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
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