Pitch and Frequency:
- Speaking voice: typically has a narrower pitch range, mainly centered around the conversational tone.
- Singing voice: can cover a wider pitch range, including higher and lower notes beyond the speaking range.
Resonance:
- Speaking voice: usually has a more nasal quality, with the sound resonating in the nasal cavities.
- Singing voice: often utilizes different resonance techniques, such as chest voice, head voice, and mixed voice, which alter the sound's timbre and projection.
Vocal Fold Vibration:
- Speaking voice: the vocal folds vibrate at a lower frequency, producing voiced speech sounds.
- Singing voice: the vocal folds vibrate at higher frequencies, creating musical tones and melodies.
Articulation:
- Speaking voice: involves clearer articulation and enunciation to convey words and sentences.
- Singing voice: may involve different vocal techniques, such as vibrato, melisma, and portamento, which can alter the pronunciation of words for musical expression.
Muscular Engagement:
- Speaking voice: relies on the engagement of muscles used for speech production, such as the vocal folds, diaphragm, and articulators.
- Singing voice: requires additional coordination and control of the vocal muscles to produce sustained pitches, vibrato, and other vocal effects.
Intonation:
- Speaking voice: uses intonation patterns to convey emotions, emphasis, and grammatical structures in speech.
- Singing voice: employs musical intonation and melodic contour to create musical phrases, melodies, and artistic interpretation.
Training and Technique:
- Speaking voice: typically does not require formal training, but clear and effective vocal communication is emphasized.
- Singing voice: often involves specialized vocal training, exercises, and techniques to develop vocal range, control, and musical expression.
These differences highlight the distinct characteristics and purposes of the speaking voice and the singing voice. While both are forms of vocal expression, they serve different functions and require different vocal skills and techniques.