It's an interesting task to read copy and have it sound idea driven and spontaneous. When we are talking to a friend there is a tumbled quality to the words because the words are idea driven. Each new idea or development in the text has a natural "Beat Change"... a change in the tone of voice that marks the shift in ideas. We never really think about the musicality of this in daily life because it's a natural part of the harmonic language that we use to communicate clearly to each other. Becoming more aware of beat changes can take the quality of our voiceover work to a whole new level. I hear casting directors say things like "Nice voice, but doesn't mean it." This seems to be shorthand for the person just sounds like they're reading copy. Our reads have to sound like we're talking to a friend in a focused but conversational manner. Beat changes are simply one of the elements that help us read into a mic and not sound like we're reading into a mic.
