The voices

I have a unique voice. Anyone who knows me, would never mistake me for another. Not all voices are as easily discerned. A machine can identify a voice so accurately it can be used as security. The human ear is not this sensitive.

I am tuned into voices more than most. The unusual quality of my wife’s voice was one of the first things that attracted me to her. I can usually pick out the voices of people I know from a crowd. Still, I am far from flawless. It makes me wonder about something I have noticed.

In regards to recording artists, I find far more truly distinct male voices, down through history, and today. Is this just a perception? I could be more sensitive to the differences in male voice, simply because I am a man. It may appear there are more unique men’s voices because there are fewer women recorded, but is this true or simply another perception. Did it used to be true in the past, and not today? If so, why, and why have I not noticed?

It is true my own preferences run to the male voice. If there are fewer female voices recording, is it because the greater portion of the population agrees with me, or is it another aesthetic? Any market for art usually rewards the unique, ore uniquely refined. Is it true, then, that there are less truly identifiable women’s voices? If so, is it because the human ear has difficulty picking up the fine distinctions at that higher register?

So, we come full circle, and many of you might be asking, so what? You are right… So what, but this is my point. The most innocent thought can provoke my brain to explore a circle of almost unanswerable questions, any one of which is less significant than a single drop of rain. It has become a major problem in my life, and I wonder. Is there medication for this? I certainly lack the capacity to curb the obsession on my own.