4/23/12

Maher Course Comments

Course Comment:  I wanted to give you some feedback about the vent course.  I took the course over 25 years ago.  I had learned from the Jimmy Nelson course growing up where they substituted d for b and so on.  I never really liked the substitutions but that was all I knew.  When I took the Maher study course I loved the substitutions that you had.  However I watched the dvd from the new course that I had bought for my son.   I was very disappointed with the Jimmy Nelson substitutions demonstrated. I have been telling people for the last 25 years about the Maher course and how much better it was than any others out there. Is there a chance you will have the better substitutions in the course again?  Just my opinion.  Hugh

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From Mr. D:  Thank you for your comments and insight.  One of the things I've learned in 40+ years of working with ventriloquists is, there is not a consensus on how the labials should be dealt with ventriloquially.    Especially B, P, and M.  Some vents use the tip of the tongue; others the middle back of the tongue.

The Maher Course for years taught the latter.  And still does.  But I've found a large percentage of very successful vents use the tip of the tongue to enunciate the labials.  (I use both methods - it depends upon the word.)

Thus, when I revised the Maher Course in 2002, I included both methods in the text, suggesting the student try both and see which works best for them.  It's not a matter of right or wrong.  It is simply the matter of finding which method provides the clearest diction for that individual.

Mark Wade uses the tip of the tongue for labial speech, thus he emphasized that method on his DVD.  However, the Maher Course still teaches the method you favor as well.

Note:  You'll find more details about the Maher 30 Lesson Course (including complete Lesson One) here:
http://mahercourse.blogspot.com

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