VOICE AND SPEECH STUDY GUIDE
According to Kristen Linklater what BEGINS the process of speaking,
singing or making sound with the human voice?
Impulse – Breath – Vibrations – Resonators – Articulators – Words
The VOCAL FOLDS are housed in what part of the body?
The LARYNX houses the vocal folds
What can limit vibration?
Unnecessary TENSION
Which way does the diaphragm contract?
Downward
What could close off the room for your diaphragm to fully extend?
If you move your shoulders up and down when you take a breath
What is a good warm-up for physical AWARENESS and CENTERING in
the space?
- Pats/brushes/squeezes up and down both the front and back body
- Stretches/yoga/building neutral, centered stance
What is a good warm-up for connecting to BREATH?
- Slow complete breaths in observing middle body and movement
- Rolling down to folded leaf and breathing while inverted
- Breathing on all fours/cat and cow/prayer position/floor work
What is a good warm-up for PHONATION?
- Huh-hummmmm-ahhhhh
- Mmmm-oooo-ahhhh
- Begin gently and don’t push
What is a good warm-up for AMPLIFICATION?
- Bounce/jiggle different parts of the body on descending and ascending
pitches
What is a good warm-up for ENGAGING support muscles?
- S and z breaths to 5,10,15,20
- Pushing against a wall while saying text
- Lifting chair overhead
- Pitching the softball of air and text to fully release and quick onset of
breath
What is a good warm-up for CHANNEL RESONATORS?
- Chest (ahhh) mouth (HEY!) teeth (hee hee hee)
What is a good warm-up for NASAL RESONATORS?
VOICE AND SPEECH STUDY GUIDE
- Mee-may-mah (bridge of nose to across the cheekbones to the
mouth/chest)
What is a good warm-up for LOWER ABDOMINAL RESONATORS?
- Wizard of oz! wizard hits chest, witch hits sinuses, Dorothy hits head
voice
What is a good warm-up for RELEASING ARTICULATORS?
- Lower jaw, lips, tongue, soft palate
- Consonant sounding
- Vowel tree/vowel resonance ladder
- Tongue twisters
What does “easy onset” mean?
- Producing full vibration/sound with the least amount of effort or “push”
from external muscles or pharyngeal squeezing. No “glottal attack.”
What does “optimum pitch” mean?
- This pitch or set of pitches is where resonance is BALANCED between
the chest and head resonators.
- For many people they feel it centered around their sternum or heart
center.
- Finding this space can make projection a lot easier and less effortful
What are some areas of RESONANCE in the human body?
- Chest, throat, mouth, nasal mask/sinuses, head/skull
Name four movable ARTICULATORS:
- Lower jaw
- Lips
- Soft palate
- Tongue
Name six CONSONANT speech sounds:
- Plosives (p/t/k and b/d/g)
- Genre (f/v, s/z, sh)
- Sing (l,m,n,ŋ)
- Ruby (r)
- Whither which (w/m)