Course XXXIII - Teaching 12: Voice

The voice organ seemingly is like sight-and-ear organs, but different from them by an essential point: sight and ear operate as a result of an involuntary act. If you open the eyes and there is light, you will see willy-nilly, and if you do not close the ears and there is noise, you will hear. On the contrary, the voice organ responds just by action of the will; you speak just when you wish to.
Also, you cannot see or hear more or less according to your wishes; you can see or hear only when you lay aside partially the action of external objects by means of an obstacle, a veil, between you and the outer world. But voice is differently: you can speak loudly or less loudly, more or less quickly; you regulate the voice function as if it were your own function. Therefore one can learn how to speak because this can be altered thanks to our will, to a reflective and constant control, and to accumulation of daily voice energy.
In the same way as the keyboard of a piano has several octaves, divided into three kinds of music notes (low, mean and high), whose sounds depend upon the size of its cords, also voice has its keyboard; two octaves, like the piano has six; three kind of notes and cords –thinner or thicker– like in a piano, and in the same way as you cannot play this instrument if you do not study it, also you cannot handle properly your voice without previous apprenticeship.
Your voice lacks clarity if it is quite acute, too much grave, guttural or nasal; then is its tiresome for the one that has it, and unpleasant to others.
So, you must speak with a mean tone.
For this purpose you can vocalize Mystical Solar Names registered in the course “Ceremonial of Cafh”. Voice hygiene. To keep the fitness of your voice, a severe vocal and general hygiene is recommended for the specific function of the voice organs which must be free of external factors. You must maintain systematically healthy: nasal cavities, nasal pharynx , bronchial tubes, lungs, trachea, larynx, resonance system, lingual tonsil, palatine tonsil, et cetera. All this as an important complement to the basic reserve of vocal energy.
And now, some warnings about voice. First, you must not sing or speak when you suffer from a catarrh, cold and, especially, hoarseness, since the latter demands absolute voice rest. How many times professionals and even those whose vocal expressions lack indispensable measure, after an acute hoarseness, did not rest and went on speaking too much, finally remained indisposed long time, and sometimes their voice did not come back any more.
Desensitization against cold weather. One of the enemies to your voice is the cold weather. Many orators and singer are constantly afraid of catching a cold, of a drought, of their feet getting cold, et cetera.
According to medical experience, one can be immune against catarrh and colds. An example of this are those who live in the open, sleep with open windows on the mountain as much in winter as in summer, wear little clothes and practice natural exercises.
In view of these facts, you should desensitize yourself against cold weather through some methods or systems, which will vary according to one’s nature, taking for granted a good state of aerial ways (nasal cavities, facial and frontal sinuses, tonsils and teeth), without any septic focus in nose, tonsils or teeth. Good desensitizers are: baths, cool douches after physical and respiratory exercises (hot baths are a mistake because turn you sensitive to cold and catarrh).
It is recommendable to start this desensitization since childhood; when you are grown-up it will be proportionally more difficult to acquire new habits. During adolescence and maturity one should progressively train for cold water, but prudently. You should begin gradually on summer. It is recommendable a long friction (during gymnastics), and also the practice of some sports, and life in the open as much as possible.
It is recommendable in all a method of life and, if possible, by imitating the life lived by Sons of the Community.
Tobacco, alcohol and any stimulant are bad for your voice, but the most harmful –for people of this kind and for those who must live in an atmosphere full of smoke– is tobacco.
Remember, a sound sleep is image of good health, and one did not sleep well when we wake up and our voice is lightly veiled, heavy and seemingly dirty.
Heating is harmful because dries mucus of aerial ways; thence it turns them vulnerable and is a serious trouble for mucus with allergic tendency. It is recommendable to put recipients with water on radiators to humidify the environment. Flowers and perfumes are also harmful to voice.
On the other hand, according to physiology and pathology, there is a plain relationship between voice and sexual organs; this has been particularly said in the course about spiritual development.
Causes of vocal fatigue. A defective respiratory technique is the cause of certain voice troubles. You should learn how to breathe rightly. A high, clavicle breath produces suffocation, head congestion and larynx inflammation. Abdominal breath –motionless ribs and strong diaphragm movements– compresses abdominal organs, contracts lower abdomen muscles, articulations and larynx ligaments, whose object is to produce the basic sound. If there is a lesion, this delicate mechanism will change and produce vocal troubles.
A whole vibratory system, that is, that of larynx and vocal chords, is even more necessary for a vocal emission. If you study their mechanics, you can see that there is a quite delicate action of muscles, articulations and joints in the larynx, whose object is to produce the fundamental sound. If there is a lesion, then this delicate mechanics will be altered, and troubles in your voice will take place. An improper voice is a defective technique that consists in not using duly the instrument.
Example: A lecturer speaks too low and demands too much from his voice, or uses a guttural and weak tone; then he resource to strength to make himself hear. The result is always the same: voice fatigue and larynx congestion. Why does this happen? Because he breaks laws of nature and acts against voice physiology and common sense, and did not know to remain limited by his own natural vocal instrument. In short: any orator, professor or singer that gets tired is an individual that speaks or sings improperly. His vocal fatigue anticipates that he will lose the voice and is an alarm signal from his body, which he must hear and stop on time.