SOVTEs Part I

This week, we take a look at semi-occluded vocal tract exercises and sounds.

Have you heard of SOVTEs or “semi-occluded vocal tract exercises”?
You may have tried using lip trills or humming to get your voice warmed up. You may have explored singing through straws, with or without submerging the straw in water. If so, you’ve probably noticed that singing in this way feels easy and helps your voice warm up.

These are all examples of semi-occluded vocal tract sounds and you’re not imagining it–they do help your voice function better. Other examples include voiced fricative sounds like “zzzzz” or “vvvvvv”, tongue trills or raspberry trills.

Semi-occluded vocal tract sounds are a great way to help coordinate the vocal subsystems (air pressure system, vibratory system, resonating system) in the most efficient way. In the next newsletter, more about why SOVTEs are such a great way to train your voice.

More soon,
Your SonoVoice Team

Next Week: SOVTEs Part II