How to do SOVT exercises
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
What are SOVT exercises?
SOVT stands for ‘semi-occluded vocal tract’ - a fancy way of saying that the air is partially blocked on its way out of your mouth. There are several different types of SOVT exercises, which all have different levels of air resistance, and different advantages and disadvantages. The benefits of this type of exercise are scientifically proven, so I encourage my students to build some into their day whenever and wherever they can. Here’s a handy breakdown of the what, when, and how of SOVT exercises.
Examples of SOVT exercises
Lip trills
Tongue trills (rolled Rs)
Blowing raspberries (tongue between lips) while humming
Voiced fricatives (consonant group including V and Z)
Nasal consonants (including M N and NG)
Singing with a hand over the mouth
Puffy cheeks
Straw phonation* (singing through a drinking straw) - different sizes suit different voices: length and diameter affect resistance (longer and narrower = more resistance)
Blowing water bubbles with a straw and humming at the same time
Anaesthetic mask
When to use them
SOVTs are not a cure-all - use with intention! Your singing teacher will help you with this. Here are some examples of times when an SOVT exercise can work well:
Warm ups - glides/scales/arpeggios/small riffs
Technique - register blending, accessing higher voice/pitch extending
Repertoire - replace lyrics with SOVT over tricky melodic passages, or sing an entire song through to build stamina
Cool Down: water bubbles low - mid-range 10 minutes of SOVT exercise every day could be sufficient to make positive changes to vocal efficiency over time
Benefits
There’s no such thing as a magic trick when learning to sing, but SOVTs can have some benefits that may feel pretty magical. They can:
Align the vocal folds for efficient vibrations
Cushion vocal fold collisions which
* Encourages gentle and balanced onsets
* Prevents pressing/over effortful voicingBuild vocal stamina and prevent vocal fatigue
Help to feel sympathetic vibrations in the face, which can encourage a resonant tone
Helps to develop “mix” and blended registration
Can improve access to high pitches
Great as a cooldown - can reset voice to neutral after heavy voicing
Sensation of laryngeal massage with water bubbles
Top tips
So now you know what they are, here are some tips about how to do them, and how to choose which ones might work for you.
If you’re using a straw:
Bring straw/water up to you, rather than dipping your head down
Keep straw approximately 2-3cm deep in water, any deeper and you’ll be working too hard
Check air is flowing out of the end of the straw if you’re not dipping it in water - it’s very easy to hum and have all the air coming out of your nose!
Be gentle - it's not meant to be loud
Some general tips:
Aim to keep lips, tongue and jaw as relaxed as possible
High-pressure SOVTs are good for pressed, overworking voices and also for breath management: straw, water bubbles, lip trills, raspberries
Low pressure like nasal consonants /m/ /n/ /ng/ good for encouraging resonant sensations in the face
Fricatives /v/ and /z/ offer medium pressure and are good for breath management and body engagement
Tongue trills and raspberries are great for freeing the tongue
So that’s an overview, but it’s really a good idea to get a singing teacher to help you choose which ones will be particularly beneficial for you, and to show you how to do them efficiently so that you maximise the benefits.
Laura x
*I use this SOVT Straw, and I can thoroughly recommend both the straw and the website for more information about the science behind SOVT exercises. There are other singing-specific straw options available, as well as standard metal, paper or wheat straws, and other recyclable or reusable options.
References: A Systematic Approach to Voice: The Art of Studio Application by Dr Kari Ragan, Plural Publishing, rayvox.co.uk
