6/18/09

Chin jiggle

Question: I am a big guy and have fat under my chin. I have noticed while practicing in a mirror that it will sometimes jiggle on certain sounds or movements, even if my lips are not moving. What do you think of this? Is it a big deal, or perhaps is there anything I can to to lessen the jiggle? Of course, I could just lose the weight! lol
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Answer: I suspect the movement under your chin is due to your tongue movement and it is not related to your voice itself. You can try a quick test by simply holding your mouth/lips still as you would when talking in your ventriloquist voice. Then move your tongue all around in your mouth (no words). You likely will see some chin/throat/Adam's Apple movement. It is my observation this is more common for men than women.

There's no way to avoid it (that I'm aware of) other than minimize your tongue movement - not recommended for the ventriloquist since a ventriloquist's tongue needs to be extra active. I've known vents who grow beards to hide their throat movement. Or always wear turtleneck sweaters when performing. I think that's over reacting a bit. Positioning the figure so you look down at it just slightly helps. Good figure manipulation will draw the eyes of the audience toward the figure and away from yourself. Beyond that - forget it and concentrate on giving an entertaining show.

A good entertaining act is the very best remedy...when people are having fun they'll overlook/forgive any shortcomings!

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