THE VOICE

 

                                                               THE VOICE

Every higher form of life has the ability to make noise from vocal chords. But, it is a gift to humans for making ‘use’ of this ability. Appropriate use of this ability is essential for the faculty called speech. Further controlling of voice helps one to sing. Though every one is desirous of singing, many do not indulge in it, for, what matters is the desire of those around. There is so much on “desirability” of a voice. Is voice an important item for singing alone? Honestly, it is important for anyone in catering to a large audience. Prima facie the listener is attracted by the voice much before the nuances of rendition take possession of the listener. Would it ever take possession of the listener is a matter that depends on a variety of other attributes. There are no broad generalizations for “accepting” a speech or a song except that the listener likes it. On occasions, indirect help may come from others who make an individual shine by contrast. The hope to shine by contrast is totally undependable and is purely a matter of chance. Singers and speakers need to cultivate a good voice and a style of rendition. Of these, the former is a divine gift and the latter a gift of effort. Effortless speech or singing implies hidden efforts in the sense, we do not “see” any difficulty on the part of the performer at the event. It does not mean that the individual has not made any effort for what [s]he is seen performing. 

The same could be put in another way. Any attempt to render a speech or a concert without the “preparatory efforts” may not make the right impact. This should not be taken as memorizing a speech or the range of items in a concert. The performer has to cultivate the process of thought and keep his voice free of ruffles and chokes. Like all gadgets, voice has to be kept intact by constant use. Without this, appropriate modulations and attaining the pitch and pace in quick time would prove hazardous to the performer. Any voice not properly trained has the potential risk of failing at crucial junctures.                      

Basically voice is a gift of treasure for its very characteristics like volume, the range over which it can amplify without breaking up and the sustenance of clarity at all volumes. These features can not be derived from practice. What I intend saying here is, any performance has to be only within the limits of the born gift. Yet, a certain degree of honing up the features of voice is possible under the broad definitions of training and practice. Even a trained voice has to be kept intact by systematic use. Otherwise it may also gather “rust” and turn rough and coarse. As common evidence of this one may recall, how after a long vacation the teacher’s voice breaks for a couple of days in the new academic year. Unlike singers, teachers can not practice at the empty halls of their homes. Any one desirous of developing the voice must also practice the habits of perfect pronunciation, accurate variations of pitch to suit the contextual effect and so on. An obvious requirement for such exercises is to understand the meaning of every word in the matter- speech or song. On all such occasions, it is the duty of the performer to keep life in the matter presented. Drawing the attention of the listeners and keeping the tempo alive are the two vital ingredients for a successful session. Keeping the audience delightfully “hooked” to the performer is achieved through a captivating voice modulation. If the voice component fails to render the right support, every other item like the depth in the matter, freshness of items and hitherto unknown techniques of rendition and such other extraordinary features alone can make the effort peaceful to the audience. Using the voice to common advantage is a straightforward approach to “win” appreciation, lest it should be a cry in wilderness.      

                                                                                             Prof.K.Raman