Spasmodic Dysphonia & Muscle Tension Dysphonia Exercises

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your voice is go all the way back to the beginning.

Today we're doing EXTREME BEGINNER voice exercises for Spasmodic Dysphonia.

No complicated drills. No trying to overpower the voice. No trying to make anything hurt.

We start with one of the simplest resets I use: humming “Happy Birthday” to establish placement. From there we move into counting, breath-to-mask connection, sustained sound, lip work and finally a little tongue-tension work.

The goal throughout this workout is simple:

PLACEMENT — NOT POWER.

If you're brand new to voice exercises, having a rough voice day, or you've been doing more advanced exercises and simply need a reset, this is a good place to start.

And remember — I’ve been doing these exercises for roughly 15 years. Don’t compare where your voice is today to where mine is today. Improvement takes repetition, patience and commitment.

I still have Spasmodic Dysphonia. I still have bad voice days. The goal is not perfection. The goal is learning how to work with the voice you have and continuing to improve.

WATCH:

https://youtu.be/X7OUbjI-bxo

CHAPTERS

00:00 Back to the absolute basics

00:17 Beginning of the beginning

00:42 Humming “Happy Birthday”

00:57 Finding proper placement

02:09 Breath support and placement

02:57 Count to ten and test the voice

03:25 More placement work

04:05 Sustained sound exercise

04:46 Connecting breath to the mask

05:44 Lip exercise

06:48 Tongue tension

07:13 Placement, not power

08:08 Don’t compare your voice to mine

08:45 Best repetition of the day

09:07 My 1999 Britney Spears interview is coming

09:30 Wrap-up

COMING SOON:

I recently found an interview I did with Britney Spears in 1999.

More importantly for this channel, it captures what my Spasmodic Dysphonia sounded like in its earlier stages. I’m going to share that footage to give some perspective on where my voice was then compared with where it is now.

SpasmodicDysphoniaExercises.com

This channel documents the exercises, techniques and experiences that have helped me work with my own Spasmodic Dysphonia.

I am not a doctor, speech-language pathologist or medical professional. This content reflects my own experience and should not replace diagnosis, treatment or advice from a qualified healthcare professional.

Subscribe for more Spasmodic Dysphonia exercises, interviews, lifestyle conversations and real-world voice disorder content.

Or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get audio podcasts.

#SpasmodicDysphonia #VoiceExercises #LaryngealDystonia #VoiceDisorder #Dysphonia

Today I’m doing the full 15-minute Roger Love daily voice workout from beginning to end.

It’s been a while since I’ve done the complete Roger Love routine in one of these videos. I’ve been shortening things and moving a little quicker lately, so this time I wanted to go back and do the full session.

Follow along with me, work your voice, and see how you feel when we get to the other side.

By the end of this one, I felt great — and ready to go out into the day with a stronger, more powerful voice. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"}

More exercises, conversations and real-world work with spasmodic dysphonia:

SpasmodicDysphoniaExercises.com

Subscribe for more voice exercise videos and follow the podcast on your favorite platform — or wherever you get audio podcasts.

#SpasmodicDysphonia #VoiceExercises #RogerLove #VoiceWorkout #Dysphonia

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.

In this episode, I finally say it out loud.

The new Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises website is live, and I’m officially opening private one-on-one coaching by video.

I talk about why I hesitated, why I finally decided to step up, nearly 30 years of living with Spasmodic Dysphonia, what I have — and have not — figured out, and what private coaching with me will actually look like.

I also want to be completely clear:

I’m not cured.

I’m not a doctor or speech-language pathologist, and this is not a replacement for medical care.

I’m somebody who has lived with this for nearly three decades and spent years figuring out what helps my own voice.

If you’re interested in coaching, there’s an intake questionnaire first.

I’ll personally review it, contact you and schedule a private video session.

And if you have questions before booking, please ask me.

SpasmodicDysphoniaExercises.com

[email protected]

Watch the video announcement:

https://youtu.be/tm3ArMaiogg

Listen here or wherever you get audio podcasts.

#SpasmodicDysphonia #LaryngealDystonia #SpasmodicDysphoniaExercises #VoiceExercises #VoiceDisorder #Dysphonia #VoiceCoaching #VocalExercises

Today we’re doing The Attack Drill — a combination of lip rolls, breath support, placement work and exercises aimed at reducing tongue tension.

A major theme throughout this session is learning not to fight against the voice by pushing harder.

Instead, we work on making the sound feel smaller, easier and more forward while allowing the breath to support it.

We move through lip rolls, a Roger Love placement exercise, middle/head voice work, tongue-to-roof exercises, forward “WE” sounds and tongue-out lip rolls.

If anything hurts, stop. This exercise is about placement and coordination — not forcing your way through tension.

The goal is to learn what better placement feels like and build enough repetition that it becomes easier to recognize and find again.

Watch the video version on the Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises YouTube channel, or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

And there’s a major announcement coming Monday.

Today we’re going back to one of my original beginner exercises for spasmodic dysphonia: the straw-and-water drill.

We’ll work through posture, breath support, easy pitch glides, conversational mini-glides and resonance while focusing on keeping the voice light instead of forcing the beginning of words.

We’ll also work on finding that forward “buzz” and then carrying the feeling back into regular speech.

The point is repetition — learning what the voice feels like when things are working well, recognizing when they aren’t, and practicing your way back toward that better coordination.

And naturally, the entire exercise is performed using an extremely old barbecue sauce bottle that I apparently have an emotional attachment to.

Watch the video version on the Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises YouTube channel, or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Big announcement coming Monday.

Cathy Merkle Roddy returns for our second conversation about Spasmodic Dysphonia, voice disorders, nervous-system regulation, trauma, stress, self-editing, confidence, and the emotional weight that comes with losing trust in your own voice.

One line from Cathy really stuck with me:

“Having your voice back is freedom.”

We also get into people pleasing, perfectionism, skepticism around alternative approaches, why lived experience matters, and the importance of not letting a diagnosis become a permanent identity.

Cathy also shares details about her upcoming Overcoming Voice Disorders challenge.

Find Cathy here:

Facebook Group: Healing Voice Disorders Naturally Facebook: Cathy Merkle Roddy YouTube: Healing Voice Disorders Naturally TikTok: Healing Voice Disorders Naturally Instagram: @revealingthehealing

Overcoming Spasmodic Dysphonia Masterclass / 5-Day Challenge: https://www.revealingthehealing.net/overcoming-spasmodic-dysphonia-masterclass-5-day-challenge-144de4ac-a7989c55

Watch the full video interview: https://youtu.be/R2NEiYywBNU

This conversation reflects personal experiences and opinions and is not intended as medical advice.

I had a whole old-school Friday video recorded,

and then the recording stopped one minute in.

So this episode pivots into the archive.

This is a never-before-seen voice lesson

with instructor Jeff focused on cord closure,

also called adduction.

The lesson works through short vowel syllables,

airflow coordination, vocal fold closure,

and simple exercises using “we,” “he,” and “you.”

As always, use your own discretion.

I’m not a professional voice coach.

I’m someone with spasmodic dysphonia sharing exercises,

lessons, and tools that have helped me.

Watch the video version here:

https://youtu.be/xO0RQY4yGRY

This is the beginning of the beginner.

In this episode, Drew slows everything down for an extreme beginner spasmodic dysphonia exercise session focused on breath, mask placement, repetition, the simple V sound, and resetting the voice without pushing.

This is for anyone who feels intimidated by bigger voice exercises like Attack, straw work, middle voice, or head voice.

Drew is not a professional voice coach. He is someone living with spasmodic dysphonia, sharing exercises and tools that have helped him.

Watch the video version on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Pv5QkCv3sQw

Or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Spasmodic Dysphonia Exercises are back after a few months away.

In this session, Drew works through lip rolls, modified lip rolls, middle voice focus, tongue tension release, the Attack exercise, “wee” placement, and a tongue-out lip roll variation.

These exercises are shared from Drew’s personal experience with spasmodic dysphonia and from work he has done with professional voice coaches. He is not a professional voice coach — just someone doing the exercises alongside you.

Watch the video version on YouTube, or listen wherever you get audio podcasts.

Today we are tackling one of the biggest tests for Spasmodic Dysphonia:

Vowels.

Even saying the word “vowels” can be a problem, so this session jumps right into the challenge.

We start with “me me” and “nim nim” warmups, then move into counting drills, head voice, mask placement, Forebrain buzz awareness, and vowel work with A, E, I, O, and U.

The focus is breath support, diaphragm power, holding the vowel as long as the breath allows, and trying to keep the voice from getting hijacked by Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Also included: pepperoni, cold pool water, ASMR coffee, and Y being off drinking again.

Reminder: I am not a doctor, speech therapist, or professional voice coach. I’m just a guy with Spasmodic Dysphonia sharing the exercises and techniques that have helped me.