In our May series of blogs and videos we’re looking at all things pitch-related. This week is the turn of pitch and volume. Let’s dive in!

Let’s talk about volume.

What is volume?

What is volume when it comes to soundwaves? Because you can’t change the frequency of a soundwave without changing the pitch. So how do I make something louder? 🔊

Waves and volume

Longitudinal waves (like a slinky) move in a wave. Imagine holding a slinky out horizontally in front of you. Give it a gentle tap – the wave would be gentle. Give it a whack and you’ll get much bigger waves. The strength of the soundwave is giving us the perception of volume 🌊

I’ve been told I have quite a gentle voice. That’s because, when I speak, my thyroid cartilage is often tilted which means that the vocal folds are in a configuration that makes them sound soft. So it’s at the same pitch and I’m speaking at the same pitch as I would in any other way, but the sound wave is quite gentle.

Again, think of the idea of if it’s easier for you of dropping a pebble into a pond and the the wave that’s formed as opposed to dropping a bigger pebble and the wave that’s formed. And this is what we’re looking at. It’s the strength of the wave.

The perception of volume

If I change the configuration of my vocal folds by tipping the cartilages in a different way, it makes the sound seem louder. That’s because the new configuration is creating a stronger soundwave (think about the slinky and whacking it harder to get that bigger wave).

It’s not about forcing my voice or shouting but more about knowing how to create a stronger soundwave rather than a louder sound. You may perceive that my voice is sounding louder but I’m not changing the effort I’m putting into my speech, it is simply that I am changing things to change the strength of the sound wave.

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