How To Be A Ventriloquist

Remember how as children every one of us would be kept enthralled by none other than a speaking puppet. Children cannot especially fathom how a puppet can not only speak, but also make jokes and throw tantrums. No wonder such shows are a hit with both adults and children! Little do people know that this art which involves making inanimate objects come to life is what we call ventriloquism! The trick here is that the person who controls the puppets with his hand also controls the voice of the puppet. The art over here lies in creating the illusion that the puppet itself is speaking. Looks easy? Here is the twist - the ventriloquist has to speak keeping his lips closed and that too, in an entirely different voice! No wonder such a skill is so tough to master! Try speaking with the lips closed and you can know for yourself. As such, becoming a ventriloquist is no easy a deal and requires enormous practice, along with the knowledge of the right technique. If you are willing to devote your time, then this article will furnish you the techniques on how you can become an expert ventriloquist. Remember to get an appropriate puppet for your ‘other’ voice and a collection of funny jokes if you feel your sense of humor is inadequate. Read further to know how you can become a ventriloquist.

Becoming A Ventriloquist

Start by learning to speak without moving your lips. To prevent the lips from moving put a finger on the lips, as if showing someone to keep quite.
First try to say the alphabets without moving the lips. Some alphabets require moving the lips. For this, you should substitute with others like a combination of letters. For example, to say ‘m’ without moving the lips, you can substitute the alphabet with ‘nah’ or ‘neh’. To say ‘b’ you can substitute with ‘geh’. Place stress on the syllables that are not contained in the substituted words.
There are also some words that are very difficult to pronounce with closed lips. It is better to replace those words with simpler ones. You can only do this with lots of practice. First write down the difficult words and then go through the word list to see which one with the same meaning is easier to pronounce. Sometimes, you can replace a part of the word with an easier combination of letters.
Change your voice so that you can mimic a voice that is different from your own. While you are speaking, record your voice and listen to it. Try to identify your voice so that you know if you are speaking loudly or softly, fast or slow. Try to change your voice on all these fronts. To change the voice, you will also have to use different techniques like pinching your nose or sticking the tongue to the roof of the mouth.
At the time of speaking, force the air through the nose. This will also help you to change your voice. You can also force the sound from deep inside the diaphragm. This would give a deeper and raspier voice.
The ‘new voice’ that you create will bring out the personality and the character of your lifeless partner to life. Better go for a personality of your character that is radically different from yours. This will make it look like there are two different entities.
No ventriloquist is complete without a dummy. Make sure that the dummy that you select represents the personality of the voice. You should be also able to handle the dummy carefully. See that the head is flexible and you should be able to be able to move the mouth of the dummy in sync with your new voice.

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