Beatboxing uses four different air supplies to make percussive sounds.
Most sounds of English are made on the outward airflow from the lungs.
It’s also possible to make sounds from air into the lungs
or to use air just in-and-out from the mouth.
Start by making an “nnng” sound, as at the end of the word ‘sing’.
You're using air from your lungs,
your vocal folds are vibrating
and the air and sound are coming out of your nose.
If you pinch your nose closed with your fingers, the sound will stop.
Continuing with your “nnng”,
open and close your mouth
and notice that the sound doesn’t change.
Practice opening and closing your mouth
and moving your jaw
while maintaining the ‘nnng’.
The ‘nnng’ is made by the back of your tongue
touching your soft palate.
It’s possible to maintain this connection
and move other parts of your tongue around.
Make your “nnng” sound
and move the tip of your tongue around.
Many beatboxing sounds are made with tongue movements,
so find out how much of your tongue you can move
while maintaining the “nnng” sound.
Now make a kissing sound.
You're sucking air into your mouth,
but it's not going down into your lungs.
A kiss is made on ingressive air
– a “p” or “pf” sound.
The loudness of the smacking sound
comes from the pressure of your lips
– whether you’re using just your lips,
or the lips and your teeth.
Now put the ‘nnng’ sound and the kissing together.
This takes a little more coordination
because you'll be sucking air into your mouth
while at the same time humming down your nose.
Now change the airflow direction.
Push the air out to make a “p” sound.
This does not use air from the lungs.
To check this, use the “nnng” sound
and make the “p” four times.
The ‘nnng’ should not stop.
Finally, practice four times with “p” out
and then four times with “p” in
holding the ‘nnng’ sound the whole time.
This helps to isolate your voice and the different airflows.
Now it's time for some drums!