Final Voice Notebook Project 

Jordan Gardner  
CDS 598, Spring 2020 
 
TONGUE TRILLS 
"Rolling your R's" 
 
Demonstration Videos​: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5clVdvai8cQ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZIfWJuimmc 
Rationale:  
This is an example of a semi occluded vocal tract exercise, which involves supraglottic narrowing 
along the vocal tract in order to maximize the contact between the vocal folds and vocal tract during 
vibration. This in turn can promote a more resonant voice, or a healthy functioning voice (ASHA, 2016). 
These exercises can assist patients who require more voice control, a steady pitch range and also can 
improve the ability to release muscle tension within the vocal folds. In order for us to produce a healthy 
voice we need to incorporate good posture, proper breath support, and easy voice onset into our speaking 
habits (A Tempo Voice Center, 2017). This technique addresses all of these factors and can improve a 
variety of voice disorders that are impacted by insufficient glottal closure. 
 
Population Target: P ​ atients with vocal hyperfunction, Dysphonia, Inadequate breath support, 
Professional singers  
Keep in mind:  
● Modeling first can increase the exercise success 
● Once they carry these over to the home environment, it's important they practice the 
exercise for two times, twice a day  
 
Procedures:  
*​It may be beneficial to begin a session with breathing exercises in 
order to reduce any nerves or stress 
Basic Production  
1. Have the patient sit in a chair without slouching 
2. Place your tongue tip to your alveolar ridge (area 
behind your upper teeth)  
3. The back/ sides of the tongue remain in a cupped 
position 
4. Relax your facial muscles  
5. Lips are kept relaxed/ slightly open  
6. Blow air out of your mouth to create vibration  
7. Place your hand in front of your mouth to feel the 
vibration 
8. Sustain at a steady pitch for as long as possible for 5 trials to increase comfort level 
 
 
 Glides 
1. Place the tongue tip to alveolar ridge  
2. Relax facial muscles  
3. Keep lips relaxed/ slightly open  
4. Start vibration at a low pitch and glide slowly to a higher pitch  
5. Do this at least 2x  
6. Then, start at a high pitch and glide slowly to a lower pitch  
7. Do this at least 2x  
8. Then start at a low pitch, glide slowly to a high pitch, and then come back down to a low 
pitch  
 
Research​:  
A study conducted by the University of Chile in 2016 examined the impact of 8 semi- occluded 
vocal tract exercises on glottal contact in relation to vocal stress patterns. The participants were 
patients who were diagnosed with hyperfunctional dysphonia for the experimental group, and the 
control group consisted of vocally healthy individuals. The measurements were converted into a glottal 
contact quotient (CQ) which were taken using electroglottography, and the results showed a significant 
impact on the vocal folds when comparing before, during and after data. The problem with the research 
prior to this study, and after is that many studies fail to produce clear effects, and often contain a 
sample size that cannot be generalized to a larger population size. The lip and tongue trill exercises 
produced the lowest glottal contact quotient which indicates that these exercises may be beneficial in 
reducing vocal fold adduction. In order to determine whether or not the vocal patterns change after the 
studies are concluded, more studies are needed to differentiate these patterns from the displayed 
success during treatment​. 
Guzman, M., Calvache, C., Romero, L., Muñoz, D., Olavarria, C., Madrid, S., Leiva, M., & Bortnem, C. (2016). Do Different
Semi-Occluded Voice Exercises Affect Vocal Fold Adduction Differently in Subjects Diagnosed with Hyperfunctional
Dysphonia? ​Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica,​ ​67(​ 2), 68–75.
https://doi-org.dbsearch.fredonia.edu:2443/10.1159/000437353
 
Other References​:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.)​ ​Voice Disorders: Treatment Approaches.
Retrieved from
https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589942600&section=Treatment
A Tempo Voice Center. (2017, July 17). ​Tip Tuesday Tongue Trills ​[Youtube Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5clVdvai8cQ
Chavez, A, C. (2019). How to Pronounce the Trilled R [Photograph]. Retrieved from
https://spanishandgo.com/learn/how-to-roll-your-rs
Titze, I. R. (2006). Voice training and therapy with a semi-occluded vocal tract: Rationale and
scientific underpinnings. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 448–459.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 TONGUE BUBBLE GLIDES 
 
Demonstration Video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8f1MyvvfIo 
Rationale: 
This exercise incorporates both tongue movement, and lip movement in order to create 
vibrations within the vocal tract. Bubble glides are useful in order to help relax the jaw and the base of 
the tongue to promote a clear sounding voice quality (​Petty’s work (as cited in Behrman, Haskell, 
2019))​. The articulators play a huge role in "good" speech production, and that's why it's so important to 
remove any tension within these structures. This technique can also facilitate improved breath support 
for speech which is necessary to eliminate any breathy vocal qualities, and to maintain steady vocal fold 
vibration while communicating.  
Behrman, A., Haskell, J. (2019). ​Exercises for Voice therapy (​ 3rd ed.). San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing.  
 
Population Target: P ​ rofessional Singers, Muscle Tension 
Dysphonia, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Vocal Hyperfunction (can be 
modified to fit any voice client)   
Procedures: 
1. Have the patient sit in a chair maintaining proper posture, 
and have them relax their shoulders/ body 
2. Instruct them to moisten their lips   
3. Place your tongue on the lower lip and relax 
a. The tongue should not be very protruded (pushed 
out too far) 
4. Next, close the lips lightly over the tongue 
a. It's important to keep the mouth relaxed 
5. Blow air over the tongue while the lips remain closed 
6. After this, the tongue and lips should be vibrating 
7. Advanced: 
a. Glide from a low pitch to a higher pitch  
b. Glide from a high pitch to a low pitch 
c. Go up and down the scale from low to high, then back down to low 
d. Or you can do this using scales 
e. Take a breath in between each trial  
8. Repeat 3x for each method 
9. As time goes on, you can increase the amount of trials and have the patient sustain the 
vibrations for longer as it gets easier  
 
Modifications:  
● Using a mirror can help the patient to align their tongue protrusion with the clinician's 
model 
● If the patient has difficulty with an excessive amount of muscle tension, the clinician can 
instruct the patient to protrude their tongue further  
● An alternative to this approach can be a lip trill (lip vibrations) 
 RASPBERRIES 
 
Demonstration Video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxg0yhCibkE 
Rationale:  
This exercise can assist with controlling the release of air from the mouth during speech, release 
tongue/ lip tension, and also coordinate better breath support for healthy voice production. During these 
productions, pressure builds up behind the lips which requires the diaphragm to work harder to control 
breathing. Through practice, patients will be able to control their airflow, voice onset, and consequently 
reduce moments of vocal fatigue in their communication environments. Exercises like these will also 
make patients aware of better habits for speech production and educate them on how to control certain 
aspects of their voice.  
Block, C, M.S. CCC-SLP. (2014, February 20). The magic of lip trills. ​New York Speech and Voice
Lab.​ ​https://www.speechvoicelab.com/blog/2018/5/30/the-magic-of-lip-trills

Population Target: P ​ rofessional singers, Spasmodic Dysphonia patients, Vocal control, 

Patients who need to work on breath support  
Procedures:  
1. Moisten your lips 
2. First bring your lips together to make a lip "buzz" 
a. Place your fingers on your cheeks to feel the 
vibration 
3. Stick your tongue out slightly 
4. Facial structures should be relaxed 
5. Blow air over the tongue slightly to make a 
"raspberry" sound 
a. The pitch should remain steady  
6. You can feel that this is voiceless (no vibration) by placing your hand on your throat 
7. Sustain the vibration for as long as possible  
8. Take a breath and repeat at least 5 times  
9. Next, you can try to "turn your voice on" through gliding from low to high pitches, and 
vice versa 
a. Follow the directions for the tongue bubble glides 
b. This can encourage further controlled phonation  
10. Instruct the client to try this exercise at home any time they may feel tension or if their 
voice feels "stuck in a certain pitch", and at least twice in the morning  
 
Modifications:  
● Give feedback if the client isn't performing the exercise properly 
● Having a mirror can allow them to watch themselves  
● Modeling is useful and it could reduce a sense of awkwardness 
● The patient may benefit from diaphragmatic breathing exercises or relaxation 
techniques during the beginning of therapy 
 
Other References​:
Amann, Laura. (2019). How Blowing Raspberries Helps A Baby Develop. [Photograph] Retrieved
from ​https://www.metroparent.com/daily/pregnancy-baby/newborn-care/raspberries-help-baby-develop/
Johnson, C. (2017, July 27). Release tongue tension with the raspberry! A MUST for your vocal Warm up!. ​The
Naked Vocalist. h​ ttps://www.thenakedvocalist.com/tongue-raspberry/
 
 
Research:  
A study was published in 2006 in an ASHA journal that was conducted to determine the theoretical 
underpinning behind using semi- occluded vocal exercises in voice therapy. This study was conducted 
by Ingo R. Titze, who works for the University of Utah. This study was done through the use of 
computer simulations with self oscillating vocal fold models. The main objective was to understand the 
effect of semi- occlusions within the epilarynx tube, or the area between the vocal folds and the 
aryepiglottic folds. The study asked questions such as: the relationship between oral occlusion and 
intraglottal pressure, or whether or not increased glottal pressures would reduce the glottal flow and 
the amplitude of vibration. The results of this study indicated that a semi occlusion in the lips could in 
fact increase the supraglottal and intraglottal pressure within the vocal tract. In order to create a 
healthier voice, impedance matching then occurs by vocal fold adduction and narrowing of the 
epilarynx tube. These exercises showed a heightened acoustic pressure which contributes to the feeling 
of facial sensations for voice vibrations. Therefore this study showed that a beneficial therapy regime 
would be to start with vocal function exercises because they help warm up the speech and respiratory 
muscles without creating vocal fold fatigue. Obviously this study is one of many that has been 
conducted on this matter, and one of the limitations may be that it's a simulation study and not done 
using human subjects. However, there are other studies out there that present the use of semi- occluded 
exercises and the results of improved vocal functioning. 
Titze, I. R. (2006). Voice Training and Therapy With a Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract: Rationale and Scientific Underpinnings.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 4​ 48-459. doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2006/035)