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Help me roll my R's

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spasticgecko Dat Troper from Maryland Since: Oct, 2011
Dat Troper
#1: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:47:47 PM

I need to be able pronounce Russian for a song I'm supposed to sing but I can't make the R sound. In choral music I usually cheat with a D sound but this is a solo so it'll sound crappy if I do that. I know a lot of people can just do it naturally, but if anyone has ever actually learned to do it and could give me some advice it would be awesome.

And yes, I could put this in live performance or music, but there's more people here, so I won't.

Ramus Lead. from some computer somwhere. Since: Aug, 2009
Lead.
#2: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:50:38 PM

Is it anything like the Spanish R roll? If so, place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and blow wind up there.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.
tendollarlameo Remarkably Unremarkable Since: Aug, 2010
Remarkably Unremarkable
#3: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:50:44 PM

Get some saliva and kind of pool it in the back of your throat and then go "errr".

That's how I learned how to do it when I had to sing Jewish songs in show choir.

spasticgecko Dat Troper from Maryland Since: Oct, 2011
Dat Troper
#4: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:53:03 PM

^^ Yeah, I think they're pretty much the same, or at least fairly similar. Unfortunately though that instruction isn't helping me much.

^ That's a different sound, similar to one used in French if I'm not mistaken. I can make that one (though it took me years). I'm talking about the tongue roll.

edited 3rd Mar '12 9:55:42 PM by spasticgecko

Zersk o-o from Columbia District, BNA Since: May, 2010
o-o
#5: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:53:18 PM

Hmm. This is one of those things that are really hard to teach. :/ Just tap the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, I guess?

Ramy: I think that's a slightly different sound. Then again, I'm not exactly sure what the Russian R is like. >.>

EDIT: I checked. Never mind, you're right. :3

edited 3rd Mar '12 9:54:35 PM by Zersk

ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᓈᒻᒪᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ
Ramus Lead. from some computer somwhere. Since: Aug, 2009
Lead.
#6: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:55:13 PM

Sorry, I can't think of really how else to do it. I've been kind of able to roll my R's since I could talk.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.
Madrugada Since: Jan, 2001
#7: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:56:48 PM

Here's instructions for several different methods of learning to roll your R's. (Incidentally, I'd take the first one with a grain (or a quarter of a cup) of salt, given his final sentence claiming that if you can;t fold your tongue vertically, you will never be able to roll your r's.)

edited 3rd Mar '12 10:03:05 PM by Madrugada

spasticgecko Dat Troper from Maryland Since: Oct, 2011
Dat Troper
#8: Mar 3rd 2012 at 9:57:30 PM

It's alright (: thanks for the help anyway. That's why I wanted to know if anyone else had learned it; I figured they would be able to explain it to someone who didn't already know what it feels like.

I'm told that some people physically can't roll their R's due to genetics, but not everyone agrees and the ones that do seem to say that if you can roll up your tongue (which I can) then you can roll an R.

^ That actually matches with what I've heard (as I just said), so it's possible that while it's not definite it may be a possible indicator.

edited 3rd Mar '12 9:58:06 PM by spasticgecko

Zersk o-o from Columbia District, BNA Since: May, 2010
o-o
#9: Mar 3rd 2012 at 10:00:53 PM

I'm not really sure about the genetics argument. :/ Wouldn't that mean that everyone who's native language has that sound would have that gene? Even people who were born from a family who didn't and then were raised to speak it?

edited 3rd Mar '12 10:01:20 PM by Zersk

ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᓈᒻᒪᔪᐃᑦᑐᖅ
spasticgecko Dat Troper from Maryland Since: Oct, 2011
Dat Troper
#10: Mar 3rd 2012 at 10:03:29 PM

^ Yeah, that's a pretty good reason to be skeptical. It's possible but unlikely.

Madrugada Since: Jan, 2001
#11: Mar 3rd 2012 at 10:03:33 PM

Oh, and a video. (You might find it kind of gross, since it's a close-up of a guys mouth as he does it.) But he does it on three stages, so it may help.

I wish I could be more help. I learned it in late grade school, but I don't remember how I learned it. I think it was the raspberry method.

edited 3rd Mar '12 10:04:44 PM by Madrugada

spasticgecko Dat Troper from Maryland Since: Oct, 2011
Dat Troper
#13: Mar 3rd 2012 at 10:08:53 PM

^ Thanks, Maddy! I think it would be significantly less gross if they just put his whole head in there instead of giving it googly eyes, but I'll take whatever I can get.

One of the things I find frustrating about this is that I'm really really good at lip trilling. It's one of my favorite vocal excersizes and I can do it for almost a full minute if I have a really good breath. But if I try anything else based on it like the video says to it just falls apart.

#14: Mar 4th 2012 at 9:18:10 AM

The genetic thing is probably referring to tongue tied people. I'm mildly tongue tied and cannot pronounce the Spanish "rr" sound, but it may be that I just haven't had enough practice. I can pronounce the short Spanish "r" fairly well. Someone who was severely tongue tied would be completely incapable of making the sound, as their tongue wouldn't be able to trill against the top of their mouth.

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