6 Helpful Diction Exercises for Singers [Video]

6 Helpful Diction Exercises for Singers [Video] Suzy S. Improve your technique (and your next performance) by working on diction! In this article, singing teacher  Liz T.  shares some great exercises to try out Imagine youre  at a concert, and your favorite artist gets up on stage to sing. You recognize a popular song from her  album starting, but when she opens her mouth you cant decipher any of the lyrics. As a singer, paying attention to diction   that is, the way you enunciate your words can  make a big impact on your performance.  It’s a crucial part of connecting with your audience and even having proper vocal health! If you struggle with you diction when you sing, though,  dont be ashamed. It is truly something all singers struggle with! It doesnt mean you are a bad singer but the better diction you have, the more your audience will be able to enjoy and appreciate your performance. There are tons of diction exercises you can try, which will help you train yourself. Start adding these to your practice sessions, and youll notice a difference! 1) Practice Tongue Twisters Try  speaking your favorite tongue twisters first, and then try singing them! I recommend focusing on ones with letters or syllables that are more difficult for you. Start slow, and then work up to a faster speed. Really make sure you are articulating each sound. You can also  try speaking  or  singing the alphabet to get the shapes ingrained in your muscle memory. Here are a few tongue twisters that are great for improving your  diction: She sells seashells by the seashore. Red leather, yellow leather. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Who washed Washington’s white woolen underwear, as Washington’s washer woman went West. Mommy made me mash my MMs. 2) Study  Phonetics (IPA) For this exercise, take a look at the song youre currently working on, and break down each word in the  lyrics. Break apart the vowels, consonants, and diphthongs. Feel free to write in your score, if you need to spell a word differently for it to make sense in your singing. Many singers refer to the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) when singing. This is a system derived from Latin that is used today as a standardized representation of sounds. It’s a great tool for singers to use and study! 3)  Practice Vowels Take some time focusing on each of the vowels:  ah, ay, ee, oh, and oo. Add a consonant at the beginning (such as mah, may, me) and sing through the list, making sure each one is clear. 4) Practice Consonants Next, focus on consonants, like D, T, and N. Practice  speaking  the different sounds, repeating each a few times. 5) Do Some Lip Buzz/Trill Warm up your lips, tongue, and teeth with simple lip buzzes and tongue trills. 6) Incorporate Breath Support Pick one of the tongue twisters above, and practice saying it all in one breath. Whether you are performing live on stage (using a microphone or not) or singing in a studio, you should always use clear and accurate diction! And if youre struggling,  remember that clear diction may  not happen overnight. Keep practicing these diction exercises, and work with your voice teacher to improve your technique. Good luck! Post Author:  Liz T. Liz T. teaches singing, acting, and music lessons online.  She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M in Vocal performance and currently performs/teaches all styles of music including Musical Theater, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, RB, and Country. Learn more about Liz here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher