The Right to Speak: Working with the Voice (Bloomsbury Revelations)

"It shouldn’t surprise us that politicians, clerics, rock singers as well as actors queue up to train their voices under the supervision of Patsy Rodenburg. This book will explain her popularity among her pupils." – Sir Ian McKellen Practical, passionate and inspiring, this book teaches how to use the voice fully and expressively, without fear and in any situation. Patsy Rodenburg is one of the world’s foremost voice and acting coaches, having trained thousands of actors, singers, lawyers, politicians, business people, teachers and students: her book distils that knowledge and experience so that everyone can enjoy the right to speak. Part one is a discursive account of our right to speak which examines impediments to clear, natural, confident speech and establishing habits that will help overcome these, while part two is a practical ‘workbook’ containing exercises and practical tips, providing a step-by-step approach to using the voice effectively. Covering speech and phonetics, dialects and accents, vocalising heightened emotions, singing, auditions, recording and caring for the health of your voice, these approachable and informative exercises aren’t just designed to benefit actors and singers, but a wide range of readers who wish to improve the use of their voice to help them at work or when communicating in formal and informal situations. This Bloomsbury Revelations edition also considers the effect of social media on communication skills, the need for empathetic listening, how scientific discovery now illuminates why and how voice exercises work, and cultural and global issues of ethics and storytelling. Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Foreword Preface Introduction Voice work is for everybody Part I: The Right to Speak Chapter 1: Declaring Your Vocal Rights Snap judgements Whose right is it anyway? Making sound and sense A quick look at the problem Chapter 2: ‘God Doesn’t Mind A Bum Note’ Self-judgement A craving for instant results The myth of the ‘bad voice’ The myth of the ‘beautiful voice’ The role of the voice teacher Chapter 3: The Roots of Habits Physical interrelations Restrictive habits The birth of habits Sudden freedom of heightened moments Natural release Holding on to habits Habits linked to fear and sexuality Habits that manipulate and control Chapter 4: The Growth of Habits Suffer the little children to sound like me Stuttering Adolescence Different voices Middle years into later years Chapter 5: Settling into Habits Habitual roles The glass of fashion and the mould of form Fashionable sounds or speech impediments Class attitudes Physical injuries and illnesses Environment and geography Family Friends and peer groups Fitting in Male and female differences Women Men Chapter 6: Deep Habits and Release The terrors of deep habits Laughter Received attitudes The right sound attitude Vocal imperialism Questions about your listening habits A final thought on habits: A habit to cultivate Generosity Part II: Working with the Voice Chapter 7: An Owner’s Manual of the Voice The necessity of technique and craft A quick checklist of the voice The arc of breath A finely woven tapestry Vocal personality Working with the body Body language Posture A. Head B. Throat and shoulders C. Upper chest D. Spine E. Abdomen F. Knees G. Feet The centred position Recentring Being rooted The knees The spine Shoulders and upper chest Head position The jaw The tongue The soft palate Breath The natural breath Breathing faults How much breath? Keep breathing Breath tension The thinking breath The good news about breath Breath support The link between support and connection Freeing and placing the voice The trapped voice A. The push B. The clamp C. The glottal attack D. Devoicing E. The pull back Chapter 8: The Voice Workout Floor work 1. Foundation exercise 2. Relaxation 3. Repeat relaxation 4. Centring 5. Releasing the neck, shoulders, face and spine A. Neck and shoulders B. Face and jaw C. The spine 6. Expansion release exercises 7. Deep relaxation Breathing exercises 8. Foundation exercises A. Stretch I B. Stretch II C. Stretch III D. Combined stretch 9. Flexibility exercises 10. Capacity and control exercises 11. Placing and locating the breath 12. Extended flexibility 13. Extended capacity and control 14. Support and connection The telltale signs of support loss 15. Freeing, warming up and placing the voice A. Freeing B. Warming up C. Placing the voice 16. Putting it all together 17. Range 18. Stretching the range Working through the breaks 19. The centre of the voice – optimum pitch 20. Resonance or vocal tone 21. Volume control, level and projection A. Outside noise and acoustics B. Levels within an emotion Chapter 9: Speech and Phonetics Sounds into words Aim of speech 1. Foundation exercises A. The face B. The jaw C. The tongue D. The soft palate 2. Placing consonants 3. Vowels The neutral vowel 4. Phonetics Phonetic symbols Consonants Vowels Chapter 10: Working Further with the Voice Dialects and accents Compromising an accent Listening A. Individual exercises B. Group exercises Vocal warm-ups A. Preparation B. Basic routine C. Some adaptations Vocalizing heightened emotions A. Basic exercise B. Screaming C. Laughing Singing Chorus speaking Sight-readings or cold readings Recording Assessing vocal demands and preparing for them Marking and saving the voice General health and care of the voice A. List of critical warnings B. Loss of voice C. Regular prevention Professional voice training Some final thoughts Index "Practical, passionate and inspiring, this book teaches how to use the voice fully and expressively, without fear and in any situation. Patsy Rodenburg is one of the world's foremost voice and acting coaches, having trained thousands of actors, singers, lawyers, politicians, business people, teachers and students: her book distills that knowledge and experience so that everyone can enjoy the right to speak. This Bloomsbury Revelations edition contains revisions and additional content taking into account the effect of social media on communication skills, the need for empathetic listening, how scientific discovery now illuminates why and how voice exercises work, and cultural and global issues of ethics and storytelling"-- Provided by publisher Renowned voice teacher Patsy Rodenburg teaches you how to meet any speaking challenge with total self-assurance. Rodenburg has trained thousands of actors, singers, media personalities, lawyers, politicians, business people, teachers, and students in the art of using their voice fully and expressively without fear