As you go through puberty, the larynx gets bigger and the vocal cords lengthen and thicken, so your voice gets deeper. As your body adjusts to this changing equipment, your voice may "crack" or "break." But this process lasts only a few months.
This means they can't vibrate as quickly to produce higher notes like they did before. The head grows and changes shape too. The air spaces up inside the nose (sinuses) and inside the mouth and throat get more roomy. These bigger spaces make deeper sounds coming from the voicebox sound louder.
Those croaks and squeaks in a boy's voice are just a part of this normal and natural stage of growth. As puberty continues, his body adjusts to the new size of the larynx, and the croaks and squeaks begin to taper off. After that, the new, deeper voice becomes much more stable and easier to control.
What causes voice cracks? There can be many different causes for voice crack, such as illnesses that come with inflammation and mucus, or overall vocal fatigue. Puberty can cause voice cracks for the simple reason that the size of the vocal folds change and they no longer 'remember' the positions to different sounds.
Puberty is the most likely cause for voice cracks.
Both boys and girls going through puberty will experience a change, or shift in their voices, however, boys will experience this more noticeably. This hormonal change can lead to voice cracks, which is completely natural and normal.
Before your growth spurt, your larynx is relatively small and your vocal cords are relatively thin. So your voice is high and kid-like.
Puts' Scientific Reports study found that men with lower formant frequencies—a deeper resonance in their voices—tended to be taller, larger, and stronger. (That's partly because longer vocal tracts and larger vocal folds generate lower, more resonant voices.)
The only permanent and confirmed ways to deepen your voice are hormonal therapy and surgery, and those are a bit over-the-top for people who just want a slightly lower pitch.
Puberty is a process of sexual maturation. A voice change is one of the secondary sexual characteristics adolescents develop. In boys, this happens between ages 12 and 16; in girls, between ages 10 and 14.
The cartilage in the voice box is very sensitive to testosterone. As this cartilage receives testosterone, sent from the testicles, it grows larger and thicker. At the same time, the vocal cords grow 60% longer and become thicker. Now when they vibrate, they do so at a lower frequency than before.
Changes in Boys
They tend to grow most quickly between ages 12 and 15. The growth spurt of boys is, on average, about 2 years later than that of girls. By age 16, most boys have stopped growing, but their muscles will continue to develop.
It's important to note that not every boy will experience their voices cracking at the same time, and some boys may not have voices that crack at all. This is nothing for parents to worry about. As much as the growth of the larynx during puberty is inevitable, it's also very individualized.
In men, these differences could be chalked up to testosterone. During puberty, testosterone helps boys build broad shoulders and big muscles. It also helps lower their voice. Sex hormones may also account for a woman's sexy voice and curvy figure, Hughes says.
Some young people get pains and aches in their legs and muscles as they grow taller. Sometimes this can cause pain and discomfort during or after exercise. Usually growing pains will go away on their own but if they don't, it's important to get checked out by a health professional.
Women are more attracted to men with deep voices – and this attraction is strongest among prettier, more feminine women. In fact, women prefer a masculine voice more strongly and more unanimously to a masculine face.
Breathe through your belly
Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, helps you access a deeper pitch. This breathing style lets your diaphragm reach its lowest position, which helps slow down vocal cord frequency. Try standing straight, breathing in deep through your nose, and feeling your ribs expand.
Humming is one of the best all-around vocal exercises. This technique helps stretch the vocal cords, relaxes your facial muscles, and improves breathing. Humming also develops your vocal resonance and tone quality.
We measured salivary testosterone levels and voice pitch, or fundamental frequency,among 61 male and 88 female college students. Higher levels of testosterone were significantlyassociated with lower pitched voices among males but not among females.
Singing is also thought to be genetic because gender can affect your voice; differences in the size of the larynx mean men have deeper voices while women have higher, breathier tones. The natural timbre of your voice is determined by genetics, but you can learn how to train and develop your voice.
This change in pitch and vocal quality is called presbyphonia and a lot of it has to do with declining levels of testosterone.
For women with a voice that sounds like a man, it could be because of the size and thickness of their vocal cords, in which case, they'll need to develop full resonance too, to make their voice sound warmer, an essential quality of a female voice.
Well, we're sad to say that permanently altering your voice isn't usually possible. The main reason behind this is due to genetics: your biological sex, body structure, age, environment, and so much more can play a part in shaping how you sound.
Unintentional voice breaks are called a voice crack. Voice break may also refer to the deepening of the male voice during puberty, known as the voice change.