How To Have A Raspy Voice: Here’s 10 Ways You Can

Ever wanted a raspier voice? Do you like this cool effect? You may have heard how it can help you be more sensual or how you’ll wind up sounding like a mobster. If you want to sound like your favorite raspy-voiced rock star or celebrity, there are a few tricks you can try.

The truth is, many different factors contribute to how raspy your voice sounds at any given time, not to mention how much control you have over the raspiness.

How to get a raspy voice

Is it possible to make your voice raspier?

Yes. it is possible. If you’re trying to make your voice raspier during a live speech or performance, drink some tea or coffee before beginning.

Not only will this give you a little caffeine boost, but the tannins in those beverages can cause more phlegm to flow from your throat and make it raspier as well.

Keep in mind that the more you drink these beverages, the more likely your vocal cords will become irritated. You can also try clearing your throat to get that raspy quality, but remember not to overdo it – you don’t want to irritate your vocal cords.

Expert Tip: If you want a deeper voice, talk as low as possible without forcing yourself to make noise. This goes back again to talking from the diaphragm and not straining or forcing anything out of your mouth.

There are actually exercises you can do to achieve this sound, too. The best ones are those that strengthen your diaphragm’s ability to push air through by learning how to correctly control it while breathing deeply.

Woman with a beautiful raspy voice singing
Woman with a beautiful raspy voice singing.

One example of this is singing scales, which forces you to correctly control your diaphragm during deep inhalation and exhalation. You can try this by singing a few scales while exhaling and then completely inhaling, holding your breath for a couple of seconds. Continue until you feel lightheaded and release the held breath.

Changing your voice can take time; therefore, you should not give up. However, you should be cautious because, if done incorrectly, you could permanently damage your vocal cords. Therefore to avoid these injuries. I have suggested some methods that will make your voice raspier.

10 Ways to get a raspier voice

1. Maintain hydration

lt is said that when suffering from a cold or flu. staying well hydrated can help lessen your suffering by helping you produce more of the moist mucus, making it easier for you to breathe and speak.

It’s important to stay hydrated anyway because if you don’t drink enough water, your throat will be parched and it’ll make your voice hoarse. So keep yourself hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.

Drink water to maintain hydration in the body
Drink water to maintain hydration in the body.

2. Use an over-the-counter cough medicine with dextromethorphan (DXM)

Putting DXM into your system will cause your vocal cords to get irritated, which helps get the raspy sound for singing or talking like Jim Morrison. The best thing about this is that you won’t feel any ill effects later because DXM is non-addictive.

It’s important to check the dosage of your medication, so it doesn’t give you brain damage. Therefore you should consult a doctor before using DMX.

It is also possible to try taking a natural supplement containing guaifenesin and dextromethorphan (DXM).

Make a mixture containing boiled water and honey, and sip it slowly before speaking. Drink another cup of this mixture after the first cup is gone. For best results, drink several cups of this honeyed water throughout the day.

3. Inhale vapor from water

Inhaling the steam from boiling water is a good way to help relieve symptoms of how raspy your voice can become at times, but make sure to use a pot with a tight lid because if you place it on top of the pan with boiling water and take in the steam from that, there’s a chance you could end up burning yourself. Just keep inhaling the vapor until completely dissolved.

Inhaling steam from the boiling water will help soothe your vocal cords and add raspiness to how you speak or sing. You can add some eucalyptus oil in it for some extra coughing power, but if you’re anything like me. then just breathing in whatever was on the stove is going to do the trick. This is an easy way to get a raspier voice without worrying about how it might damage your vocal cord.

4. Do exercises to stretch your vocal cords

Doing stretching to stay fit and have a raspy voice
Doing stretching to stay fit and have a raspy voice.

Stretching your vocal cords will help you get a raspy voice for a little while, but it also helps loosen the muscles surrounding your voice box. which is how you get a deeper voice. Here’s how:

  1. Take a deep breath and hold it in. don’t exhale.
  2. While holding your breath, try to say the sentence “hobby horse style” as many times as you can (while still holding your breath).
  3. Now breathe out and try saying, “I like how it sounds.”
  4. Repeat this process for 20 minutes every day to get raspier vocals, but if you only do it every other day. then you’ll reap the same benefits.

5. Zap yourself with static electricity

The re have been several studies done showing how this is a very effective way to reduce how raspy your voice sounds, but it has to be carried out just right; otherwise, you could end up causing more harm than good because the shock can make your vocal cords become irritated instead of lessening how much strain they feel.

Running your hands over the surface of furniture and getting a static shock causes an accumulation of electrical charge on the tip of your tongue, which will cause it to vibrate irregularly when singing or talking.

This will give you a raspy sound that’s similar to what Tom Waits sounds like when he sings. The main issue with this method is that if you don’t do it the right way. the electricity can hurt you.

6. Use a harmonica

Happy man playing a harmonica
Happy man playing a harmonica.

A harmonica works by vibrating your vocal cords by blowing air over them to make noise. By playing the harmonica, you’ll get the same effect (but with music instead of just noise). Someone is using their mouth to make sounds like this will help their vocals gain volume and raspiness.

This also works for other wind instruments because doing something like playing an alto saxophone or just anything else that makes sound out of your mouth cavity will help to improve the tone of your voice for singing or talking by increasing airflow around your throat.

7. Smoking

Smoking is the simplest way to get a raspy voice. If you start smoking and howl, your vocal cords will swell up and make your voice deeper and raspier. This is because of how smoke damages the organ.

The best thing about this method is that it doesn’t require any special training or practice; all you need to do is smoke more. However, too much smoking can cause cancer and other lung problems, which might take longer than expected to recover from.

Therefore I suggest taking small amounts of smoking to produce a strong effect on your voice box. Taking small amounts of smoking will produce a strong effect on your voice box

Close up photo of a man smoking
Close up photo of a man smoking.

8.  Breathe from your diaphragm

ln singing. It’s common for people to use their diaphragms to push down much harder when exhaling, which causes the vocal cords to close more quickly and then open again of the pressure from all that breath being forced out.

Expert Tip: If you breathe in deeply through your nose, this increases air pressure in your lungs, making them feel full and causing a decrease in volume even though there is more air going into the body because the muscles surrounding them are contracted.

The result of doing something like this is a raspier voice caused by gasping at the end of phrases or sentences.

9. Use throat lozenges

Grapefruit throat lozenges
Grapefruit throat lozenges.

lt’s been suggested that using throat lozenges can help produce a raspy voice. It’s recommended to use the one with menthol in it.

This coats your throat and makes you feel less of the irritation caused by singing or talking loudly, which will cause a raspy or gravelly sound. Try using Halls Multi-Action Sugar-Free Lozenges to soothe your throat and speak more quietly.

10. Eat spicy foods/drink ginger tea

A woman drinking ginger tea with lemon
A woman drinking ginger tea with lemon.

Spicy foods irritate the throat making it feel scratchy, and this causes more sound to come from when singing or talking because there is less resistance for air flowing through the body.

Ginger tea and other teas and beverages with strong flavors like cinnamon, etc., raise the volume at which you speak and sing by putting pressure on your vocal cords in a similar way that yelling does.

Also, since these drinks contain caffeine, they give you an energy boost that helps to make it easier to speak loudly or sing along with others, either alone in the shower or with a karaoke machine.

What causes a naturally raspy voice?

Two different types of conditions may cause a naturally raspy voice. One is physiological, while the other is psychosomatic. The physiological ones are brought about by how one breathes, speaks, and vocal cords function. Psychosomatic causes for this condition happen when someone’s mind wishes their body to produce a deep and raspy voice.

What are the physiological causes of a naturally raspy voice?

A naturally raspy voice may be caused by how one breathes, speaks, and vocal cords function. Breathing is essential for a person to talk because it supplies the body with the oxygen needed for this bodily process. If the wrong breathing technique is used, this is how it causes a naturally raspy voice.

People who breathe in through their mouths tend to have low pitch because they are not using the air sacs in their throats when they speak. A person who breathes in through their nose tends to have higher-pitched tones. Also, how someone speaks affects how raspy their voice would become.

Someone who speaks in a higher pitch will naturally have a more naturally raspy voice than someone who talks low. When the vocal cords are not functioning correctly, this causes them to be dry and produce rasps when they vibrate.

Can you make your voice permanently raspy?

Young man singing passionately while playing the guitar
Young man singing passionately while playing the guitar.

No. how to get a raspy voice is not possible as it’s only how your vocal cords vibrate that makes your voice sound how it does. If you’re looking to make your voice permanently better, then read about learning how to sing. If you are looking for how to temporarily make your voice sound and get a raspy voice, then read on.

There are things one can do to get a raspy voice but only until the effects wear off. For example, how to how to lose belly fat or how to grow taller. However, some people have had their vocals permanently damaged and have more of an issue with how they speak, which would require speech therapy as opposed to how they sing, which requires vocal work, as mentioned in learning how to sing.

If your concern is how your howl voice sounds from singing too much or from smoking cigarettes, please look elsewhere as to how to get a raspy voice is not permanent.

In some cases, how you speak can change throughout the day or from day today. As we age. our voices naturally become raspier due to our vocal cords getting looser and less elastic with time. Chronic illness, diseases such as diabetes speeds up this process.

Finally, if you’re trying to sound more pleasant or manly, an easy way to do that is with your voice placement If you think about talking from chest voice instead of head voice, it will immediately sound more pleasing.

Also, remember that even if your voice isn’t raspy naturally, there are many people out there who have found ways to make their voices sound raspy without any medical conditions! It may take some work, but it’s definitely possible.

Practice makes perfect! Good luck on your journey!

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About Jayden Buckley

Hi, my name is Jayden and I am author/editor for PlayTheTunes. I remember the first time I hopped on the drums, I was hooked. Music has played an enormous part of my life, and I'm honored I get to share my experiences with you!