I’ve always had a thing for voices. My husband, attractive, funny and compassionate as he is, first caught my attention with his voice (and trust me when I say it was the vocal quality and not the lines it delivered). This was several years before I even considered our profession so it wasn’t a learned appreciation. I’m curious. Is it just me, or is this a typical SLP preference?
A poll done at Wake Forest University in the early 2000s found that voices that fall in the low end of the normal range (11-130 Hz males, 200-230 Hz females) were often cited as more pleasing. Interestingly, descriptions of vocal quality, even by trained individuals have been found difficult to quantify or agree on. I guess it’s one of those “I’ll know what I like when I hear it.”
I tend to like deeper voices with a hint of humor in them; not a slow drawl (despite living in the South), but not the rapid rate of the Northeast where I was born, somewhere in the middle.
When my kids were younger, we listened to lot of books on tape and Jim Dale was the best. But, which voice could I listen to, regardless of content, for hours on end? Hmmm….my voice “crushes” are:
Mike Rowe: Lucky for me, since he seems to narrate or provide voice overs for a large percentage of TV content and he has a new series starting with an aggressive marketing campaign.
Hugh Bonneville: I love Downton Abbey any way, but Hugh’s voice and accent really make the dismal English weather worth tolerating.
Jerry Orbach: Something about his deep voice and humorous patter makes me feel that he’s on the brink of breaking out into song. It’s a pick me up for my ears. (Sadly, Jerry Orbach passed away in 2004, but it’s easy to catch his voice on old Law & Order episodes, Beauty and the Beast or in Dirty Dancing.)
Well? I know you have them too! Which celebrity voices captivate you? Any that drive you nuts?
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I Could Listen to Gerard Butler speak all day long.
Yes!
Love Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones
Classic choices!
I’m with you on that!
Can’t stand Fran Drescher or Rachael Ray! I like Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie is interesting. I’m thrown when I hear him speak in his natural, accented voice every time.
Benedict Cumberbatch…he could read the phone book and I would listen!
Those eyes don’t hurt either!
i like James Spader and Kiefer Sutherland!
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