Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you need help singing words with sustained “R” sounds? Did you know that “R” is actually a vowel? However, it’s very closed, so you need special techniques when producing R-controlled vowels. Keep reading How to Sing R-Controlled Vowels in English to have a guide to how it works.
How to Sing R-Controlled Vowels in English #1: What Is an R-Controlled Vowel?
What is an R-controlled vowel? When spelled, it combines a vowel with the R sound:
- Ar = Bard
- Or = Cord
- Air = Bear
- Eer = Deer
- Er = Fern
- Ur = hurt
- Ir = Dirt
Sometimes they act like diphthongs (Air, Ar, and Or) and other times they make the Er sound (Er, Ur, and Ir).
How to Sing R-Controlled Vowels in English #2: What Is a Diphthong?
What’s a Diphthong? It’s when you combine two vowels sounds. Therefore, singing technique is important when performing these sounds:
- Ar = Ah-R
- Or = Oh-R
- Air = Ay-R
- Eer = Ee-R
The sounds in the list above combine two sounds – the vowel plus the R sound.
The big trick is that you need to hold the first vowel sound until the end of the note:
- Then, at the last instant you transition to the R
- For example, when performing Ah-R, hold the Ah until the end of the note, then change your mouth shape to R.
- Be sure to have a high soft pallet with a supported note when singing Ah. This will allow you to have a full, open sound as you sustain your pitch.
We’ll talk about the details of how to sing the Er sound in the next section.
How to Sing R-Controlled Vowels in English #3: Singing Er
Good vowel production is critical when performing these sounds:
- Er = Fern
- Ur = hurt
- Ir = Dirt
Unlike what we saw in the previous section, Er, Ur, and Ir will be one sound, not a diphthong:
- In other words, you will not shift the position of your lips or tongue when producing Er.
- R is a vowel, so you can sing it on a sustained tone. However, the jaw is so closed that it’s hard to produce well.
- It’s critical that you focus on your soft pallet, lips, and tongue/jaw so that Er can be as resonant as possible.
Therefore, these are the things you need to be aware of:
- When producing a stressed Er sound, the only type you’d sing a sustained note on, your lips will push slightly away from your teeth.
- Curl your tongue a little while keeping your jaw more closed than you would on any other vowel you sing, even the schwa, but not entirely closed.
- Make sure your soft pallet is as high as possible without hyperextending it.
How to Sing R-Controlled Vowels in English #4: Er Singing Exercise
According to Gerald Eskelin, your vowels sit on a continuum:
- This means that you can adjust them for optimum resonance.
- We learned how to do this in the posts Lip Vowels and Tongue Vowels.
- Click here for a more detailed discussion of how the sound continuum works.
The following exercise will help you to learn how to do this with the Er sound:
- Begin by performing the Ay sound. Slowly shift from the Ay sound to the Er sound by bringing up your tongue/jaw.
- Slowly transition between Ay and Er so that you can hear all the “vowel” sounds between them.
- However, try to finish shifting from Ay to Er before the note changes in bar three.
- When you stop on the Er sound, shoot for the version of Er that works best with the harmony.
- You’ll know when you’ve hit it when you get a strong tone.
- Also, don’t change your pitch as you sing the first two bars, just change the vowel.
- Now try shifting from Er back to Ay.
Mobile users: for best results reading the examples, rotate your screen 90o to the right.
Synth Voice Track:
The soundtrack uses synthetic voices rather than actual voices. Research has shown that this will help with the ability to identify and produce absolute pitch information. For more information:
Final Thoughts
Takeaway points:
- R is a vowel, so you can sing it on a sustained tone. However, the jaw is so closed that it’s hard to produce well.
- Perform Ar, Or, Air, and Eer like you would any other diphthong.
- When producing a stressed Er sound, you need to be aware of the position of your lips, tongue/jaw, and soft pallet.
Be sure to check out the Er vocal exercise in the last section.
Have fun singing!
Related Posts:
- 10 Elements that Impact Singing in Tune
- I’m Confused About These Stupid Vocal Ranges
- What’s the Key Difference Between Soprano and Mezzo?
- What’re the Key Differences Between Contralto and Alto?
- What’s the Key Difference Between Countertenor, Baritone, etc?
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
What Precisely Is the Purpose of a Clef?
What precisely is the purpose of a clef? It’s the symbol to the left side of the staff that helps you know how to play the sheet music’s notes. The three most common are: treble, alto, and bass. Keep reading to learn what they are and how they work. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
How to Set Up a Music Teacher’s Percussion Bag
Have you been thinking about keeping percussion instruments on hand for your music lessons? Do you want an idea of what should go into your bag? A percussion bag or box is useful for any music instructor. It can make the difference between happy, engaged students and pandemonium. Click “How to Set Up a Music Teacher’s Percussion Bag” for some tips to get you started. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
Measuring a Song’s Success
Why does one person say a song is great and another says it stinks? In the “Art vs Commerce” post, we looked at two versions of the song “32 Flavors” and how the Boston Songwriters Workshop members reacted to it. Then, we looked at how and when the art vs commerce question arose. Finally, we asked, "How do you measure a song’s success?" Read more to learn the answer. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
How Many of You Want to Know How to Tune with Guitar Harmonics?
How many of you want to know how to tune with guitar harmonics? Tuning using the 5th and 7th fret harmonics is the most common way to fine-tune standard tuning on the guitar. It yields better sounding chords than tuning using frets. However, it doesn’t restrict what you can use for open chord forms. Read more to learn how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More