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Teaching young singers to roll their R'sDate: February 12, 2010 by Teri Jett
 I am relatively new to teaching high school choir, and I am working with some of my high school students on solos for music contest. I have each of these young singers doing one song in English and one in Italian. Our problem with tackling the Italian diction is in rolling R's. I can do it, but I'm not sure how to describe it to my students. Do some of you more experienced voice teachers have some suggestions on how I can help my young high school singers learn to do this? Replies (12): Threaded | Chronological
John Howell on February 12, 2010 8:38am
Hi, Teri. I'm trying to interpret what you've written, because as far as I know Italian Rs are flipped, not rolled (as they are trilled in Spanish).
But my mom, who besides being a fine pianist and musician was a foreign language teacher, used this trick to get her Spanish classes flipping and trilling their Rs:
Start them saying "Pot of tea." Speed it up so that it's "Pot-a-tea, pot-a-tea, pot-a-tea," etc. The tongues will automatically start flipping behind the upper teeth as they should, as it become "Para ti." Et voilá!!
All the best,
John
on February 12, 2010 9:55am
Teri,
Didn't find THAT book but I googled further (linguistic phonation of Italian r) and got this: www.ub.edu/labfon/XVIII-23.pdf - scroll down to page 14 and you will see an MRI of the l and r (known together as liquids because the air is turbulent and rolls over or around the tongue like water). Note the tongue position. If you are singing from 26 Italian songs which has the phonetic settings, you can clearly see which r's are rolled and which are tapped.
(don't know why the italics won't stop).
S
on February 12, 2010 3:18pm
Teri,
The rolled R is very close to the D without the strong pressure at the front of the tongue and the alveolar ridge. In fact, the unrolled Italian r can easily be simplified to the single tap of the d. I have already scoured thought my diction books for an explanation for a how to to no avail. I have all of them but one: the one that explains this, of course.
The key seems to be the onset of the consonant which really has no equivalent in English. The American r is made with the back of the tongue and soft palate.
The same problem exists with phonating Italian (French, German, French, Spanish) L in relation to the tip of the tongue.
The rolled r is done with light contact with the alveolar ridge which is quickly (neraly instantly) released by a rush of breath pressure.
I have tried this and it has sometimes worked.
Have the student repeat several tip of the tongue, very bright la-l-la-la-la. The soft palate/mid tongue should not be involved. Then do the same with a da-da-da-da.
You now have a correct tapped r.
Next, keep that light r connection and this time send a silent h through it to interrupt the tongue/ridge connection. The airflow should felt over the lifted soft palate and the midde/rear of the tongue should be low and not the least arched. This will be very airy voiced or not at the out set.
If this works (after a while probably) then have the student try ra-re-ree-ro-ru very lightly. Then try the specific words.
In any case, a tapped r is preferrable to a growled American r.
If I find THAT book, I'll get back to you. Remember: Forward, and Light!
on February 12, 2010 10:19pm
I use the same technique that John mentions but use the phrase "get it out" or "giddyup ". Start slow, stay loose and increase the speed and eventually they'll get the feel for it. Then tell them to go home and practice this in front of their parents for at least one hour a night. :)
-Andy
on February 13, 2010 5:45am
After working at this for year and wishing I could do it, I now believe it is not something that can be taught. I can flip my "r's" but not roll. I have accepted my fate:)
on February 13, 2010 2:55pm
Suggest using a very soft 'd' as a substitution: for instance 'cada' instead of 'cara'.
One day it will just flip or flutter instead of the single soft strike.
on February 13, 2010 6:01pm
Please remember that a certain small percentage of the population, including some high powered musicians & singers that I know, are physically unable to roll R's. It's not an issue of teaching; it's an issue of physiology.
Bill Paisner
Director, Southwest Women's Chorus
on February 13, 2010 11:34pm
I'm enjoying reading about the phrases others use to teach this concept. With my students, we make it into a game to see who can say the word, "butter," over and over the fastest! This has worked well for my younger students.
on February 14, 2010 12:00am
I have no suggestions - I'm just enjoying reading the ones made, trying them, and then comparing them to what I do (having spoken Canadian French as a kid, which "rolled" or "flipped" r, and then learning to speak a proper metropolitan French (a la parisienne) with the more guttural "r"). They're all pretty good suggestions - you can't go wrong!
Ron Duquette
on February 15, 2010 5:39am
Toreador-a don't spit on the floor-a; use the cuspidora--that's what it's for-a. Fun and get's the job done. Best wishes. e
on April 27, 2010 3:17pm
Hi,
I know several people who swore they were unable to roll their Rs. They could not, just could not get their tongues to loosen up sufficiently, they THOUGHT.
When told to just stop saying "R" as in "Bwooklyn", and say "Brrr, it's COLD!" (Stress on "cold"), they stopped thinking they just could not roll their tongues, and rolled the Brrr perfectly!
Asked to do it again, with the Brrrrrrrrrr longer, they got the FEELING of it. Some people practised this and soon "got it"; others did not practise, DID NOT THINK IT NEEDED PRACTICE, and just could not get it.
(In several Indian languages, "Ri" is actually treated as a vowel; that makes it very tough for them to get the rolled R at a later stage in life. )
Nariman.
Nariman H. Wadia,
Chairman,
The Paranjoti Academy Chorus of Bombay, India.
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