Welcome to Part 2 of the Elite Vocal Academy Tongue Tutorial. Hello again vocal enthusiasts! Welcome to Part 2 of Elite Vocal Academy’s Blog regarding the Tongue & its importance in voice development. By now, if you have been practising your first set of Tongue exercises, your control over this slippery little sucker should be growing daily. It really is a wonderfully independent muscle. Just for fun, try watching it next time you brush your teeth! You will be baffled, confused & amazed! but you should also feel a sense of pride because you now hold the key to reigning in this wild creature.
Exercises continued…
As I have said in my blogs regarding the Jaw, stress is the enemy of any muscle. This includes the Tongue. Yes, we need to manipulate it but we must be gentle. Getting out your trusty mirror, let your jaw fall slack & place the tip of your tongue over your lower lip. Many of my students hear me call this position “Puppy Tongue”. This is because if you pant like a puppy you will find the position. This will give the tip of the tongue a nice shelf to “sleep” on while we open up a conversation between the brain & the back of the tongue. This is an exercise from the first blog but with a more focused approach.
1). Once in “Puppy Tongue” position say “YahYahYahYahYah”. With your Jaw nice & slack it will sound a bit lose & silly. Without engaging the Jaw, try & get your tongue to work harder by making the “Y” sound stronger as if you were using your whole mouth. Get the same sound by JUST using your Tongue. You can achieve this, it just takes practice. You should see the back of the tongue bounce up & down like a trampoline. If you can’t hold the Tongue in position, literally hold it out with your fingers or pin the tip to the bottom teeth with your fingertip.
2). Having trouble with exercise 1? Try this next one. Place the tip of your thumb between your teeth (purely to rest your Jaw & prevent it from getting involved) & simply say “INGA INGA ING”. The ING will raise the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate. The “GA!” will drop the back of the Tongue. This will get the muscle going & help you understand the movement we need to create. Repeat “INGA INGA ING” X 4. Do up to 4 sets.
3). Time for a big yawn!!! This will give your Tongue, your soft palate, along with your whole mouth, a nice big stretch.
Note – it is important to do each of these exercises in front of a mirror until you are confident. Don’t tilt your head back, your jaw should be parallel to the ground.
Result
By doing these exercises you will gain more control over the Tongue muscle. Once you have isolated it you will be placing less pressure on your vocal folds, your Larynx will be in the correct position (not raised & tightened) & you’ll start to gain control over the tone of your voice.
Confused? Understandable. Intrigued? Of course you are! Want to learn more? Book a lesson at www.elitevocal.com and enrol online today!