THE TONGUE IS BIG — AND IT LOVES TO “HELP” TOO MUCH
The tongue is a huge, powerful muscle group.
Whenever the body senses effort — reaching a high note, belting, navigating a tricky phrase — the jaw and tongue often try to help by:
- gripping
- retracting
- pushing down
- bunching up
- narrowing the throat
This is not helpful.
Instead of assisting, the tongue ends up blocking resonance, limiting range, and making vowels harder to control.
A SPEECH-LIKE SPACE IS THE HEALTHY DEFAULT
The safest starting point for most singers is simple:
- a released jaw
- a tongue in a calm, natural speaking position
- no pulling back
- no flattening down
- no over-involvement
When the tongue sits where it naturally sits in speech, the voice has:
- clarity
- freedom
- ease
- vowel accuracy
- access to higher notes
Speech-like space = free, responsive, efficient.
WHY A FORCED LOW, FLAT TONGUE can CAUSE PROBLEMS
Teachers often say to beginners; “keep the tongue flat” or “rest the tip on the bottom teeth” because they are trying to correct the most common beginner problem: tongue retraction. When the tongue pulls back, it creates tension in the tongue root, blocks resonance, and makes higher notes harder to access. Asking for a flatter, forward tongue is simply an easy way to stop this from happening. It’ was never meant to be a literal, fixed singing position — It’s just a quick cue to prevent the tongue from bunching or retracting so the voice could move freely.
However……
A deliberately flattened or depressed tongue:
- restricts the larynx
- blocks acoustic adjustments
- prevents clear vowels (especially EE, AY, OO)
- stiffens the jaw
- increases tongue-root tension
- dulls the sound
A rigid “tongue-down” approach makes singing harder, not easier. So when you’re ready this old rule might just need a bit of a tweak.
SMALL TONGUE MOVEMENTS CREATE CLEAR VOWELS
We don’t need big jaw movements or dramatic tongue actions.
Tiny adjustments — literally millimetres — shape vowels beautifully.
One of the best demonstrations is this:
Put a finger gently between your back teeth and try speaking.
- Your jaw can’t move.
- Yet your speech stays clear.
- And your tongue naturally lifts into a mid-to-high position.
This proves:
- vowels are formed by subtle tongue movements, not jaw dropping
- the tongue does NOT naturally sit flat
- clarity comes from precision, not size
“1-2-3” EXERCISE: TRAINING SMALL, EFFICIENT MOVEMENTS
Try saying “1-2-3” with a finger between your teeth.
Then sustain the last vowel and gently ascend in pitch.
You’ll feel:
- the tongue stays calm
- the jaw releases
- vowels remain consistent
- the voice moves more freely
It’s a simple way to train the tongue to do just enough, not too much.
A REAL EXAMPLE: A TINY MOVEMENT, A HUGE CHANGE
I took part in a vocal session where a singer was generally struggling with his vocal tone.
The teacher guided the singer to move the tongue slightly forward in the mouth — just a few millimetres.
The difference was immediate:
- the tone brightened
- the pitch stabilised
- the jaw released
- the sound opened
That small adjustment put the tongue into that singer’s ideal space — the position where their voice works best.
This is the real point:
Your optimal tongue position is discovered, not imposed.
This is definitely something to explore yourself.
JAW RELEASE HELP THE TONGUE RELEASE
As many singers discover, releasing the jaw — especially when transitioning from chest voice to head voice — reduces tongue-jaw tension.
When the jaw softens, the tongue stops bracing, and the voice stops “fighting” itself going up the scale.
A HIGHER TONGUE POSITION IS HELPFUL FOR BELTING
Belting loves:
- forward vowels
- bright resonance
- a slightly higher tongue
- speech energy
A low, flat tongue actually works against belting acoustics.
A slightly higher tongue — especially in the middle and front — supports the precise, bright vowels belting requires.
AS WE GO HIGHER, WE NEED STABILITY — BUT NOT FROM THE TONGUE
Higher notes, especially in contemporary styles, require:
- anchoring
- bodily stability
- breath/torso strategy
- consistent vowel shape
But the tongue should not become the stabiliser.
Its job is to stay:
- free
- responsive
- precise
Stability comes from the body — not from pressing, flattening, or gripping the tongue.
A GREAT EXERCISE IS TO SIREN WITH THE TONGUE OUT
FINAL THOUGHT
The tongue doesn’t need to be flat or fixed. It simply needs to be free enough to make small, speech-like, efficient movements. When the tongue is calm and precise — not helping, not hiding — the whole voice opens up.
