VOCAL SKILLS AND HOW TO IMPROVE: IF YOU OFTEN MUMBLE

Work on opening your mouth more by loosening up the back of your jaw.

The joint of your upper and lower jaw is in front of your ear on each side of your face.

There is a muscle that joins the two jaws together and it can easily get tight, especially when you are nervous.

Massaging this muscle helps to release it.

Place your fingertips in front of your ear lobe on each side and massage that area,
To find the right place, bite your teeth together and you will feel the muscle knot up on the bottom jaw.
Release the bite and massage that area.

Exercise

Exercise

Breathe in and make a long, slow, sustained S.

When you run out of breath, allow the muscles that you have contracted as your breath goes out to release so you can breathe in again.
Repeat the slow S.
Release, breath in and repeat the slow S

Exercise

Repeat the exercise using a Z.
You will probably feel the vibrations of the Z right down into your abdomen. Enjoy this feeling. It means you are supporting your voice.
Breathe in and make a long, slow sustained Z.
Release, breathe in and repeat the slow Z.
Release, breathe in and repeat the slow Z,
That’s three breaths for each sound.

Exercise: Speaking from your abdomen and supporting words.

Feeling putting the breath into words.

As you do this exercise, allow the feeling of your speaking voice to come from your abdomen.

Do not tighten your throat.

Keep the voice steady and with energy – but again, don’t push for volume.

Exercise: Exploring the range

This exercise is to open up your voice using the whole range, from high to low.

Breathe in, then release your voice on a long slow Ha, sliding from the very top of your range down to the bottom.
Don’t push up the high note at the beginning. Take it from that gentle, child’s voice you used in Exercise 3.
Repeat as many times as you like, but always choose to breathe into your lower ribs, diaphragm and abdomen first.
Send your voice away from you into the distance. Look at a spot across the room and focus the energy of your voice to that point. Try to keep the vocal energy up and out without pushing it.
Choose to keep your throat and mouth open all the way to the end of the sound.

Articulation – exercising the muscles of your face and tongue.

Articulate to ensure that the words you speak have energy and clarity.

Exercise: Back of the tongue

Open your mouth enough to get two fingers between your teeth, one above the other.

Put the tip of your tongue behind your bottom teeth.

Take your fingers out but keep the space.

Try to move only your tongue at the back and not the jaw.

Make fast, repeated G sounds.

Make fast, repeated K sounds.

Repeat kiggley koo, kiggley koo, kiggley kiggley kiggley koo several times.

Exercise: Tongue twisters

It is to practise tongue twisters until you are accurate and clear with all the consonants.

Then gradually speed up, repeating each sentence over and over without missing any consonants.

Then speak them aloud. Gradually go faster and faster – but always accurately.

Try some of the following: