What if I Suck?

[Darvinia]

What is your longest? And your average? Just out of curiosity, in context of the conversation.

The longest one I could find, going through my catalogue, was 62 minutes. My average seems to be around 30-40 minutes edited finished length. I don't read a lot of poetry which is usually quite short. I tend to go for short stories or whole chapters of collaborations.

I think the longest thing I've recorded was 9 hours plus, but it was not for LV. It was a few years back (about 4 years in fact), and it took me about a month to record and edit. I was probably recording 30-45 minutes a day and editing 2 hours a day. But then I had more stamina, concentration, and a more reliable voice which did not crack up so much as now.

I believe Cassiopeia was asking about a single section length for Librivox ("in context of the conversation"). My longest total recording is 16 hours and 53 minutes for Librivox.

[lurcherlover]

That's a long recording! My average these days is about 40 minutes, in the short stories collection, or probably quite a bit less.

[robio65]

thanks for this post...this concerns this newbie so much,ive not yet performed my first reading.But im close,very close

[annise]

Just get your "one minute test" done and checked, just to get the technical requirements right , the find something you would like to record - not too long and jump in. We were all new once, and people are all willing to help so you can learn as you go .

Anne

[barleyguy]

Because it's been discussed in the last few comments, I feel compelled to make a post about "Endurance and Vocal Health". It could probably be its own thread, but I think it will be seen more here. Also, apologies if this is already covered somewhere in this long thread.

So my (somewhat educated) opinion on how to improve your endurance, make narrating more fun, and not to injure your voice if you do this a lot, in the form of some tips.

1. Hydration.

It's really important to make sure your vocal cords are hydrated. Because they are in your airway and not your waterway, it takes about two hours to get hydration to them. So, drink a half gallon (2 liters) of water two hours before recording. Then drink small amounts of water continuously after that.

2. Vocal warm up / stretching

Especially if enunciation is difficult or endurance seems to be an issue, doing a vocal warm up can help. This is very similar to what singers do, and there's tons of information online. The short version is stretch your body, stretch your tongue and jaw, loosen your lips with lip trills, and stretch your vocal cords by exercising your speech range or singing scales.

3. Use your natural relaxed voice

If you find that you can talk to friends for hours without problems, but you get fried after 20 minutes of narration, you are probably not using your natural voice. The narrator and the main character at least should be in your natural speech. If you are pitch shifting or over projecting, this can wear your voice out really quick. Also, if you do this a lot it can cause vocal health issues.

4. Immerse yourself in the story

One of the best things you can do for both your performance and vocal health is to think about the story instead of thinking about yourself and what you are doing. Imagine the scene in your head. What are the thoughts and hopes and goals of the main character and the other characters? Are you as immersed when narrating as you would be if you were reading for pleasure?

5. If all else fails, get some coaching

I don't actually expect anybody on Librivox to make significant investment, as we're all volunteers. So apart from a microphone and a quiet space, I don't expect any of you to spend any money. But I wanted to note that most great professional narrators and most great actors have coaches. They don't get better by magic or (usually) pure talent, they meet with a great coach and their coach helps them improve their craft. Someone else mentioned asking your spouse or a family member for their opinion. That may also be a way to get impartial feedback.

That's my two cents. I don't profess to be an expert on anything, but this is a topic I'm passionate about and have taken some classes in.

Cheers,

Harley.

[dsuden]

If you'd like to improve your narrations (and/or have technical questions about gear, setup, room acoustics, mic positioning, recording and editing techniques, etc.), I'm a Librivox volunteer, and I can help. Please contact me for a free coaching session over Zoom or Skype.

In our get-together, I'll listen to your recordings, or listen to you read to me directly, and give you KIND and useful feedback, and also help you with anything you want to ask about. During our session, I'll also give you a copy of my book, "12 Pro Tips to Help You Improve as a Voice Actor," which will hopefully give you some more ideas and inspiration. All you need to do to grab a session with me is to go to my calendar and choose a time...

https://calendly.com/danescott/free-librivox-coaching-session

Dane Scott
Librivox Volunteer

--

Reality checks, so you can feel comfortable this is a real person, and I'm able to actually help...

I'm a full-time voiceover artist who has been doing narration and voice acting for over 40 years, and also coach and write on the subject. I'm the author of the "12 Tips" book mentioned above, and also "Voiceover Mythbusters: Curing Voice Actor 'Group Think'"

My website: thegigdoctor.com

[GettingTooOld]

https://calendly.com/danescott/free-librivox-coaching-session
My website: thegigdoctor.com

I tried these links, one displays a blank page the other says 'your browser is no longer supported' which, to me, when I see such a message anywhere on the internet, it suggests to me that the website wants to spy on me and cannot because my browser doesn't have the latest spyware features. (MediaDevices.getUserMedia and so on). I'm not suggesting you have anything to do with that, it's a standard message many many sites display as part of the underlying software that runs them. I won't be looking at the site using a different browser, I believe to do so is a security threat. Too many children and adults are conditioned to click on anything that pops up on the screen, cookie policy imprints this on people, for myself, I never click those things I just leave the site or delete the element from the page, I never click them so I'm not in the habit. HTML5 pops up a requestor in similar fashion to take control of the camera and microphone, which it can use without you realising it is using it. I don't want myself or family filmed by parties unknown. I want to be clear I'm not pointing at you or your site and I'm not suggesting there is anything wrong here in particular, it's a much much wider issue across the internet. I respond to it by physically disconnecting the inbuilt cameras and microphones in all laptops and mobiles. (I use a handsfree on the phone)

I hope this feedback is useful to you in improving your site and it's accessibility.

There is a reason why websites are more interested in getting into your browser and taking photos of you and put that above all other priorities, above doing business with you and making money or gathering any other data at all, right to the point that they won't let you see anything at all unless they can spy on you. It somehow seems spying is the top priority when they go to so much trouble to make sure you know perfectly well it's their top priority.

[Akarsh]

I worry about sucking, too. So I read carefully, sometimes re-reading sections when I go from a fumble to an all-out flub, and then edit out the worst mistakes.

But this is not a professional reading performance. It's like someone else said--Librivox has the intimacy of bedtime stories. Remember those? Mom and Dad read like regular people, making an effort, but not stressing over being perfect. And those times were special. It was great even though (maybe because) it wasn't perfect.

So far, I've read seven chapters in three books and I've noticed that each time it gets better. Since I edit the files, I have to listen to my voice, so I'm more aware of how I sound. Slowly, I'm building more control. So I'll suck less as I continue to participate in Librivox.

[Jazbees]

I've been a big fan of a speaking/presentation coach named Vinh Giang. Even though some of what he talks about is related to people presenting on stage, he has a lot of excellent tips on improving vocal delivery. He's even got a course on Udemy for those who might want to go that route, but there are still plenty of great tips available for free if you browse his YouTube channel.

As an example, one tip that you might see repeated multiple times in his content is about slowing down. One of my struggles over the years has been an inclination to speak too quickly. You might be able to catch a sense of rushing in my early Librivox material. Back in those days I was frustrated during the recording process because pacing myself was so tough, and I did a LOT more editing to get rid of various stumbles that occurred when I rushed. I do a lot less editing now because I've consciously worked on slowing down and pacing myself as I read, and the whole process is a lot more enjoyable (including listening back to my own work). I'm not perfect by any stretch, but I've made vast improvements just by addressing that one principle.

[Jazbees]

We're living with my in-laws (both in hospice care currently), and last night I was glancing at the books on one of their bookshelves while waiting to talk with my wife about something. A book called Storytelling, by Ruth Tooze, caught my eye, so I took it down and skimmed through some of it. While its focus is toward telling stories to children, there are some good general tips in there, including voice exercises, tips for finding appropriate stories, comments about pacing, etc. It was published in 1959, so it's sadly not eligible for narration here, but it's worth a look if you can find it.

Near the end of the chapter called "The Telling," this paragraph stuck out (emphasis mine):

There is a place for reading some stories aloud as well as for telling them, but always you must live the story so that you can make it live for others. Padraic Colum once described a man who stood in a corner of a brilliantly lighted room in a situation not conducive to good telling or good listening to a story. The man used few gestures, spoke simply but sincerely. Soon everyone around him, including Colum, was completely unaware of his surroundings. What had happened? The listeners were living the story with him. This is what must happen when you weave a tale. You must so enter into the story with your listeners that they open their hearts and minds even as you opened yours to a full identification with the characters. You and they care as much what happens to the characters as if they were yourselves. Good weaving of your tale builds genuine rapport with your listeners. And in like manner, good rapport with them makes you better in your weaving.

I love that comment about making the story live. That's a question that I frequently ask myself as I'm narrating: am I just vocalizing the words, or am I truly bringing the story to life and inviting the listener to live it with me? It doesn't matter whether it's fiction or non-fiction, short or long, there's a story to be told, and everyone can learn to become better storytellers.