Thread: soft palate

Singers always raise their soft palate to improve the quality of their voices when singing; but is it the same for raising the soft palate for normal conversations? Would one's accent become weird?

I believe the "singing voice" and the "speaking voice" are different in terms of how the soft palate is used in singing and speaking. Yes it is important to "raise" the soft palate when singing because this creates "space" and resonance in the singing voice. But remember the soft palate is slightly raised "unintentionally" in our speaking voice. Most people are not aware of the soft palate being raised in normal speaking voice, but it does happen. In singers voice, it is intentionally raised as mentioned before to create resonance in which creates a beautiful timbre if done correctly.

In my undergraduate years as a beginning singer, I had practiced raising the soft palate in my speaking voice just so I can get the the feeling of what it was like. This was done through whatever aria or phrase of song I was currently working on. By doing this, it created muscle memory whenever I did sing. So, raising the soft palate in normal speaking is done unintentionally, but I wouldn't use it as normal daily speach/converstaion only for the use of practice in vocal singing.

Originally Posted by Hilltroll72

FWIW, some woodwind players also control the soft palate while shaping sound.

That I dind't know! How does that work? In which instruments? I imagine it only works with reeds, right? Flute is no candidate for that or am I wrong? I'm really intrigued. What happens to the sound?

From what I've learned, I'd think that raising the soft palate while speaking would be "speaking on voice" that stage actors do. It doesn't necessarily increase the volume, but is a more efficient, clearer phonation.