Vowels and Mouth Shape--How They Contribute to Your Overall Sound

Vowels. They are something we have used our whole life and are a fundamental part of words and speech. There are few, if not any, words that don't contain vowels within them. However, the way we say vowels is not the same way we would sing them. In order for the voice to project more efficiently and for you to maintain the correct pitch when singing, mouth shape and position when producing vowel sounds is key.

Basic Singing Vowels

Vowels we are used to reading and speaking look like this: A, E, I, O, U. However, when sung, these vowels are pronounced differently to help to better produce a brighter, fuller sound.

The five basic singing vowels are:

Ah (similar to the word saw)
Eh (similar to the word wet)
Ee (similar to the word sheet)
Oh (similar to the word tone)
Oo (similar to the word soon)

Mouth Shape When Singing Vowels

Always when singing, make sure that your tongue is forward, flat, and rests against your bottom teeth. If you allow your tongue to rise up during singing, whether just practicing singing vowels or vocal exercises, you can cause tension in your jaw and throat, which can strain the vocal chords.

When you yawn or sigh, the soft palate (located in front of the uvula and just behind the roof of your mouth) rises slightly. The idea when you sing is to keep the soft palate raised as much as possible to allow your sound to be bright, full and round.

Also, while singing--either phrases in a song or exercises--your mouth should be slightly open (place two fingers vertically stacked between your lips--use this as a starting point for practice). As you move up in your range to the higher notes in your register, your jaw should drop to allow more air or sound to project out.

*Important to Remember: For each vowel sound, try to maintain an oval-like shape for your mouth. Many beginning singers and even some advanced singers, have a tendency to form a horizontal, thin shape with their mouths when singing. This prevents you from keeping a full, bright sound when you sing, can strain your vocal chords and makes your voice sound thin while causing intonation issues. I still to this day have issues with the vowel "Ee", since the tendency for this vowel sound is to have a mouth shape similar to a smile.

I hope that this introduction helps you better understand vowels, mouth shape and how these elements affect your vocal performance. If you have any questions about this topic or any other aspect of singing, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below!