How to avoid the "I'm reading" voice

quartertone · Post by **quartertone** » May 9th, 2024, 3:59 pm

[[This is not a veiled criticism at any LV reader who likes to read the text straight. I am posting this question because I want to improve *my* own performance.]]

Question for experienced/professional(?) narrators:

What are some tips on how to get rid of the "Oh, look, I'm reading some text" voice?

When I listen back to some of my recordings (I do this often) I hear my "reading" voice and cringe slightly. It's hard to describe why it sounds weird but I think most people would know what I mean. It's distinctly and noticeably different than my "normal speaking conversation" voice. It's particularly problematic when I'm reading a dry text (such as sections for Scientific American). It sounds like I'm speaking the words as if the phrases and sentences are items in a list. For my voice in particular, I notice that my vocal pitch sometimes has a slight upward lift at the end of a word or phrase in the middle of the sentence.

Upon further consideration, I think I (and many normal humans) tend to vary my reading pitch up and down so as not to sound "monotonous". Maybe it was something drilled into me/us when we were younger and it stuck. I'm not sure.

In my most recent narrations I've tried to bring my awareness to these aberrations and actively counteract them. But my "reading" voice still manages to slip through 50-80% of the time.

Does this make any sense to anyone?

I think the obvious solution is to take (voice)acting classes. I may do that eventually, but I'm not quite ready to go there yet. Plus, the acting classes available locally are geared toward children (despite having "no age limit") so I don't want to be that weird old guy. So I'm looking for interim guidance.

Post by **Rapunzelina** » May 9th, 2024, 4:26 pm

I'm looking forward to the replies!
What I've noticed about myself is that when I pre-read a text aloud for practice, I feel that it comes out lively and colourful. As soon as I sit in front of the microphone, my reading becomes flat. What gives?! I should ask someone to start recording me without my knowing

Post by **annise** » May 9th, 2024, 4:53 pm

I can't find the post but very early on my membership I read a post in which it was suggested that instead of feeling like you were "performing" or reading aloud while the teacher and class were just waiting to giggle if you slipped up, you visualised reading to someone who was ill and couldn't read themselves. And I think he had a point - we aren't getting a mark or being booed of the stage or seeing a critic writing a scathing review , we are reading to friends and if someone really enjoys being right all the time well they can write it down with a nice big red pen and feel good for a while

So make it a "reading to friends" voice.

Anne

Post by **TriciaG** » May 9th, 2024, 4:57 pm

I've got a reading voice, and it's worse on nonfiction. When you're reading a narrative, you can better sound like you're telling the story; but some nonfiction is just not able to be dramatized.

So, I have no suggestions, only sympathy.

Post by **annise** » May 9th, 2024, 5:15 pm

I'd agree with that but OK - it's a technical train manual and a relation is finding reading hard - read it for them.
It's all a matter of mind over matter - and not always easy to do. Just don't overthink. No one has to listen. (except the proof listener)

Anne

quartertone · Post by **quartertone** » May 9th, 2024, 6:12 pm

annise wrote: ↑May 9th, 2024, 5:15 pm No one has to listen. (except the proof listener)

Anne

For my purposes (the reason for this post) I disagree with the idea that "no one has to listen, except for PL".
Yes I understand that this is the LibriVox standard, but I'm (personally) shooting for a higher standard for myself.

So my performance/style goal is not "nobody has to listen to it", rather "nobody would mind listening to it". Or if I'm being ambitious: "most people would enjoy listening to it".

Post by **annise** » May 9th, 2024, 7:59 pm

It's fine to aim for perfection although judging from the reviews I have come across there are many ideas about what is perfection in a recording - just as with singers and actors and news readers ...... etc. But I've heard stage actors say they always pick someone in the audience they are talking to to stop it sound like they are reading a script.

Anne

sjmarky · Post by **sjmarky** » May 10th, 2024, 8:55 am

Some basic things you can practice right away:
1. Avoid down-inflections at the ends of phrases and sentences. We learn this in grammar school, but it is not normal speech. We usually just speak until the end of the message, and then stop speaking. There is rarely that down-inflection, which is a sure sign that says "I am reading," because we learned to do that in school when reading aloud.
2. At the same time, most questions should be spoken like declarative sentences with no up-inflection. Again, we rarely do this when speaking conversationally, and it shouts "I am reading."
3. Very, very few sentences should have more than one word stressed. Pick that word -- preferably a noun or verb -- and stress only that. No, this will not make you sound monotone, it will sound more natural.
4. Let the words the author wrote do the work, ie., trust the author. Don't try to sound scary, exciting, or whatever to sell the story. The story will be spooky or exciting if the text is spooky or exciting. New narrators often fear that they will be boring, but dressing up the narration will only get in the way.
5. Pause more. Leave a couple of beats between sentences lets the listener keep pace, and running sentences together is another thing that shouts "I'm reading."
Try this exercise: Record five minutes of you describing something you know from memory, such as a hobby, or anecdote, to someone. Go back and listen to how you speak when not reading. This can be the model for your "conversational read."

Good luck and happy narrating!

quartertone · Post by **quartertone** » May 21st, 2024, 7:30 pm

Thanks for these great tips Mark!

I definitely struggle with the artificial inflections (#1 and #2). It's a hard thing to un-learn.

And "pause more" (#5) is something I am constantly working at.

However, on #4 (at the risk of putting words in Mark's keyboard) I think the point is "don't over-act"?

I think it's important to carry the emotional tone of the words in the voice. Maybe some listeners might disagree, but personally, I would prefer listening to a narrator who emotes along with the text.

For example, these two passages would sound empty/incomplete if they were read in the same non-emotive tone.

"Heat burst into every pore in her face as she whipped around, jaws clenched, pointing a quivering finger at him."

vs

"The lazy afternoon sun slipped through a gap in the curtains and gently caressed her cheek as she lay half naked on the blood-drenched sheets."

sjmarky · Post by **sjmarky** » May 21st, 2024, 9:29 pm

However, on #4 (at the risk of putting words in Mark's keyboard) I think the point is "don't over-act"?

The best advice I ever got from a narration coach was from Paul Allen Ruben, whose mantra is “less, less, less, flat, flat, flat.” Think of it as the awesome power of understatement. This does not mean “non-emotive.”