Unfiltered Thoughts

2023.03.06 – 0795 - The ‘Mouth’s Mystery Muscle’ Tongue Root Tension and the ‘Mouth’s Mystery Muscle’  We all know about the tongue yeah? We can see it in our mouth, we know it is very sensitive to temperature, taste and texture (babies instinctively feel things with their tongue), and its complex fibres and nerves makes an extraordinary range of precise movements possible for speaking[1] (Episode 76 “Your Multi-Function Mouth Muscle” has the full list of the tongue’s eight great attributes). But hidden from view the less-sensitive part of the tongue connects into the larynx via the hyoid bone. A ‘tight tongue’ limits your range. If the underlying muscle is tight, the larynx can’t move as easily. The result of that is that then other muscles (the ‘wrong ones’) are used to move it instead, which means more effort to create the sound (and not the best sound either) which leads in turn to muscular and laryngeal strain and fatigue, and so causing more tightness. A tense-free tongue therefore has a hugely beneficial effect.
[1] Or even tying a knot with a cherry stalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFqv-QOSDfg and https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/magazine/how-to-knot-a-cherry-stem-with-your-tongue.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.05 – 0794 – Blowing Raspberries Blowing Raspberries·        Relax your mouth, lips and cheeks and slightly stick out your tongue, resting it on your lower lip.·        Slowly exhale as you blow a raspberry, vibrating your tongue, lips and cheeks. (Beware of spittle!)·        Now gently vocalise that airflow creating a slow deep vibration·        Next, keeping a consistent, controlled airflow, move up and down the tonal scale.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.04 – 0793 – The Right Way To Use Tongue Twisters As An Articulation Exercise
Tongue TwistersOnce you have warmed up the tongue, you can try some tongue twisters to put it through its paces (if you try a tongue twister before you’ve warmed up the tongue and you’ll just end up tongue-tied and demoralised…) What do I like about a tongue-twister? It’s hard to say (!), but having said that, their name is a bit of misnomer because they not only help stretch and strengthen several of those tongue muscles, but also warm up your other ‘moveable articulators’, the lips and soft palate too. That aside, adding them to your routine can lead to better enunciation and expression which will help you master more complex reads. From scripts and everyday life, make a note of the words and phrases that trip you up most, then pick a twister that includes those sound combinations. Start slowly and make sure each phrase is clear and crisp, pronouncing each of the consonant and vowel sounds accurately. Then repeat the twister gradually increasing pace and exaggeration, starting again after any stumble. Aim for six twisters 60 minutes before a studio session, as well as more as part of your regular routine. An A-Z of Tongue Twisters can be found in episode 106… but these are made up word-forms that you’re unlikely to encounter in real life. That’s not to say they’re not useful tests, but don’t forget the more regular phrases that you may find yourself stumbling over (I remember “international coronavirus restrictions ”). Oh, and after you have tried a twister a few times, try it with a pencil in your mouth (or a chopstick or something similar). Hold it horizontally between your teeth, across your mouth pushing back your cheeks to just short of where they start to hurt. Then do the twister again a few times to help you concentrate on the words. Finally try the same phrase without the pencil to see how your speed, and diction accuracy has improved.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.03 – 0792 – The ‘Tongue Curl’ Vocal ExerciseCurled Tongue·        Put the tip of your tongue behind your lower front teeth, and arch the middle of your tongue so it touches the roof of your mouth. Repeat five times, like press-ups for the tongue!·        Now open your mouth and, with a relaxed jaw and the tip of your tongue still behind your lower front teeth, push the middle of your tongue forward towards your open mouth. Repeat five times, increasing speed each time.·        Now with the tongue lying on the floor of your mouth, curl the tip up and back along the roof of the mouth. Then after that front-roll and back roll, make a ‘taco tongue’ making it into a tube shape[1] ·        Next stick your tongue out either side of your mouth, darting to the left and then in and then stretching out to the right·        Then all the way forward towards your nose.[2]
[1] Only about 80% of the population can make this shape: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180130-do-you-inherit-the-ability-to-roll-your-tongue [2] There are five specific tongue movements in a healthy population, including the ‘clover leaf’. This article lists them with pictures: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33040201/   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.02 – 0791 – A Drumroll For The TongueTongue Trills·        Relax your mouth and tongue and have your lips slightly apart. Purr like a cat (or like a drumroll), relaxing your tongue and letting its tip vibrate on the roof of your mouth just behind the upper teeth, as you breathe out. ·        Try this gently at first before you make the vibration faster and stronger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.03.01 – 0790 – The ‘Toothpaste Tongue’ Vocal ExerciseToothpaste Tongue·        Imagine there’s a blob of toothpaste on the tip of your tongue and give each tooth and individual clean with the tip of the tongue. ·        Keep the jaw as relaxed as possible as you run your tongue all around your mouth to ‘clean’ it: between lips and gums, behind teeth, along the roof and floor of your mouth, even counting your teeth with your tongue. ·        Keep going for 30 seconds.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.02.28 – 0789 – Getting a ‘Slug Tongue’ Slug TongueRelax the jaw, drop the tongue out of the mouth and count slowly out loud to 10. Then recite the ‘Happy Birthday’ song or something similar, keeping your tongue relaxed and floppy.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.02.27 – 0788 – Tongue Stretches Tongue Stretches·        Open and relax your mouth with your lips apart, then stick out your tongue as far as it will stretch. Hold it there for 30 seconds while breathing. Check you are not tightening your neck muscles (use a mirror or put a hand on your neck to feel for tension) ·        Stick your tongue out and slowly draw a square with the tip of your tongue. Try different shapes and try ‘writing’ your name. Do this 5 times, with increased speed each time·        Stretch the tip of your tongue to the tip of your nose and then relax it. Do this five times. Then stretch it down to touch your chin five times.·        Put your tongue back in and move it slowly as far as it will stretch in all directions in your mouth to explore all ‘four corners’ and all points in between: across the front of your top teeth to the depths of the bottom of the mouth.·        With your mouth closed, teeth and lips together, and a relaxed jaw, and the tongue inside the mouth (obviously!), rotate it to the right 8 times. Then to the left. Then repeat 7 times, 6 times, and so on until you’re down to one rotation right and one left.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.02.26 – 0787 – Tongue Fun
The TongueYour tongue is a major articulator helping form sounds into recognisable words (as well as being used in swallowing and eating). It moves courtesy of eight muscles: four intrinsic muscles run along its length and change and the shape of the tongue (lengthening and shortening it, curling and uncurling its tip and edges as in tongue rolling, and flattening and rounding its surface), and four extrinsic muscles change its position (for protrusion, retraction, and side-to-side movement). The main articulator bends and shapes sounds to create understandable words, from complex car-deal criteria to mouthfuls of medical manuscripts so it’s important to be dextrous and strong.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.02.25 – 0786 – The Exaggeration Vocal Exercise
Over EnunciationSilently say a phrase (“Get A Better Broadcast, Podcast and Voice Over Voice”) with really exaggerated mouth, lip and jaw movements. Repeat it, with really big, animated and exaggerated articulation. Now put the sound in and keep the performance. Finally, relax and speak the phrase normally with your usual face and you should feel more freedom, and ease of movement.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.