# Can voices (pitch, timbre, etc.) be altered? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251 "2004-09-13T14:32:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/1 "2004-09-13T14:32:47Z")
Is it possible to make one’s natural voice deeper by doing vocal exercises or by some other method? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/2 "2004-09-13T14:42:35Z")
It certainly is. [Cathy Berberian](http://www.meirion-bowen.com/mbartberb.htm) was one singer who developed an extraordinary range, IIRC over five octaves. And I believe there’s also some eastern European or Russian liturgical traditions which involved deepening the bass voice as low as possible, but Google’s proving unhelpful to me… ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/3 "2004-09-13T19:02:09Z")
Assuming you’re talking about lowering the pitch that you naturally speak at (to a pitch you can reach but don’t naturally use when talking), a speech pathologist can help you train yourself to speak at the desired pitch. To reach a lower minimum pitch, surgery is a possibility. [Here](http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/PatientInfo/voi_pitch.html) is some info on surgical procedures to change voice pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/4 "2004-09-13T19:21:39Z")
Take up smoking. Guaranteed to give you a deeper, huskier, sexier voice. And possibly throat cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/5 "2004-09-13T21:16:44Z")
Maggie Thatcher is a famous case of someone lowering their normal speaking voice - if you ever see any video of her early political career she has a high-pitched voice, as part of her “packaging” she used a voice coach to lower it, so as to appear more “sincere” IIRC (As in the old joke, “the most important thing is sincerity…if you can fake that…”) ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/6 "2004-09-14T02:16:21Z")
If you are female, some testosterone may do the trick (or so say the vocal pedagogy books warning against singers taking certain hormones). There are some side effects, though… ---
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/7 "2004-09-14T04:37:42Z")
Thanks for the replies. I just happened to listen to a speaker last week and thought he really had an excellent presentation voice. As I also give seminars from time to time, I thought it would be great if I could develop a deeper, better-sounding voice. (I’m male, btw.) Nothing I’m concerned about in the least; as in, I wouldn’t consider surgery or anything of that sort. Really, I was just curious if it was possible. I can get my voice sounding quite deep, but of course, my head is pushed back, my neck is tense, and it _sounds_ like I’m trying to have a deep voice. This, of course, is not the intent. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/8 "2004-09-14T05:08:13Z")
Sinusitus helps. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-voices-pitch-timbre-etc-be-altered/264251/9 "2004-09-14T06:27:57Z")
Reminds me of [something](http://lileks.com/institute/stagworld/sir0262/6.html) I have read recently…