovlevich. — If necessary, intervention on the vocal cords is performed in patients who have had their thyroid gland removed so that the person does not choke. There are also cases when the vocal cords do not close for some reason. Then a special gel is injected into them using micro-instruments. For hoarseness, hoarseness and other problems, specialists (otolaryngologists, phoniatrists, speech therapists) can help by prescribing medications or using special techniques.

- Everyone knows that it changes during a cold. With laryngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx), for example, the voice may disappear altogether. There is no need to be alarmed; after five to ten days of treatment, he usually recovers. It is useful for a patient whose voice has disappeared or changed due to a cold to drink warm (not hot!) teas with honey, viburnum, raspberries, linden, milk with cocoa butter. It is recommended to chew propolis. Inhalations with herbs are good: calendula, eucalyptus, chamomile, as well as mineral water Borjomi. With laryngitis, it is important to remain silent and not try to say something. It is better to write notes to household members. Aphonia, in which a person can only speak in a whisper, occurs not only with laryngitis, but also with other inflammatory diseases, as well as with the appearance of tumors.

The voice may change with pharyngitis, rhinitis, and sinusitis. By the way, people suffering from chronic sinusitis do not always have a fever during an exacerbation and their health worsens, but their condition is revealed by their French pronunciation. Sometimes a change in voice is associated with a deviated septum.

- Certainly. If a woman does not produce enough female sex hormones, her voice becomes rougher and lower. And among representatives of the stronger sex, when there is a deficiency male hormones the timbre rises. The production of hormones is disrupted due to endocrine pathologies and genitourinary diseases.

Voice disorder (dysphonia) most often affects people in speech professions: teachers, announcers, dispatchers, translators, and singers. At the same time, the voice becomes hoarse, weak, trembling, and breaking. Moreover, it is mostly women who face this problem. You see, the vocal cords are also influenced by a person’s emotional state. And women are more susceptible to stress. Smoking and working in hazardous chemical industries damage the vocal cords. The voice may change in athletes who overexert the muscles of the upper shoulder girdle and neck, such as weightlifters. After all, their laryngeal muscles also become tense, and as a result, the vocal cords stop moving.

— What tests can a doctor prescribe for diagnosis?

— If the functions of the vocal cords are impaired, the otolaryngologist recommends laryngoscopy or stroboscopy, which help to identify inflammation and anatomical changes. If a specialist suspects a tumor, he may prescribe an ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.

— Everything is very individual, because the timbre can change according to various reasons. It is important for people in speech professions to try to remain silent after work. Those who work in hazardous industries must use a respirator. You can make your voice louder by eating eggnog (egg yolks beaten with sugar). But before you break egg, you need to wash the shell with soap or pour boiling water over it: to avoid infection with salmonellosis.

It is important to know that the voice arises not only with the participation of the vocal cords, but also with breathing. You need to learn to breathe correctly: deeply, freely and... with your stomach. Some experts recommend singing and shouting, but this also needs to be done correctly and not during periods of exacerbation. Exist special exercises to improve your voice. They can be found on the Internet. For example, you should take some text and read first only the vowels, and then only the consonants. The exercise is recommended to be performed daily for five to ten minutes.

But if a person has serious problems with his voice, or there is some discomfort, he should consult an otolaryngologist or phoniatrist. You may also need help from an endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist and other specialists.