How to do a yellow warbler voiceover?3 free mimicry tips for your voice

Want to have a voice like a warbler? I've been thinking about it for years.

To be honest, the first time I heard someone use the term "yellow warbler" to describe a voiceover, what popped into my head was that crisp, jumping, dewy chirp in the woods in the early morning, which is especially catchy and natural. At that time, I thought, "How can a human voice imitate that kind of dynamic energy? By having a good voice? Later, I thought about it by myself, plus I stole lessons from some professional teachers, and I found that there is a way, and the key is that it doesn't cost any money! Today, I'm going to talk to you about the three free techniques that I've tried and found to be the most useful, purely by practicing.

At the beginning, I thought it would be fine to pull out my voice and pull out the high notes, but when I listened to the recording, it sounded like a cockerel with its neck pinched, sharp and dry, not related to the "dynamic" sound. Only later did I understand that the yellow warbler's call is moving, not in how high the sound, but in the sound of the "elasticity" and "sense of vitality", like a small droplet of water rolling around on the tip of the leaf, at any time to drop and did not fall feeling.

Tip 1: Don't rush to "sing", learn to "tremble" first.

You listen carefully to the real bird song, especially the yellow warbler kind, its sound is not a straight line soaring up, in the middle of a very, very subtle, rapid tremor, not shake the sound of the kind of deliberate tremor ah, is the natural relaxation of the vocal folds produced by the kind of tiny ripples. This thing is called "microfibrillation", is the key to sound "live".

How do you find this feeling? I have an earthy solution: relax! Completely relax your jaw, the base of your tongue, and the muscles on the sides of your neck. Imagine you've just woken up from a long, lazy yawn, and right in the middle of that "ah-", try to give your voice a few gentle, quick "jiggles", and keep them small! small! It will feel like the sound is riding on a very, very small spring. You may not be able to find it at first, but don't worry, try it a few more times, focusing on "relaxed" and "tiny". Record it and listen to it, and adjust it a little bit, until that natural "water ripple" feeling comes out.

Hey, hold on. I know you're asking, "What's this got to do with dubbing?" It has a lot to do with it! When you read a normal voice-over, like "The sunlight poured over the windowsill," and you put a little bit of this natural "shiver" in the word "poured" or "poured," the whole sentence immediately comes to life. "The whole sentence comes to life immediately and doesn't just sit there.

Tip 2: Carry your voice to the center of your eyebrow, don't get it stuck in your throat!

Many people speak, especially when trying to imitate a good sound, easy to unconsciously "pressure" voice, voice muffled underneath, sounds heavy, heavy, and even a little "oil", and the yellow warbler's crisp translucent completely contrary. You need to "lift" the vocal position upwards.

Imagine a yellow warbler's call coming down from high in the treetops, bright and clear. Let's imitate this "sense of place". Try this: Gently place a finger on the upper part of your eyebrow (the legendary "mask resonance" area). Then, gently hum a "hmmm~~~" through your nose, a little higher in pitch, and feel the vibration buzzing right where your finger is pointing. Find that feeling!

Then, holding this vibratory position, slowly shift from "uh" to "eek--" and then to "ah--". -". Remember, the sound feels like it's being "sent" upwards, like a light thread being thrown from the center of the brow, rather than swirling in the throat or falling downwards. When reciting words, especially those that end with a rise or need to express a light mood, deliberately "hanging" your voice at this high level will have an immediate effect. At first, your voice may sound a bit "fake" or "thin", so practice more and find that balance of high and natural.

Tip 3: Learn to "steal air" from birds, breath is the soul!

Why are bird calls so animated and non-tiring? Have you ever observed that a bird's call is a small series of small series, with a very short, almost imperceptible pause in the middle to change breath. The big taboo when we dub is dragging out a breath for a long time, and the sound gets weaker and weaker as it goes on, and the spirit of the voice is completely lost. The essence of yellow warbler dubbing lies in "short and powerful" and "flexible breath changes".

To practice this, don't worry about the content, just practice "stealing breath". Find a passage, not a long one, just a sentence or two. When you read it, deliberately break the sentence into smaller clusters, and at the end of each cluster (even if there is no punctuation there), inhale a little bit as fast as you can, with the least amount of movement (like the small breath you take when you jump out of your seat), and then immediately move on to the next cluster. The goal is to make your inhalation almost inaudible on the recording.

For example, say, "The dewdrops in the morning (stealing breath) glisten on the green leaves (stealing breath)". Try it. Isn't it much easier than holding your breath to pronounce "The dewdrops in the morning glisten on the green leaves", and the sound is more jumpy and grainy? This is the rhythmic magic of the "chi kou". After practicing, this kind of "stealing air" will become instinctive, and your voice will naturally take on that kind of free-breathing, light and jumping "bird sense".

These three skills, the core of the two words: relaxation + control. Relaxation is a prerequisite, the throat is tight what skills are useless; control is slowly practiced out of the fine work, you have to rely on the ear to listen, rely on the feeling of tuning. I just started practicing that "microtremor", and the sound I recorded gave me goosebumps when I listened to it, which was too deliberate! But insist on recording a few minutes every day on the phone, playback, adjustments, a month down, the changes can be shocked themselves. Do not expect overnight, the sound of the change is silent. What equipment do not need, have a cell phone recording on the line, the key is that you have to start practicing, and stick to it. Try it, maybe one day you will be surprised by your own voice!

You may also want to ask about the yellow warbler dub.

Q: Will practicing this break my voice? It sounds a bit mysterious.

A: Not at all! At its core, it is relaxation and breath use that will take the load off your voice instead. Those practices that make your throat hurt are definitely wrong. Microtremor and positional lifting are all about finding the feeling in your natural state, not pushing it. Stop as soon as you feel your voice getting tired.

Q: How long does it take to hear results? I've been practicing for a week and I don't feel much change.

A: Sound habits take time to change. One week is too short! It took me almost three weeks of practicing before I suddenly got the hang of it and found the "voice from the center of my eyebrows" feeling. If you keep practicing for 10-15 minutes a day (focusing on listening and tuning), you can usually feel a significant difference in a month or so. Be patient, recording comparison is the best teacher.

Q: Do you have to imitate a yellow warbler? I just want to sound good.

A: Of course it is not necessary to imitate a bird! The yellow warbler is a metaphor here, representing a soulful, pleasing and vital vocal quality. These three techniques, when practiced, can generally enhance the infectiousness, clarity, and beauty of your voice, whether it's voice-over, everyday speech, or reading aloud.

Q: Do I need to buy a very expensive microphone?

A: The practicing stage is not necessary at all! The recording function that comes with your cell phone is clear enough for you to hear the details of your voice (microvibrations, breath, position). The key is to practice, the equipment is the icing on the cake, when you have a clear need (such as professional voice over) then consider upgrading.