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Learn How To Be a Ventriloquist

ventriliquist

Over the past 25 years, Ronn Lucas has entertained four U.S. presidents, Queen Elizabeth and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. He has had three TV series and numerous TV specials, performed on Broadway and starred in his own Las Vegas show for nearly a decade.

The constant in all his acts: Boys’ Life magazine.

“My earliest shows were for my fellow Scouts,” Lucas says. “I often used jokes found in Boys’ Life. To this day, I’m pretty sure there is at least one joke floating around my act that was borrowed from Pedro.”

Lucas started with Boys’ Life. Now, you can, too, as this awesome ventriloquist shares the secrets of his art.

WHAT IS VENTRILOQUISM?

Ventriloquism (say ven-TRIL-o-kwism) is the art of talking with the tongue and not moving the mouth or face. When a skilled ventriloquist does this sitting beside a figure (or “dummy”) that has a moving mouth, it looks like the figure is talking. It works because humans use their eyes to find sound sources. When the ventriloquist is not moving his mouth but the puppet’s mouth is moving, people think they “see” the figure talking.

LEARN THE EASY ALPHABET

Sit in front of a mirror and make a slight smile with your lips parted. Make your teeth lightly touch. Your tongue should have room to move. If you see your tongue moving in the mirror, then change your smile until the tongue is hidden. Your goal is to breathe easily and read aloud these 19 letters without moving your lips:

A, C, D, E, G, H, I, J, K, L, N, O, Q, R, S, T, U, X, Z.

Practice the following sentences until they sound clear but your lips don’t move: “Hey, this rocks, dude! It is sooooo easy. Anything you can say, I can say, too!” If you sound muffled, try making your voice come from some higher place in your head as well as your mouth.

MOVE ON THE THE TRICKY LETTERS

There are seven trickier letters: B, F, M, P, V, W and Y.

These letters normally require you to move your lips. To say them without moving his face, the ventriloquist borrows from the easy alphabet, some other letters or combined sounds to “fake” the tricky letters. Use these substitutions:

B = D
F = “eth”
M = N
P = T
V = “thee”
W and Y = O+I

B = D

Instead of saying “The Bad Boy Buys a Basket” the ventriloquist says, “The Dad Doy Duys a Dasket.” Try this in the mirror. At first, this substitution won’t sound right; but with practice, D can be made to sound like B. [Hint: When your tongue rises to the top inside of your mouth to make D, let it stick to the roof of your mouth a little longer before releasing. Also, say D but think B.]

F = ETH

Instead of saying “Phil is a Frisky, Funny Fellow,” try saying, “Thil is a Thrisky, Thunny Thellow.” Say the “eth” sound but think F as you do it.

M = N

“Mary Mashes Many Mangos” becomes “Nary Nashes Nany Nangos.” Make the N vibrate against the roof of your mouth. Keep thinking M.

P = T

“Peter is a Practice Pilot” becomes “Teter is a Tractice Tilot.” Try holding the T a little longer, then release with a little puff of air behind it.

V = THEE

“Vinnie Very much Values Victory” becomes “Thinny Thery nuch Thalues Thictory.”

W AND Y = O+I

W and Y are treated alike. By quickly sliding the letters O and I together you can say “O-Aye” and it sounds like Why. Try putting a fast O to the front of the following: “Why Would Wally Walk?” You’ll be saying “O-Aye O-ould O-olly O-alk?” Now drop the O (or say it silently in your head), and you’ll be saying a clean W sound without using your lips.

In a short time, these substitutions become automatic. Practice for 15 to 20 minutes a day and in about a week you’ll see some serious results! Practice your ventriloquism with a relaxed puppet-like voice that is higher or lower than your own.

58 Comments on Learn How To Be a Ventriloquist

  1. I will try this for sure thanks to the website

  2. weird person // October 9, 2020 at 12:45 pm // Reply

    i am getting the hang of this thanks
    hard

  3. Love this! Very helpful to me

  4. Love this! Very helpful to me

  5. This is awesome! Thank you for sharing your skills with this world.

  6. I read this whole article trying without moving my lips. [Or atleast tried to]

  7. you should try to ovoid any word with a “P”

  8. umm i can not do this it is so hard. But i believe that if i keep trying i can achieve it.

  9. thunder__07 // July 7, 2020 at 8:23 am // Reply

    it is very helpful for me

  10. Silly Sam // July 4, 2020 at 2:18 pm // Reply

    How do you hold the T to pronounce P?

  11. DarciLynneWannabe // June 24, 2020 at 7:09 pm // Reply

    I LOVE Darci Lynne, this helped a lot

  12. This is So Helpful,I would definetly try it!

  13. Dragoncrab // June 23, 2020 at 3:40 pm // Reply

    Great advice,I am already doing this well on my first day!

  14. Great advice! Worked on the day I read this!

  15. Amazing, very helpful

  16. Amazing!!!

  17. I just wanted to try ventriloquism and this site really helped. I highly recommend it.

  18. Bobateaaa // May 15, 2020 at 6:14 am // Reply

    I’ve only practised dor 10 mins and already grasping some harder letters!

  19. this is really helpful

  20. Learning quickly!!!

  21. MY NIC IS, I DONT KNOW // January 15, 2020 at 4:25 am // Reply

    well gang, i am a old vent , at the age of 69 the easy letters are done with practice, JUST TRY IT FIRST.

  22. This is so helpful! Thank you very much!

  23. hmmm… takes some getting used to but it still works and it really cool! i mean i feel awesome doing it now

    its really funny to <3

  24. This kinda helped I might go to America’s got talent

  25. thank you so much, this helps alot, and also i got a puppet today for christmas and i couldn’t do the letters without moving my lips and this is already happening.

  26. I tried doing it and it worked.Soooo happy

  27. This is really amazing. The first successful word I tried without moving lips is “W”. Easy instrunction. Thank you very much!!!

  28. I saw this today and I tried it and couldn’t get it right. Can someone help me with something easier than this please?

  29. Peter

  30. dragonmaster // August 3, 2019 at 9:56 am // Reply

    it works!

  31. This really helped me

  32. I do shows and it really helps me a lot thanks

  33. It was very helpful and I now make money doing shows in my town. This site made me a well known ventriloquist.

  34. guys,thanks so much,i don’t know it would be so easy

  35. JeffDunhamFake // March 30, 2019 at 8:04 pm // Reply

    I just wanted to try ventriloquism and this site really helped. I highly recommend it.

  36. This website really help me!!

  37. This site is very helpful i liked ita lot

  38. #percyjacksonforlife // January 22, 2019 at 9:56 pm // Reply

    thanks i am practicing talking without moving my face or lips

  39. Kool-aid man // January 20, 2019 at 9:42 pm // Reply

    This website is amazing thank you for the help

  40. I believe all things are possible with hard work

  41. I need some practice. Who knows maybe someday I will be able to do it.

  42. #hermione granger // December 19, 2018 at 4:47 pm // Reply

    This helped me so much! I love this and it teaches me how to do it better. I am 9 years old and now I can do it in a snap. This website is AMAZING!!!

  43. Zen's puppet show // December 18, 2018 at 8:10 pm // Reply

    I found this very helpful,now instead of just being a puppeteer,now I can be a ventriloquist.

  44. this is pretty cool

  45. Its so easy I think its so fun

  46. Pls help me

  47. how do you throw your voice like that?

  48. When should a person begin? I mean at what age to be most effective?

  49. good thing im Greek and i can pronounce w normally without using lips and you cant :/

  50. Just because you think it is hard doesn’t mean you can’t try harder

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