The Mystery Of My Baritone Voice.
By Rummuser. Filed in People, Uncategorized |Tags: Baritone, Hearing Aids, Hearing Problems, Sonorous Baritone
Conrad had this to say on my post on lawyers last week – “Actually, Ramana, I could easily envision you as the Indian Perry Mason, a sonorous baritone wielding the King’s English with great dexterity, maidens in the jury box swooning, losing track of the argument – only knowing that you had to be right!
Of course, as far as I actually have experience, your voice may be like that of Pee Wee Herman! But, somehow I doubt that to be so…”
I have been noticing recently that a lot of my visitors are people with hearing aids and/or with problems with their hearing. I have been telling myself that it is because I am getting old and so are my friends and a lot of them are getting their hearing affected due to old age.
My father who has been fitted with some really sophisticated hearing aids which have been so fine tuned that the clinic say that further fine tuning is not possible, still prefers me to be around when visitors talk to him. This is enable me to convey what the visitors say as he finds it easier to hear me than the visitors.
Last Sunday, a dear friend of mine who normally visits me once in a couple of months came over and we were chatting away when he suddenly asked if it would be alright if he came over every alternate Sunday. I promptly said yes indeed it would be and that he would be most welcome. He then proceeded to tell me that he finds it easier to hear me than most of his other friends. This is when the coin dropped as a series of incidents had led me to the stage where, it made sense as to why many friends with hearing problems were frequenting my place.
I have been told that my voice is classic nicotine and whiskey conditioned husky pitch. I suppose that this is what Conrad meant when he called it the sonorous baritone!
People with hearing problems must be finding it easier to hear that particular frequency! I wonder if there is any medical study which can confirm or disprove this theory that I have come up with. Any of my readers with any knowledge about this?
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 10:18 |
It sounds very plausible to me. Higher frequencies are the first to go.
Rummuser Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 20:04
My father confirms that.
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 11:01 |
I like people with nice voices because I’m very auditory. Some people are mostly inspired by what they hear, others by what they see and others by their inner evironment.
Rummuser Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 20:04
Wait till you hear mine and then you can pass judgment!
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 17:14 |
So a certain baritone frequency is easier to decipher? Interesting, I hadn’t heard that. My own hearing is still excellent, I can pick up very faint sounds elsewhere in the house. But my sense of smell has been abysmal for a long while, I can only detect very strong smells or certain types of smell.
Rummuser Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 20:03
Some years ago, I had a lot of business dealings with fisher folk all over the world. As part of the business, I had to visit many fishing harbours and villages. My colleague, a vegetarian to boot was blessed with total absence of sense of smell. It took some getting used to for me though! You might consider a career there!
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 17:36 |
What I find about your voice (although it has been sometime since hearing it) is that it is clear and your enunciation is flawless. One of the most wonderful phrases I have had the pleasure of hearing you proclaim is “Phill the tea is ready”.
Rummuser Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 19:35
You flatter me as usual. It is more likely to be ‘come and get it!’
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 19:13 |
Oh, now we need an audio clip from you. My father has hearing aides, which he sometimes actually uses. But I will see him sneak a hand up to turn them off when mother is talking to him. He says the tone of her voice is very annoying!
Rummuser Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 19:34
Brigid, that is an excellent idea. Let me see if I can arrange for one. I am not technically very savvy and need to consult someone as to how to go about it.
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 20:56 |
I have lamented many times that people don’t listen to me, but maybe I completely missed what was going on? Perhaps the frequency of my voice simply precluded hearing…
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:41
This is indeed a problem with many soft spoken people. They tend not to be assertive by raising the decibel levels of their delivery!
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 21:37 |
I am fortunate to have spoken and indeed seen you via webcam. I agree with Phill Smith, your voice is clear and your enunciation is flawless. I notice when you speak to me, you look directly at the camera and I am sure you do the same when speaking directly with people. It makes all the difference. Eye contact and facial expression make understanding so much easier.
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:40
Thank you Grannymar. I hope that I get to talk to a lot of others too by and by.
Friday, November 20th 2009 at 03:54 |
After wearing hearing aids for many years I got a cochlear implant. I can her better now, but I still have trouble under some conditions. There are many factors that go into whether a person is hard to understand or not. We do lose our hearing in different decibels. It is more common to lose the upper register, but that is not always the case. To hear someone depends on that factor plus others. Speech clarity is important, enunciation is vital, and loudness is important, but talking louder is usually counter productive. If you want someone who has a hearing loss to understand you please speak slowly and clearly and face the person. Do not shout!
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:39
I do not shout normally when someone is wearing the hearing aid. With my father, it is often a comedy as he normally sans the hearing aid and I have to shout. Sometimes when I do, he snaps and says you do not have to shout! The friend who wishes to come every week has had cochlear implants put in and still finds it difficult to hear, particularly mobile phones while the landline phones do not seem to be all the difficult.
Friday, November 20th 2009 at 05:09 |
This is advice for Nick about his lack of sense of smell. Take zinc.
My husband went to the doctor & said, “I don’t smell good.” Something to that effect. Doctor said to take zinc. I didn’t use deodorant until I started taking zinc & found out I NEEDED deodorant. (It doesn’t take away smell; it lets you smell the smell.)
I can smell from far away when the dried beans are cooked.
My husband says he doesn’t hear high voices as well now.
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 11:37
BHB, as usual, you are a delight to read. I am sure that Nick would enjoy reading you too. So, my conclusion is not all that off the mark!
Friday, November 20th 2009 at 12:09 |
Now see Rummuser, you have written about a hearing problem and not about people! See, it is is possible. No, I do not have a blog of my own but I enjoy visiting blogs that I like and commenting. I cannot think up things to write. I am good at slamming other people’s writings.
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 12:13
Now I get it dear Murphy. But you do not seem to have got it! The piece is about people with hearing difficulties and as you can see from the comments from others, it is a people subject.
You are welcome to slam my writing anytime. I have no rules about who can comment or not, but I would not publish comments which use bad language. Just be prepared to receive responses too.
It is a pity that you claim not to be able to write. Just try. It may surprise you. AND, give me and a few others a chance to ‘slam’ you too!
Friday, November 20th 2009 at 16:16 |
Maybe, like Ashok, I too am dumber than I thought but I fail to see what Murphy’s beef is. Anyway, Murph, it’s a bit rich to critize Ramana’s choice of subjects whilst admitting that you yourself can’t think of anything to say. Which appears to be true.
Ramana, the prospect of the possible fall-out of advancing years makes me want to run to the hills. In the meantime I trust my good genes (my parents are fully compos mentis, agile and can hear only too well). Since I am partial to certain voices – in fact, a timbre can swing a deal for me – I shall seek you out when the time comes; and remember, you still owe me a dance!
U
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 22:41
Are you upto a Tango? I have an unfair advantage that I better inform you about. I have two artificial hip joints.
Coming to Murphy, so far he has been an enigma. I suppose that he will warm up and we will all get to know him better and he us.
Friday, November 20th 2009 at 20:13 |
periappa.. whisky and cigarettes describe ur voice perfectly..it can never be mistaken for any one else’s especially the reply on the phone..rajgopaul speaking :->.
Rummuser Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 22:39
Thank you sweetheart. Coming from you, that is like nectar.