So I’m sure you’d agree that taking a big breath of helium makes your voice sound hilarious. But have you ever questioned why that happens and whether the rumours of it being harmful to you are really true?
I bet you thought that the gas altered the pitch of your voice, when in fact it changes the ‘timbre’, so when you think you’re hearing a higher pitch, listen carefully and your voice has altered to more like Donald Ducks. To begin to comprehend why this happens, it would be helpful to understand how our vocal cords work and how helium modifies them.
