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I don't make music anymore and particularly, I am not a singer, but simply would like to train my voice intensity and clarity. Singing was recommended to me so I made an attempt using this Vocal Match App to hit the right pitch and start singing aloud.

There is a similar question on this topic though, but as I pointed out, I am completely new and also aim at a clearly understandable voice.

My question is: Does this method suffice to achieve a stronger and clearer voice or should I also learn the advanced breathing techniques? And how much would I have to practice?

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    Proper breathing technique is key here. If you learn to sing from the diaphragm you will find it much easier to project your voice. All of singing basically boils down to whether you have got the proper breathing technique down.
    – Neil Meyer
    Commented Feb 17, 2016 at 1:55
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it asks for advice to improve speaking voice and not musical performance.
    – B. Szonye
    Commented Feb 17, 2016 at 19:07

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If you are new to singing, there is no better way to learn than to pay for weekly lessons with a qualified voice teacher. Right now you do not know what is wrong, right, or even harmful to your voice -- a teacher could work with you interactively and give you a great deal of help in this area. I doubt that using apps, watching instructional videos, or reading written descriptions of vocal technique will be of any help to you. You need live feedback, regularly, from a qualified teacher, to correct the things you are doing wrong and to show you how to improve your voice bit by bit.

My second suggestion is that, if at all possible, you should join a community chorus or a church choir that accepts all comers, and commit to their rehearsal schedule. You will learn a great deal about singing and music in general; this will probably be free or only cost a small annual membership fee. You may even make friends while doing it.

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  • I didn't mention that my goal is not singing in a chorus, but a better voice for talking (my voice is too low). Futher, I don't think I'd have enough time for a chorus or similar. However, thank you for this answer!
    – xoxox
    Commented Feb 17, 2016 at 14:30
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You edited your answer to indicate that you are not looking to improve your singing voice, but rather to improve your speaking voice. (Your comment "it's too low" is ambiguous: do you mean only that the volume of your voice is too low, meaning that your voice is too soft and weak in character, or do you also mean that the pitch is too low and you want to speak in a higher register? You may well mean both.)

In that case, my earlier suggestion about singing in a choir might not be the most appropriate to your situation.

Since this is "Music: Practice & Theory", voice coaching for speaking is something that the participants here may have little experience with.

I have no direct experience with this, but I would also recommend that you investigate taking private lessons with a voice coach who specializes in helping people with their speaking voices. There are voice coaches for public speakers, rather than for singers. For more serious cases, there are also occupational therapists for the voice that specialize in rehabilitating speaking voices that have suffered damage due to injuries, infections, the effects of years of excessive caffeine or tobacco or alcohol, medical ailments, rehabilitation after surgery on the larynx or vocal chords, and so on. Do a Google search for occupational therapy vocal rehabilitation -vocational. The "-" (minus sign) I have included is to exclude search results that refer to "vocational rehabilitation", as that is something else altogether and search engines seem to confuse "vocal" with "vocational". If you go this route, you want to learn about vocal rehabilitation.

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Your best bet would be to find a personal voice teacher, or at least join a choir. You will want to practice every day to optimize your voice, and it's important that you don't fall out of practice, because otherwise, you will lose your experience and it will become harder for you to pick it up again. Also, doing yoga or breathing exercises wouldn't hurt either.

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