A Tonguecentric Pedagogy: Reframing The Conversation About This Important Structure

The tongue is the most flexible structure in the vocal tract.

The pharynx, while not a square, does have four “sides” that include the back, two sides and the front.

The back wall is not moveable. The side walls can narrow and release to create high frequency energy (twang).

The front wall, the back of the tongue, is super flexible and can move in myriad ways!

It is the primary shaper of voice quality and can make or break a performer’s production.  The fourth “wall” is used to create ring and darkness, and is involved in control of vibrato rate. It shapes vowels and consonants and can fix or cause vocal problems. “Holy Moly,” what doesn’t it do?

I now believe it is the most important structure to learn about in singing and have shifted my pedagogical approach toward a “TongueCentric” one instead of one centered around the vocal folds.

After all, the folds are only a small portion of the overall sound created.

Join us for this “TongueCentric” course.