English Diction - Rhotic “R”[ɹ]

Diction for singing can be difficult. This can even be extra difficult while singing in English. It’s true! Just because English is our primary language does not mean it is an easy language to sing in. English has specific speech sounds that other languages do not. One English sound that is the hardest to adapt to while singing is the Rhotic “R” sound. It is made by lifting the back of the tongue towards the roof of the mouth while vocalizing. This mouth shape can restrict the space in the mouth and alter the quality of the voice while singing. This means that singers need to make adjustments to their mouth shape when singing English words that typically contain the “R” sound. Often, we try to alter the sound away from being an American/Rhotic “R” to sounding more like the British "R" pronunciation. We also want to make sure that when we are singing a word that ends with an “R” we do not allow that sound to creep in and color the vowel sound. We want to leave that “R” sound for the very end of the beat or phrase. These tricks can help keep the tongue relaxed and the vocal tone more clear.