Exercises
Combinations
The combinations help to establish; habitual use of the voiced and unvoiced consonants, word ending consonants and consonant combinations. Given enough mindful practice, these exercises will radically enhance your clarity.
When starting work on the exercises, go slow, keeping the following in mind;
- Where / how the consonants are made.
- Whether they are voiced or unvoiced.
- Feeling as much as hearing your way to target sound.
Once you know them by heart, mimic speech patterns as you practice;
- Go up and down in pitch.
- Go fast and slow.
- Go loud and soft.
- Recite them as you perform an ordinary task – like the washing up.
As you work - be careful to breathe from the belly and not poke the chin forward.
Floor breathing & sounding
This floor breathing exercise will help you connect with your natural breath and voice.
Light and dark L
Little plosive workout
R consonant practice
Sat breathing exercise
This exercise will help you re-establish a deep and natural breath flow - so that you feel and sound like yourself.
Soft palate exercise
Stood relaxed exercise
The tongue camera
Three resonators
Tongue twisters
Tongue hold exercises
Differentiate V from W
Vocal variety
Vowels
The vowels are pure sound and they often, though not exclusively, convey emotion in language. They are at the heart of poetry and song. The vowels are shaped by the tongue and lips but, unlike consonants, the surfaces of speech do not interrupt or interact with the sound flow.
The short vowels in English are remarkably short compared to many other languages.
They have, if you like, one beat.
PRACTICE: Rapidly snatching the fingers swiftly towards the palms as you say the vowel.
The long vowels have two beats.
PRACTICE: Pushing open hands away as you say the vowel.
The double and triple vowel slides are combined short vowels that add rhythm to English.
They have two or three beats.
PRACTICE: A wave like movement, with palms down, as you say the vowels.
Double Vowel Slides - Download PDF
Vowel comparisons
Warming up
Focusing sound
This exercise will help you explore how different the voice sounds when focused in different parts of the vocal tract. A few repetitions will heighten the awareness of your habitual focus and enable you to alter it at will – very useful in accent work.
Use "The Surfaces of Articulation" diagram as a guide and focus your sound in the areas indicated on screen - following the actors.
Jaw relax
This exercise will heighten awareness of the sound and feel of jaw tension during speech - all the better to help you get rid of it.
Warm up exercises
These exercises will get the voice into gear, whether working on exercises at home, or before an occasion when you need to sound at your best. Follow the actors as the gently warm up their voices.
