6. Go to the door and ask firmly and abruptly: "Any one out there?" Then, reply in a restrained voice, "Yes, I am." Try like sentence to different points. Listen for the answer yourself and try to think it comes from the point indicated. In speaking, keep your side to the audience at first. Having made one sentence correctly, the rest is easy. Prepare conversations with these imaginary persons, being careful to make all ventriloquial answers brief. Do not try to articulate the consonants distinctly. Do not move the lips. If you talk to a figure or use a tone as if the door were opened when some one was outside, make the sound as if in the cheek instead of in the throat. The nearer the person is to you, the nearer the tips of your teeth the sound should be brought. SOUND IMITATIONS. These require careful practice. 1. The Saw. the roof of the Place the tongue well back against mouth and holding it firmly there, force the breath past it toward the teeth.. Vary the sound with the movement of the hand in sawing. The Plane. Much the same, only the tongue is held nearer the teeth. The Bees. The air is held compressed in the cheek and forced through the lips at either corner of the mouth or at the front teeth. The Glass of Soda. The tip of the tongue is near the teeth and the air is forced past it. This is very easy. The Dog and Cat. All sounds of cries of animals must be given in the restrained tones of the first exercises of ventriloquism. All these demand careful practice, but with patience they may all be mastered. In my own case, I practiced many days for the first imitation, but all others were easy. The first part is the difficult part. |