Thanks for your comments! Do I know you?

@@bectilleyvoice No I live in USA, I am a listener of language n music...

you are so smart i will be back lol

@@PoetryETrain If you're interested in signing up to the Living Voice Library, all the info is on my website :) www.bectilley.com

It's the tilting of the thyroid cartilage, amongst other things. It's not something I can explain in a KZbin comment, but you know where to find me if you're interested in working together :)

@@bectilleyvoice 🤔 How would you explain it otherwise? How would I know if working with you would help?

@@Dynamofoe It would be less explaining, and more offering cues and feedback to help you find it in your own voice - as well as demonstrating the sound myself. :) As for if working with me would help, that depends on what your goals and desires are. There's plenty of testimonials you can read on my website & my Google listing to see if it sounds like folks who are similar to you have had the results you're looking for! I always have a Discovery Call with folks first to get to know each other, hear about what you want to do with your voice, explain the options for working with me, and then we decide if it feels like a good match from there :)

Oh, I'm sorry that you're feeling disappointed in how your voice has changed. Congratulations for making the best choices for your health. The simple fact is that when you are smoking, you vocal folds become inflamed, swollen, irritated. This makes them thicker, which means the pitch can be lower and sound can be "deeper". Unfortunately, having more healthy vocal folds means that you lose that effect. But it is definitely a worthy sacrifice to make in my opinion! There are exercises and techniques you can learn to strengthen your lower range and create a nice rich and thick sound, and also create deeper resonance, if that's something you like. I can't teach them in a KZbin comment, but if you're interested in booking a Discovery Call to discuss potentially working together, you can find all the info on my site :) www.bectilley.com But I do want to say that you voice is beautiful as it is, even without the swelling, and getting to know and accept and love your "new", more natural voice, is also a valuable journey to undertake :)

@@bectilleyvoice thx ur too sweet 🥰

Ooh! Good questions. Pitch is kind of complicated to explain, and it has to do with an interaction of the length, mass, and tension of the vocal folds. In simple acoustic terms, the faster the vocal folds vibrate, the higher the pitch. Thicker vocal folds can vibrate more slowly, so people who have had a testosterone voice change may have much thicker vocal folds which enables them to hit lower pitches. Thyroid cartilage tilt can be one strategy to help us reach higher notes, but it is not the only strategy :)

It sounds like gathering more information on non-personalised KZbin videos - especially from different teachers who would all use different terminology and perspectives - might be causing more confusion than helping you, right? I would strongly recommend working with a vocal coach 1:1 so they can analyse specifically what is going on in your instrument, and help you understand your unique voice and guide it to the sounds you are hoping to be able to make. :)
 I work with many people online so if you’re interested in booking a Discovery Call to have a chat about what you’re experiencing and your goals, you can do that here: bectilley.com/singing/get-started/ Otherwise, let me know where you are based and I’ll see if I can find some recommendations for you in your area :)

@@bectilleyvoice aw thanks. You’re a saint! I want to teach others, especially trans, how to master their voice as much as they need but to moreover love and accept themself; there seems to be hours of practice and research invested into trans voices, yet a pervasive “cringe/dissatisfaction” that remains… it’s just life, it’s an “every girl” issue- you’ve got to accept and love the shape and size of your body you were born into, it dicates what expectations are feasible or not. I dont believe there is a place on the male/female spectrum where you are beyond x-sex pass ability. There is so much diversity in the world as it is, and overall i have seen that normies arent out searching for people to out or to ridicule. People like good energy, most normies i have ever crossed really have the best of intentions and are happy to see someone well-adjusted and enjoying being an outlier. There is a lot of appeal to see someone walking the less travelled path and thriving, owning it. I believe i have knowledge to pass on in a coaching/advice (not paid) setting which could help people have the kind of life im having, known and often approached or involves in conversation… it’s possible. It’s what’s going on up top 🧠 that influences success mostly. Wow look at me get into it Thanks for your pointers, my voice has been on my mind as something “it would be nice to work out why im repelled by it”, “what is going on”. i am very social and i have that unrealistic expectation that i can sound just like my favourite barista (who Is probably 45 kilos lighter, 5foot “nuthin” and has a slight frame 🤣🤣 actually most grls i hang out with dont resonate like i do, But noone has judged me or treated me as an outsider bc of it. Most normies ppl are lovely and accommodating. Less so for autism but 👽

@@bectilleyvoiceur australian yeah? There’s a possibility im not that far away actually 😊 always looking for connections and network… 🌻

@@gonnfishy2987 I very much agree with you on the subject of both empowering people with tools to expand their abilities and capacity and access to different sounds should they want it, as well as fostering a sense of self love and acceptance regardless. This is my approach with all my clients. We can expand our vocal abilities, and also learn to love our voice exactly as it is. Thanks for sharing. Body size has very little to do with the sound of someone’s voice, just FYI. The shape and the size of the “filter” (the vocal tract) has an impact, but like all parts of the vocal instrument, it is flexible and many different settings and options can be explored. I am glad to hear people have mostly treated you with kindness :)

@@bectilleyvoice heee, i think my “assessment” that my barista’s voice seems far more suited to her, and her build, does stem from an inbuilt belief that everyone’s voice is somehow proportionally suited to them by virtue of it being _their_ voice and not someone else’s who has a markedly different body… but that seems to be a false belief and follow the same principle as most of the other baseless or judgemental beliefs my mother has upheld within the family, my siblings… she really shouldn’t believe these things, her career an RN and a senior midwife (begun before i was born!) should preclude that kind of low intellect reasoning!! I am still very interested in sessions or services i might be able to organise with or though you. At the moment im appraising things and wondering if my particular insecurity re my voice is even worth giving energy… it’s a complaint i have had whenever i hear my voice played back or alongside other people’s, it’s a mystery and a niggling issue but i might have said, it hasn’t lead to me being ill-treatment or judgement (afaik!!) 🙂🙂🙂 peace sister. (You are gorgeous, sorry i only say that because you look and sound like a doppelgänger of my sister!!!!) ✌🏼

Great! Love that you feel comfortable and enjoy yourself singing. And of course it's so fine to make weird noises and do goofy voices and sing "badly" on purpose just for fun! I can't fathom why someone would make rude comments like that person. Like what is his motivation in saying stuff like that? I don't think I could see that as potentially honest at all. Sounds like he just wants to put you down and be a jerk. You can give constructive feedback to someone if you want to help them and have asked their permission to share it. Being an unsolicited jerk like that is more of a reflection on him than it is on you.

Hello! Thanks for your comment! There are many kinds of techniques that can make higher notes easer. Some that I teach including lifting the larynx, using twang, reducing false vocal fold constriction, tongue height, managing airflow, some physical movements that can reduce excess tension... there are a lot of things that can be learnt to make challenges in singing like this easier. You could Google/KZbin search for some of the things I've mentioned, or if you are interested in working with a vocal coach, we could have a chat on a Discovery Call to see if I'd be the right match for your goals :) bectilley.com/singing/get-started/

You're right Mark, it is a beautiful gift when someone grows up in a family, or a culture, where music is part of daily life. Music is like a language, and it's certainly easier to feel more comfortable and fluent in that language if you were immersed in it from an early age. But it's never too late to begin immersing ourself in it at any age, whether that's through taking lessons, just exploring by yourself with your voice or an instrument, or just listening to more music and making it a part of your daily life. Where are you at with it at the moment, what role does music play in your life, or what is your relationship to it?

@@bectilleyvoice I discovered music for myself in my early teens. Listened and collected ever since but barely even tried vocals.

@@markbernier8434 Do you have any interest in doing so? :)

Thanks for saying so! Where are you at in your journey, what's your relationship to your voice and to music?

I love this! That's a great place to get to, well done!

Hi there, thanks so much for sharing these beliefs. I'm going to make a video response to this comment, so stay tuned!

@@bectilleyvoice omg thank you so much

I responded here! (Two more videos for you coming!) kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5S2cn9trrZ3otk

Part 2/3: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGirkGBobrCno6M

@@dismurrart6648 Part 3/3~ Let me know your thoughts :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKLHYaKLi8eNbNk

Hi there, thanks so much for sharing these beliefs. I'm going to make a video response to this comment, so stay tuned!

@@bectilleyvoice thank you

Everyone can sing!! Training can definitely help with some skills and confidence. But everyone should feel welcome to sing, regardless of whether they have had any training or not. <3

You're welcome, thanks for your comment!

So pleased to hear this helped! <3

Haha yup, I am sure it applies to any instrument, or any skill at all really!

Hello! I'm not sure what you mean by "with precautions to not damage", what precautions are you using? It's very hard to give specific vocal advice in a KZbin comment, so if you'd like to get my support, please look into booking a Discovery Call at www.bectilley.com :)

@@bectilleyvoice not going to high or to low as in the middle of the laryngiti.

Again, pretty impossible to give any feedback or understand what you are referring to from a comment here,@@IvanChaim9, but you might be talking about trying to keep the larynx in a mid position and not letting it lift or lower? Which I understand is taught in Speech Level Singing but is not something I would recommend. I wouldn't think this would be why your voice is becoming raspy though. I can help yuo if yoy want to book in a session :)

@@bectilleyvoice ok 👍 but I am not a singer, I just work in my speaking voice I am trying to give it a style.

By "I am not a singer" do you mean you are working on your speaking voice? @@IvanChaim9

Pretty much, yep! There are some other factors and interactions that can contribute to volume, but in very simple terms (as much as we can explain in a short video or KZbin comment), that's correct.

Hello! Please don't try to "push up the back of your throat", that sounds physically impossible and probably uncomfortable! 😅 The CT muscle is on the front of the larynx. To create the sound I was demonstrating here, the CT muscle needs to contract, not stretch. If you're asking about how to do this, that's not something I can explain in a comment. If you'd like to learn the cues & exercises to help with this skill from me, either in a 1:1 session or through my online video lesson library, you can visit bectilley.com/singing/get-started/ to book a Discovery Call, and I can advise you on the best way for you to learn this :)

@@bectilleyvoice should I just sing in “Nay” word for mix voice?. I believe I’m tenor

Hi @@1000-flowers , I don't know how to answer this question, what are you hoping to achieve? Please book in for a Discovery Call with me, and I can give you more relevant advice, KZbin comments are not a great place to get good vocal instruction :)

@@bectilleyvoice alright … I don’t plan to achieve anything .. I just love singing that’s why

@@1000-flowersLoving singing is enough of a reason to want to improve at it, so you can enjoy it more and have more fun with more sounds and finding things easier oevr time! :) Clearly you are interested in improving, or you wouldn't be watching videos like this and asking questions.

I'm not sure if I follow, what is the "it" you are referring to? I don't think that a "use it or lose it" is really relevant to what I'm talking about here, but if you'd like to clarify what you got from the video i can clarify further :)

^_^

Hi, thanks for your question! As far as I'm aware, larynx height is an adjustable setting which can be isolated from other settings such as the thickness of the TVFs. You can do a higher or lower larynx on a chest (thick) sound, on a head (thin) sound, mix and match it with any other vocal parameters. In my experience, when people first learn lowered larynx, especially when doing it to an extreme, they do often tend to make the sound breathier. 

I do also find that significantly lowered larynx can easily bring with it tilting of the thyroid cartilage so a less “thick” sound, which may be what these people are talking about; this does stretch the vocal folds and make the sound thinner. But I can isolate these two parameters if I try, and keep my TVFs thick, on all except for my very lowest pitch. I have never noticed high larynx creating a more thicker/heavier/chestier sound though. But as I said, it can be done either on thick or thin settings, chest or head, whatever else you’re doing you can add high larynx to it. High larynx is generally a helpful setting to add to belting / using the thick folds / chest voice up high, it makes everything feel much easier. I can’t really speak to what you’re doing/experiencing without actually hearing and seeing it, but let me know if this was helpful at all or if you have further questions :)

​@@bectilleyvoicethanks for the answer

@@gleamingrake7689No worries! Did it make sense? Do you have any questions?

Yep it's odd! You do get used to it though!

You're welcome! ^_^

Well, that depends on what specifically you want to improve! Of course, the best recommendation I have is to work with a vocal coach who will help you with specific techniques to improve the things you find challenging and help you work towards your goals. If you're interested in having a chat (I work with people all over the world via Zoom & my online library of video lessons) you can find out more about me and book in a Dicovery Call here: bectilley.com/singing/get-started/ If you want to let me know what specifically you want to improve, I could make some other suggestions, but if it's just "generally get better" I simply encourage you to keep singing, and also explore making lots of weird noises with your voice :) That will help you develop your awareness and control. Have fun!

^_^ You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

Hi! The only thing I am "promoting" is the sense in my clients who come to work with me (or watch my videos) that they will be accepted and welcome in my studio.

You shut up. She can’t post and put anything she want.

Spell correctly before you attack others!!!

Hi there! It's tricky to answer your question without actually having a conversation, hearing your voice, and hearing what you mean by "nasal" or "thinner vocal folds". Your vocal folds are nowhere near your nose or septum so there should not be any direct impact on them. Using thicker or thinner folds is a choice we make in our larynx, as I outlined in the video, not a permanent setting :) It's possible that adjusting the shape of your nose or nasal passages will affect the sound & sensation of your voice somewhat, as this is part of the filter your sound can pass through when you're singing - but only if/when your velum (soft palate) is in a mid or lowered position. If it is in a high position, touching the back wall of the pharynx, your sound is not affected by your nose as it is only coming through your mouth. You can determine the position of your velum by holding a note on a vowel and pinching your nose closed and then letting it go repetitively. If pinching your nose changes the sound, it means your velum is in a mid or lowered position and so your air/sound is coming through your nose. If there is no change, you are singing with oral resonance only and the velum is closing off the "back door" to the nose. Again, this is not a permanent thing but something we can control both consciously and which will happen unconsciously - any time you say "m" "n" or "ng", this is a nasal sound. What many people call a "nasal" sound is actually nothing to do with the nose - a bright and twangy sound. This sound is made by the narrowing of a space within the larynx. A "nasal" sound, when the air/sound is coming into the nose, is actually a more dull and dampened sound. Let me know if this makes sense!

I forgot something - if you feel that your voice is nasal in the sense that your nose is partly blocked by your deviated septum, this would actually mean that your voice is *less* nasal - less air and sound going through the nose. A fully blocked nose like when we have a cold is not a nasal sound at all - it is oral resonance only. Does that make sense?

Also, I have a video about "nasality" here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYW4cn96d5iIndU

@@bectilleyvoice Thanks, cool🙂I read about hyponasality vs hypernasality, where the first one could be caused by a deviated septum. I also thought that if my nose is blocked that would not make my voice nasal, but apparently hyponasality is something that exists? If you have any more info on that, I will be happy if you can share it🙂

@@SycAamore Right, yes, so "hypo" just means... not nasal, or less nasal than usual, where as "hyper" means more/too much. So pretty much what i said :) a blocked nose means less nasal resonance.

Hi there, I'm not sure what you are asking, could you please rephrase your question? :)

If you watch the video, I explain how we can control the thickness of our vocal fold muscle, this is not a permanent change but more like just something we do in any given moment. If you can make your voice louder and quieter, congratulations, you can probably already do this :) Having more nuanced control over this kind of thing (or any other vocal technique) for specific tonal outcomes, of course, takes practice. If anyone is practicing for “hours” a day I would guess they are aiming to become a professional opera singer, or working musical theatre, etc. If you simply want to improve your control over thyroid cartilage tilt - this can be done in 5 minutes, a couple times a day. The way that our bodies and brains learn best is “little and often” rather than heaps all at once. A few minutes a few times a day on most days per week is going to be better than 3 hours once a week :) Let me know if that’s what you were looking for with your question!

Thanks, glad you found it helpful!

Thanks for the question! Analysis of celebrity voices isn't really my thing, there are lots of other voice people who do this in their videos so I encourage you to ask them :) It's also tricky to analyse someone's voice in this kind of music because it is so heavily produced, what we hear on the tracks. Listening to some live isolated vocals he sounds generally like he's in what I'd call "high thinned-out thick folds", so somewhere in the middle on the spectrum from thick to thin... a high larynx position which give that brightness. Not sure about nasality - often people use the word "nasal" to mean "twangy" but an actually nasalised sound will be a bit duller. Even with live isolated vocals though we are probably hearing some treatment so it's hard to say what exactly he would sound like live and acoustic. He does have a very fast vibrato, vibrato can be created through many different ways, it could be a kind of muscle tension, can be little puffs of air, can be through thyroid cartilage tilt, this is an area I've found it hard to find good information about.

@@bectilleyvoice thank you coach for them informations, appreciate it 🌸🌸 could you describe more about high "thinned out thick folds" or demonstrate? And "duller nasalised" tone?

@@DipsonSitaulaWhat I mean by "thinned out thick folds" is, he's not in his upper register, but the upper end of his lower register, not using heaps of muscle work in the vocal fold itself, so on the spectrum from the vocal folds being thick (lots of muscle work) to thin (stretched out and relaxed) he's kind of in the middle a lot of the time. Why do you ask? Is this relating to something you're experiencing in your own voice? For a nasalised tone (meaning the velum or soft palate is in a mid-low position) sometimes you can hear this in the voice of a deaf person who is learning to speak - obviously not all deaf people will sound like this but for some, if they haven't learnt the physical sensation of lifting the soft palate, they may get this muffled, dampened, or dulled sort of sound because they are shaping the words with their mouth but don't know or have the ability of that lift in in the back of the mouth. So, you said his sound "seems nasal" but I can't hear any nasality; you might have meant his sound is "twangy" or "bright" which some people confuse for "nasal" when it has nothing to do with the nose.

Thanks, so glad you enjoyed! I've actually struggled to find good education for myself on the subject of vibrato, so I wouldn't consider myself a good teacher to make a video about it. I'm aware of a few different ways to achieve vibrato - tilting the thyroid cartilage, or allowing little flutters of air, or pushing the air from the abdominal muscles, as well as just a subtle adjustment in pitch (though this last option would also be related to the interplay of the vocal fold muscles and the thyroid cartilage)... however this is just bits & pieces I've gleaned from various sources and my own play... this is a particular topic I don't feel super well-informed on, so I don't think I'd consider making a video about it. My vibrato has always been the fast kind like this; my teachers analysed it as being the air-flutters kind, but it doesn't match my own physical sense of how it feels to produce it. It feels related to thyroid cartilage tilt and perhaps some shaking of muscles around the larynx. Not 100% sure!

​​@@bectilleyvoice thank you so much,,I thought you weren't active these days and won't reply cause this video's old and gold lolb🌸🌸 about thyroid cartilage you mentioned in the video,,I can only understand that it's on the front of the larynx,,but how does it feel when you tilt it? I mean does your muscle beneath your chin(the back side of chin or the front) get tightened? I could differentiate with the sound,just could see the difference in sound when you go from thick to thin and thin to thick but that tilt ,aarggh! I must be stupid haha,could you demonstrate with the chin muscles or maybe theoritically describe the sensation when you'd feel when tilting the thyroid cartilage? Thank you so much 🌸🌸

@@DipsonSitaula God, is 6 months ago really considered old these days? 🤣 This is the sort of thing that would be best to chat about and guide you through in an actual session! If you're interested, you can book a Discovery Call and we could have a chat. bectilley.com/singing/get-started/

Hahahaha it's not like that's just in my mind, overthinker ya know,🤣 I researched so much and maybe I got it! 😁 Thank you so much by the way 🙏😊🌸🌸

@@DipsonSitaula Haha ok, well, if you ever want any specific guidance on it, you know where to find me!

Cool! All the info about working with me is here: bectilley.com/singing/get-started/ If you can't find the answer to your questions on that page or the FAQs page, email me at [email protected] or you can book straight in for a Discovery Call :)

My go to quick tips for high notes are always: - add twang - lift the larynx (think like a "younger" sound) - higher back of tongue position (try the note on "yeah" or "ee" when gradually transition back to the actual word but try to keep feeling the back of the tongue sitting higher, you can even keep the vowel different like "Breeek" rather than "break" but "ay" vowels are usually okay, it's ones like "ah" that tend to be trickier) - False Vocal Fold retraction (think of something funny or yummy) - if you want the sound to be more belty, try doing "happy yelling" up to the note, starting a few notes lower "YAY! YEAH!" - If you want the sound to be sweeter, try thinking whiny like "Muuum, It's not faiiiir" At the end of the day, I'd have to hear your voice to know what might be making the note tricky and what would best help. Feel free to book in with me at www.bectilley.com if you'd be interested :)

Wonderful, I'm so glad you're feeling more hopeful. <3 Have we chatted on a call before? (Wondering if maybe I have a different name for you than what you're using here). If not, and you'd be up for having a chat, I have more space than usual in my calendar in Jan & Feb. You probably have the link for the Shift Your Singing Story call in a past email from me, right? I know they say it expires after a month, but with more space in my schedule right now, I'd always love to connect and hear about your journey with singing :) Or send me a PM on FB if you need me to re send the link x

Haha. Well, first of all, the iPhone 5S was long and thin, less wide than newer models. Secondly, I had a qualified otolaryngologist doing it. Here's a photo of what it looked like from the outside: facebook.com/bectilleyvoicecoach/photos/pb.100063629859605.-2207520000./1590029044554090/?type=3

(He's holding my tongue with a napkin, by the way).

oh thanks so much for the photo, i was abt to do it myself but so scared and just dont know how

@@bectilleyvoice your photo was really great, i have an iphone xs, its small like an iphone 5 but im not a qualified otolaryngologist so im not dare to do it 🥲

@@heynancie We’re you able to do it?

Thanks so much for your comment! glad you think so. ^_^

Hi! Well, that depends. I would need to hear you sing to determine if there is something that is limiting your low range currently, and recommend a particular technique to help. Without hearing you sing, I can simply say that what often helps the most with low notes is being as relaxed as possible, and the more you sing in any area of your range, the more you move your voice around and play with sounds in that area, the easier and stronger you will find that area gets :) Hope that helps, otherwise you can book in with me at www.bectilley.com and we can have a chat!

Good question! In my study I have not heard of any exercise permanently changing the thickness of the vocal fold (thyroarytenoid) muscle, I'm not sure if it works in this way as it would with, say, your bicep, where working it does build the mass of the muscle over time. That's a pretty nitty-gritty question which I'm going to take to Instagram to ask the more experienced voice science people I'm connected to! Thanks for helping me learn more! I'll come back to you with the answers I receive! What I do know is, through exercises, we can develop skill, agility, control & ease in both the thickening of the vocal folds (via activation of the thyroarytenoid, amongst other muscles, and other mechanisms such as tilting the cricothyroid cartilage) to achieve louder, thicker sounds; as well as in thinning the folds (via release in the thyroarytenoid muscle, and engagement of other muscles like the cricothyroid muscles to tilt the thyroird cartilage and stretch the vocal folds longer and thinner) to achieve sweeter, smoother, quieter sounds. So in my understanding, it's less about building up the muscle, and more about improving our ability to engage or relax different muscles at different times for vocal flexibility & agility & access to a range of sounds :) This is more about the brain-muscle-ear connection, increasing our interoception (awareness of the sensations of things happening inside our body) and strengthening the neural pathways for those activities :)

The other thing to ask in response to your question is - what's the curiosity behind your question? Is it that you're curious about these anatomical specificities, or are you wondering about something that pertains to your own singing ability? Would love to answer any further questions you have :)

Hey, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it ^_^

Awesome! ^_^

Hi Chris, I'm not sure what this means?