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A voice change or voice mutation, sometimes referred to as a voice break or voice crack, commonly refers to the deepening of the voice of men as they reach puberty.Before puberty both sexes have roughly similar vocal pitches, but during puberty the male voice typically deepens an octave, while the female voice usually deepens only by a few tones.
On average, the male voice deepens by one octave while the female voice lowers by a few semitones. [7] The fundamental frequency (pitch) of an adult female typically falls between 165 and 255 Hz and an adult male between 85 and 180 Hz. [8] Anatomical changes during puberty include enlargement of the larynx for both sexes.
This growth is far more prominent in males, causing the male voice to drop and deepen, sometimes abruptly but rarely "overnight", about one octave, because the longer and thicker vocal folds have a lower fundamental frequency. Before puberty, the larynx of males and females is about equally small. [50]
During puberty, the hormone is responsible for deepening your voice, helping you grow body hair, increasing the size of your muscles and bones, and regulating your drive.
A male can retain his child voice if it never changes during puberty. The retained voice can be the treble voice shared by both sexes in childhood and is the same as a boy soprano voice. But as evidence shows, many castrati, such as Senesino and Caffarelli, were actually altos (mezzo-soprano) – not sopranos.
Anti-androgens help suppress male sexual characteristics. Testosterone increases muscle mass and promotes the development of a deeper voice and facial hair growth.
Starting puberty significantly early — younger than age 8 in girls, 9 in boys — may have health effects lasting into adulthood, including higher risks of breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The effect of hormonal changes in voice is clearly seen when hearing male and female voices, or when listening to a teenage voice changing during puberty. Actually, it is believed that the number of hormonal receptors in the pre-pubertal phase is higher than in any other age. [21] Menstruation has also been seen to influence the voice.