Consonants
Consonants are letters other than vowels. They are the sounds that define words and are articulated by the lips, teeth, tongue, soft palette and occasionally, the throat. Consonants actually interrupt the smooth, natural flow of the vowels but are very important to a singer’s craft as they provide the focus for words and shape them so that they are understandable to an audience.
As a general rule, consonants should not be over-emphasized. Whereas vowels will open the vocal passages, consonants will close or restrict the free flow of air. Therefore, when singing a verse or phrase, concentrate on reproducing full, open vowel sounds while only lightly articulating the consonants.
A good way to work on consonants is to take a particular consonant and follow it with each of the vowel sounds as shown in the following example. Gradually work your way through all the consonants in the alphabet using this technique. Be aware of whether it is the lips, teeth, tongue, throat or soft palate (or combination of these) which articulate each consonant.
For example, B and M involve the lips, K involves the soft palette, S and T involve both the tongue and teeth, G involves the throat and soft palette, and J involves all areas involved in articulating consonants.
Once again, remember that when singing the main emphasis is usually on the vowel sound and that consonants are only lightly articulated so as to express the words without sounding harsh or restricting the air flow more than necessary.
There are occasions in both speech and singing where a sound is made up of two consonants in a row, e.g., sh (as in "shot"), ng (as in "song"), or ch (as in "chew"). Like single consonants, it is worth practicing these sounds along with vowels as in the manner shown previously, always remembering to keep the emphasis on the vowels.
