Before we leave the topic of the clear voice a word must be said about pitch. Perhaps you wonder what pitch is good and what is bad. It all depends on you. Every individual has a pitch which is best suited to his speaking voice so that no rule can be laid down for all speakers.
Only this should guide you in all speaking: Don’t stay on one pitch level in your speaking or develop a sing-song pattern; let your pattern be natural, up and down as needed; use a general pitch level which serves you with the least strain.
One method to use to find the best pitch is this: After speaking in a monotone begin to hum on that note. Then, still humming that note, find the corresponding note on the piano. Then go down the scale a half-note at a time. Chant on each note and try speaking on that same pitch. Keep this up until a pitch is found which is easy, unstrained, and clear. Try speaking on this pitch, the best pitch for that voice, or, as it is frequently called, the “optimum pitch.”
This optimum pitch will give the student a basis upon which to work all the other exercises to develop a clear voice for his speaking in public and elsewhere. Think of a good clear tone, spoken with relaxation in the larynx and through the whole body, and keep the pitch on the key which you have by experiment and practice found best for all your speaking purposes.
