Learn How To Be a Ventriloquist
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.
I will try this for sure thanks to the website
i am getting the hang of this thanks
hard
Love this! Very helpful to me
Love this! Very helpful to me
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing your skills with this world.
I read this whole article trying without moving my lips. [Or atleast tried to]
you should try to ovoid any word with a “P”
umm i can not do this it is so hard. But i believe that if i keep trying i can achieve it.
it is very helpful for me
I hope you succeed.
How do you hold the T to pronounce P?
I LOVE Darci Lynne, this helped a lot
This is So Helpful,I would definetly try it!
Great advice,I am already doing this well on my first day!
Great advice! Worked on the day I read this!
Amazing, very helpful
Amazing!!!
I just wanted to try ventriloquism and this site really helped. I highly recommend it.
I’ve only practised dor 10 mins and already grasping some harder letters!
this is really helpful
Learning quickly!!!
well gang, i am a old vent , at the age of 69 the easy letters are done with practice, JUST TRY IT FIRST.
This is so helpful! Thank you very much!
this really helps. thanks
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
This kinda helped I might go to America’s got talent
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.
I tried doing it and it worked.Soooo happy
This is really amazing. The first successful word I tried without moving lips is “W”. Easy instrunction. Thank you very much!!!
this really helped me
I saw this today and I tried it and couldn’t get it right. Can someone help me with something easier than this please?
Peter
it works!
This really helped me
I do shows and it really helps me a lot thanks
It was very helpful and I now make money doing shows in my town. This site made me a well known ventriloquist.
guys,thanks so much,i don’t know it would be so easy
eh welcome it would come eventually (:
I just wanted to try ventriloquism and this site really helped. I highly recommend it.
This website really help me!!
This site is very helpful i liked ita lot
I did not know it would be soooo easy
thanks i am practicing talking without moving my face or lips
This website is amazing thank you for the help
I believe all things are possible with hard work
I need some practice. Who knows maybe someday I will be able to do it.
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!!!
I found this very helpful,now instead of just being a puppeteer,now I can be a ventriloquist.
this is pretty cool
Its so easy I think its so fun
This is amazing
Pls help me
how do you throw your voice like that?
When should a person begin? I mean at what age to be most effective?
good thing im Greek and i can pronounce w normally without using lips and you cant :/
Just because you think it is hard doesn’t mean you can’t try harder
I am not greek and I can do it easily