2:49 CORRECTION: The diaphragm contracts on the inhale, and relaxes on the exhale! (I crossed my wires when thinking about the use of tension/force in my explanation, and flipped the process. Thanks to Paula for pointing this mistake out!)
As someone who has been struggling with the breath portion of performing because of chronic pain, this unlocked an ease in me that I've been missing. Thank you so much!
It's incredible how much more effective and simple it is to reduce effort and intentionality during breathing when trying to record. It not only makes for less strain on the torso, but causes the whole process of recording to be less exhausting when compared to strictly focusing on every breath and trying to constrict your diaphram at a perfect pace to fit every word. I'll definitely give that book a listen. Cheers for the video!!
Great video! I love this approach and yes, please, more like this! We often get bogged down with getting the latest gear to improve things, but more importantly its how we communicate and the mechanics of how it's done well is often overlooked and is so necessary.
I cannot tell you how helpful just this short video was for me. I have been struggling mightily lately with breath control in my voiceover work, one significant reason for this is that I suffer from seasonal asthma and regardless of any therapies or medication's it can get really challenging For me when recording so I have been doing a deep dive into looking for solutions to work around my shortness of breath. Also I have never actually managed my breath correctly and will often be very intimidated by long paragraphs and I'm just concentrating I'm trying to get to the end of the paragraph almost spitting out the last few words before I run completely out of breath. So thank you for sharing your knowledge on this and I will definitely be watching more of your videos and making use of your recommendations here
My God, this is IT! I've been on a voiceover journey for the past 4-5 years, and only recently got my natural voice to settle into that "speaking voice" pocket after weeks of training. The concept of breath flow, support, and usage has always been... elusive, thanks to the amount of conflicting information on the internet. This video came at a perfect time and helps me demystify that bubble of singing-acting-public speaking. Thanks so much, and I'd love more videos like this! P.S. It is insane how overlooked the technique of proper breathing and mic technique is in comparison to other aspects of voiceover
Hey, actually I have a quick question- I'm trying to listen to my voice on playback, and it doesn't seem like I'm opening my mouth or throat (un-closed) enough when I'm speaking- what would you suggest to practice for that?
@antto_333 It’s hard to say without hearing/seeing what you’re doing. If you’d like, I have “Quick Feedback” available via my website where you can send me some audio and I can send you a short video with ideas. Otherwise, I’d suggest working directly with a voice coach 1-on-1 to get precise recommendations. :)
Jay I’m new to voice overs and your videos have been such a great help to me. This one especially as I’m a singer and transitioning my thought process on breath and voice projection has been a bit tough
Jay this is really helpful content, I’m in week 3 of beginning my career in Voice Over. It’s quite a revelation for me as I’ve always practiced breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, but I’m learning that method forces air, probably because the nasal cavity is quite small. I really enjoyed the breathing exercise, but was wondering, how is this applied to how we breathe for delivery! Love your content, great fan!
Hi Jay, as a Voice Coach, I'm totally with you on flow over effort and focusing on the communication and the person I'm telling the story to ❤ I got confused over your explanation of the breathing process though, because by all I know, the diaphragm is active (muscular contraction) during inhalation and passive during exhalation. In contracting, it flattens and pushes down, so the lungs follow + expand and the organs of the belly that lay underneath get pushed down and forward a bit, while on relaxing, it moves upward. If you learned it the other way round, may I ask for a source, please? If there is controversy around this I'd like to read up on it. Still, the image of air falling in is a great tool, I like to use it as well. Sometimes images don't need to be anatomically correct to be powerful. And the effortlessness of just letting air fall in can bring us back to more natural, autonomous breathing. I hope it's ok to comment this. I can see from the comments that this is helping people, and I don't want to diminish your effort and knowledge. Best Paula
Hi Paula! Thanks for the note! And OF COURSE it’s okay to comment this! Yes, your explanation/breakdown sounds right to me, and I think because the function I was addressing was a misuse/misunderstanding of effort and tension in how we breathe, particularly how folks say “use the diaphragm” with regards to projection/speaking/yelling/etc., I more than likely got my wires crossed or explained things backwards. So thanks for pointing that out!
Thanks for the very informative episode! I'm an aspiring voice actor from Germany and I have a question for you, Jay. What type of chair do you sit on during your recording sessions? I read that a straight spine is important according to the Linklater method and I always sit a little slouched in my regular office chair when I do voice recordings. Is a saddle chair better? Or maybe just record while standing? Thanks for your answer!
Of course! Lots to say on this one, maybe even enough for a video. Long story short, your positioning is primary, and if your chair helps it's a good chair if not feel free to try another. However, the chair won't just fix it for you. If your falling back into your chair, I'd just move closer to the edge of the seat so you sit more upright. Personally, I find stools great, more so because my booth is so small, but also because I can't recline generally I maintain my posture longer. It's just a general old stool, nothing fancy. "Straight Spine" is a tricky one, and a small note, it shouldn't feel effortful. It's more so about balance than muscular effort in maintaining 'good form'. I'll probably talk more about this in a video. Lastly, standing is great to do when you can. ;)
@@jaymyersvoiceover Hello Jay, thank you very much for your very informative answer! Very interesting that you are sitting on a simple stool. I will do the same from now on. Maybe I'll try a saddle chair too, they're supposed to be very healthy. Thanks also for pointing out that a straight spine shouldn't feel strenuous. I'll think about that in the future. And yes, I can also stand while recording. I will try it more often in the future. A height-adjustable desk would certainly be cool for this. It would be great if you could do an episode about the influence of sitting and standing on speaking! Thank you also for the book tip from Kristin Linklater! There is a German edition from 2019 and I just ordered it. I was fascinated by her saying that in earlier times our voice was more closely linked to our feelings and that today we think a lot more when we speak. I hope that with her book and her method I will regain more feeling in my speaking. Great tip from you, thank you very much! Greetings from Hamburg!
Two coaches mentioned to me of breathing in through the mouth, and not through the nose. I’m watching you, and you seem to do the same. Breathing in through the nose is slow.
2:49 CORRECTION: The diaphragm contracts on the inhale, and relaxes on the exhale!
(I crossed my wires when thinking about the use of tension/force in my explanation, and flipped the process. Thanks to Paula for pointing this mistake out!)
As someone who has been struggling with the breath portion of performing because of chronic pain, this unlocked an ease in me that I've been missing. Thank you so much!
So glad to hear that!!
It's incredible how much more effective and simple it is to reduce effort and intentionality during breathing when trying to record. It not only makes for less strain on the torso, but causes the whole process of recording to be less exhausting when compared to strictly focusing on every breath and trying to constrict your diaphram at a perfect pace to fit every word. I'll definitely give that book a listen.
Cheers for the video!!
Rock on! Happy to hear!
Great video! I love this approach and yes, please, more like this!
We often get bogged down with getting the latest gear to improve things, but more importantly its how we communicate and the mechanics of how it's done well is often overlooked and is so necessary.
You got it! ;)
Excellent video!
This was great Thanks!
❤❤❤ love this!
I cannot tell you how helpful just this short video was for me. I have been struggling mightily lately with breath control in my voiceover work, one significant reason for this is that I suffer from seasonal asthma and regardless of any therapies or medication's it can get really challenging For me when recording so I have been doing a deep dive into looking for solutions to work around my shortness of breath. Also I have never actually managed my breath correctly and will often be very intimidated by long paragraphs and I'm just concentrating I'm trying to get to the end of the paragraph almost spitting out the last few words before I run completely out of breath. So thank you for sharing your knowledge on this and I will definitely be watching more of your videos and making use of your recommendations here
So glad to hear it was helpful for you! Let me know how you're getting on :)
My God, this is IT! I've been on a voiceover journey for the past 4-5 years, and only recently got my natural voice to settle into that "speaking voice" pocket after weeks of training. The concept of breath flow, support, and usage has always been... elusive, thanks to the amount of conflicting information on the internet.
This video came at a perfect time and helps me demystify that bubble of singing-acting-public speaking. Thanks so much, and I'd love more videos like this!
P.S. It is insane how overlooked the technique of proper breathing and mic technique is in comparison to other aspects of voiceover
Hey, actually I have a quick question- I'm trying to listen to my voice on playback, and it doesn't seem like I'm opening my mouth or throat (un-closed) enough when I'm speaking- what would you suggest to practice for that?
@antto_333 It’s hard to say without hearing/seeing what you’re doing. If you’d like, I have “Quick Feedback” available via my website where you can send me some audio and I can send you a short video with ideas. Otherwise, I’d suggest working directly with a voice coach 1-on-1 to get precise recommendations. :)
@@jaymyersvoiceover Awesome, thanks for letting me know! I'll do a test recording soon and send it in.
Jay I’m new to voice overs and your videos have been such a great help to me. This one especially as I’m a singer and transitioning my thought process on breath and voice projection has been a bit tough
Thanks so much for letting me know! I know what you mean, they're similar yet different mechanisms for sure, singing-to-VO
Jay this is really helpful content, I’m in week 3 of beginning my career in Voice Over. It’s quite a revelation for me as I’ve always practiced breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, but I’m learning that method forces air, probably because the nasal cavity is quite small. I really enjoyed the breathing exercise, but was wondering, how is this applied to how we breathe for delivery!
Love your content, great fan!
Such a great lesson. Thanks as always!
Jay, you always provide real information that helps.
😉
Very helpful video. A bit spooky though; I'm sure I saw a pair of eyes in the darkness behind you :)
Haha
Hi Jay,
as a Voice Coach, I'm totally with you on flow over effort and focusing on the communication and the person I'm telling the story to ❤
I got confused over your explanation of the breathing process though, because by all I know, the diaphragm is active (muscular contraction) during inhalation and passive during exhalation. In contracting, it flattens and pushes down, so the lungs follow + expand and the organs of the belly that lay underneath get pushed down and forward a bit, while on relaxing, it moves upward.
If you learned it the other way round, may I ask for a source, please? If there is controversy around this I'd like to read up on it.
Still, the image of air falling in is a great tool, I like to use it as well. Sometimes images don't need to be anatomically correct to be powerful. And the effortlessness of just letting air fall in can bring us back to more natural, autonomous breathing.
I hope it's ok to comment this. I can see from the comments that this is helping people, and I don't want to diminish your effort and knowledge.
Best
Paula
Hi Paula!
Thanks for the note! And OF COURSE it’s okay to comment this! Yes, your explanation/breakdown sounds right to me, and I think because the function I was addressing was a misuse/misunderstanding of effort and tension in how we breathe, particularly how folks say “use the diaphragm” with regards to projection/speaking/yelling/etc., I more than likely got my wires crossed or explained things backwards.
So thanks for pointing that out!
Thanks for the very informative episode! I'm an aspiring voice actor from Germany and I have a question for you, Jay. What type of chair do you sit on during your recording sessions? I read that a straight spine is important according to the Linklater method and I always sit a little slouched in my regular office chair when I do voice recordings. Is a saddle chair better? Or maybe just record while standing? Thanks for your answer!
Of course! Lots to say on this one, maybe even enough for a video.
Long story short, your positioning is primary, and if your chair helps it's a good chair if not feel free to try another. However, the chair won't just fix it for you. If your falling back into your chair, I'd just move closer to the edge of the seat so you sit more upright.
Personally, I find stools great, more so because my booth is so small, but also because I can't recline generally I maintain my posture longer. It's just a general old stool, nothing fancy.
"Straight Spine" is a tricky one, and a small note, it shouldn't feel effortful. It's more so about balance than muscular effort in maintaining 'good form'. I'll probably talk more about this in a video.
Lastly, standing is great to do when you can. ;)
@@jaymyersvoiceover Hello Jay, thank you very much for your very informative answer! Very interesting that you are sitting on a simple stool. I will do the same from now on. Maybe I'll try a saddle chair too, they're supposed to be very healthy. Thanks also for pointing out that a straight spine shouldn't feel strenuous. I'll think about that in the future.
And yes, I can also stand while recording. I will try it more often in the future. A height-adjustable desk would certainly be cool for this. It would be great if you could do an episode about the influence of sitting and standing on speaking!
Thank you also for the book tip from Kristin Linklater! There is a German edition from 2019 and I just ordered it. I was fascinated by her saying that in earlier times our voice was more closely linked to our feelings and that today we think a lot more when we speak. I hope that with her book and her method I will regain more feeling in my speaking. Great tip from you, thank you very much! Greetings from Hamburg!
I think another great video idea would be about projecting your voice properly!
On the list!
voiceover? in australia is it called voiceunder??
;)
How are you finding the RE20 for VO work? :)
I'll have a review next week ;)
Two coaches mentioned to me of breathing in through the mouth, and not through the nose. I’m watching you, and you seem to do the same. Breathing in through the nose is slow.
A bit slow yeah. Important to note it’s not a RULE though, just something to think about and tend towards.