In a recent Adam Gary YouTube stream I left a comment that the first step in writing poetry was to obtain a set of headphones phones, write and then record what you have written and listen to it through headphones. Whilst researching a poem of my own I found the following explanation on Reddit by Bruce Williams.
My paraphrase
When you hear your own voice through bone conduction.
Vibrations o sounds in the throat resonate against bones in the jaw. This vibration is conducted up the jaw to the middle ear.
But when anyone else ( including microphones) hears your voice they are hearing your voice transmitted through air.
The above is why using recording and headphones is important when starting to write poems, but also the first step in editing
When I started recording myself reading poetry, I was shocked by what my voice sounds like. I knew that you hear your voice differently from how others hear it, but I didn't realize how different it was. I played some recordings to my sibling, and they said it was in fact how my voice sounds like.
I also find it strange that my voice inflections sound different in the recordings from the way I hear them when I recite.
There may be better produced video on this, but I only did a quick search and this came up first - but I recall learning about this low tech way to better hear what you voice sounds like to others...
Also, the automatic screenshot is hilarious, and basically gives away the trick haha. But yeah, changing the way the vibrations move through the air to your ears is a big part of it.
Yes, it’s quite common for people to be confused or even cringe when hearing back their voice. Myself included - for the longest time. It wasn’t until I started doing YouTube and watching videos back to see what went wrong etc. that I have adjusted and become accustomed to my voice!
Interesting theory, Yvonne! I hope others will partake in the discussion and I shall keep my eye on this thread ☺️
That's a great idea. I don't consider myself to have a great speaking voice nor elocution. But it's better if I stand and read the poem.