Why tongue twisters are great for your voice

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Unique New York, unique New York, unique New York.

One smart fella, he felt smart. Two smart fellas, they felt smart.

What’s the benefit?

I LOVE a tongue twister. That doesn’t mean I’m particularly good at them but I still make sure they feature in my practice all the time. Tongue twisters can be used to warm up the voice and to provide targeted exercise for our articulators - our tongue, lips, jaw and soft palate. They're fun to say, and to sing.

If there are sounds you struggle with, practising a tongue twister with those sounds in is a great way to get your tongue, lips, jaw and palate better at accessing them quickly and efficiently. For example, for those of us who struggle with differentiating /th/ /f/ and /v/, a good one would be”

I found a fluffy feather on the river path

How do we practise them?

The best way to practise tricky tongue twisters is to break them down and go slowly. First of all, repeat the tongue twister slowly a few times to become familiar with where you make different sounds in your mouth. Do they involve the ridge behind your teeth? The soft-palate at the back? The lips? Are they 'voiced' (like a /g/) or 'unvoiced' (like a /k/)? What is the tongue doing? Do some of the sounds come through your nose?

Take them slowly at first, and tune into how much muscle effort you are using, and where you are directing that effort. Then aim for as much ease as possible as you speed up.

Have fun making your own tongue twisters up, search for them online, or invest in a book like Ken Parkin's Anthology of British Tongue Twisters (or an equivalent if English isn't your first language.)

Enjoy!

Laura x