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Ventriloquism requires the possession of certain qualities of voice, such as strength, clearness, flexibility and ready ability to change at will; ordinary strength in the cartilaginous membrane of the throat and the muscles of the abdominal regions, and some aptitude for mimicry, which of course is dependent upon a combination of qualities connected with the ear and the voice. You too can become a ventriloquist- it just takes determination and practice!

Most people, even though whose ear is so imperfect that they cannot sing a little or imitate something, with practice and perseverance, could become acceptable if not great ventriloquists.

After taking a few lessons the student may find that he has a hitherto unsuspected talent for the art, which only needs proper cultivation to be made a source of amusement and profit. One must learn how to use the mouth and tongue to achieve certain results, how to speak interiorly with entirely motionless and almost closed lips, and how to make each of the sounds or voices used distinctive in tone, pitch and character.

To become a successful ventriloquist you must be cool, confident and something of an actor. The voices to him present no illusion, and he can judge of his success only by their effect upon his audience.

In one respect his work is more difficult than that of an actor. An actor impersonates only one role at a time, but the ventriloquist who uses figures must speak the lines of several different characters in as many different voices, and must at the same time be ready to question, argue, re-prove or interrupt in his natural voice.

The farther removed a ventriloquist is from his audience, the greater the illusion he creates, and yet it is remarkable how near the auditor can stand to the performer without being disillusioned.

Unlike the magician, who requires an elaborate “fit-up” to properly perform his illusions, ventriloquism always has the mysterious at its command. From a haystack by the country roadside or from behind the closed portals of an empty store or the depths of an open sewer in the city, he can evoke “spirits” to amaze and mystify the hearers, which yet exist in nothing more substantial than his own voice. In this strenuous age of money-getting, public amusements are necessary, as they afford welcome relief and relaxation from the constant hurly-burly of modern conditions.

Merely as a source of amusement, however, a practical knowledge of ventriloquism pays well for the time and effort spent in acquiring it in the amount of fun and glory one gets out of it, the relaxation it affords from the sterner duties of life, and the welcome pocket money which it brings to its successful exponent, which in a city, where one can be in touch with amusement agents, often amounts to considerable.

A half-hour’s exhibition of ventriloquism with the aid of mechanical figures, which carry on a bright and amusing dialogue with the performer and possibly contribute a song or two, varied by conversation with invisible people or imitations of various tools and musical instruments will often be eagerly accepted as an agreeable departure from the monotony of readings and vocal and instrumental music usually given at local entertainments.

If you possess a voice of at least moderate range and power, and an ear that is fairly accurate in sensing sound impressions, you should have the ability, with practice, to become a ventriloquist.

So you want to become a ventriloquist? Well, first comes the “Punch” voice which, as its name indicates, is a close imitation of that used for the puppet Punch in “Punch and Judy” shows. A Punch and Judy performer uses a little instrument (made by winding a narrow piece of cloth or tape over and between two curved pieces of tin) to produce this voice, but this is not allowable for a ventriloquist who stands in full view, and the voice must therefore be produced naturally.

To do this, recall just how the Punch voice sounds or take the first opportunity to listen to a good Punch and Judy performer; or think of the higher notes of a clarinet or the sound of a squeaking door. Then bring the teeth together and stretch the tongue until it touches the roof of the mouth near the back of the front upper teeth.

Then say, “Judy, Judy, where are you, Judy?” in as high a tone as you can command. The position of the tongue throws the sound into the cavity of the nose, thus imparting to the voice the strong nasal quality which is needed. It also has the sound of a high-pitched reed instrument, and the more reedy and metallic you can make it the better.

You are now well on your way to become a ventriloquist.

If the student has difficulty in getting just the right tone, place the tongue as before and say “Th-e-e-e-k,” prolonging the “e’s” and thinking of the punch voice or the sound made by a clarinet, as before.

This voice is utilized for the speech of a querulous old woman and for the imitation of ordinary instruments, the crowing of a bantam, the talk of a parrot, the sound of a mandolin string, the voice of a young child, the mewing of a cat, the bleating of a lamb, etc.

In a little lower key, and less nasal in quality, it may be used for either an Irish or Negro figure. If you can produce it easier than you can the graver voices, adopt it for the figure which carries on most of the dialogue, and vice versa if the deeper voices are more easily made. Always favor yourself in little ways like this as much as possible, as you can do best that which requires the least effort.

When you are starting to know how to become a ventriloquist, once you have acquired facility with the Punch voice, repeat the easy letters of the alphabet in that voice slowly and carefully. Then, after a few minutes’ rest, run them over again, first saying the letter in your natural voice and then in the Punch voice, and so on-alternating each letter in your ordinary tone with the same one in that of Punch. By this means you accustom your throat to instant change from one voice to another.

When you can go through this exercise with ease you may try a little dialogue at a curtain or a Japanese screen:
Vent. (You say this with your face turned squarely toward the imaginary audience, then turning toward the screen say quickly in the Punch voice.) “What do ye call me?” A short and amusing conversation should then ensue.

After learning it thoroughly and giving it considerable practice, the student may venture to try it before his own family and if they aver that it is “not so bad” he can begin to astonish his friends and acquaintances, and thus make a start to become a ventriloquist.

Practicing and training to become a ventriloquist can take hard work, time, and lots and lots of practice. Don’t get discouraged! In time this is a hobby that will give you immense pleasure, not to mention the pleasure you’ll be giving others!

When practicing to imitate a voice from afar, the student of ventriloquism should first call out ‘Hello’ in the natural voice, and try to imagine, when he repeats it ventriloquially, that the latter instead of requiring a separate attempt is merely the echo of an effect already finished.

This effect can be used with your ventriloquism dolls.

First, you must form a correct estimate of how such a voice would sound, and if you are not entirely clear in your own mind regarding this point, persuade a friend to actually carry on a conversation with you while shut up in another room.

Before speaking in the ventriloquial voice fill the lungs and keep the breath under good control. When the student has assured himself that he is successful in his imitation of the voice, let him approach a door and apparently try to open it. Finally by seemingly a greater effort you cause the door to fly back suddenly and at the same time give utterance to a loud “ha, ha, ha,” in the ventriloquial voice, as if some one were laughing at you in the room or hallway beyond.

Always bear in mind that the eye helps to deceive the ear, and make the action of pushing the door, etc., as natural as possible. As far as voice alone goes, there are ventriloquists who can manipulate ventriloquism perfectly, but who, on account of lack of necessary actions, do not succeed in impressing their hearers very strongly. As a rule, between a good actor who is a poor ventriloquist and a good ventriloquist who is a poor actor, the former will be more successful.

When training to become a ventriloquist there is no hard and fast rule about how often to practice. One month’s daily practice should be sufficient to enable the ventriloquist, by proper emphasis on a tone or syllable, to illustrate and bring out the salient points of any dialogues he may use, and to surprise and astonish those among his friends not familiar with the capabilities of the art, with the strange voices within him. The student ventriloquist will do well to study this area carefully. He will then be able to produce many astonishing effects from his ventriloquism dolls which will impress his audience.

So you want to be a ventriloquist? I don’t blame you! It’s a wonderful hobby and can give you and everyone else much pleasure and enjoyment. It takes some work to master the basic techniques though- hopefully these tips and tricks will help.

When you are learning how to become a ventriloquist, a convenient and effective “set-up” for ventriloquism entertainments in parlors, churches, small halls and lodge-rooms, where there is not much stage room, may be made up of the larger Irish and Negro character knee figures, and Old Man and Old Woman character heads.

To the shoulder-piece is attached a small coat, buttoned in front so that no vest is necessary. A white shirt bosom is fastened underneath the V-shaped opening of the coat, and the neck is dressed with a collar and large flowing necktie.

The sleeves in both cases are given shape with wire rings and there are no hands, these figures being placed behind a table at such height that the lower ends of the sleeves are not visible from the front.

The floor of the lower jaw projects a little beyond the pivoting wire and is operated by a wooden lever running through a slot in the back of the head, from which it projects an inch or two. A spiral spring from above causes it to shut again when the pressure on the lever is relaxed, or a spring made of a bent piece of thin steel may be fastened underneath the movable floor to push it up into place again. If the bodies of the knee figures are made to consist simply of a top and bottom board to which is firmly tacked a piece of silesia to form the cloth sides and front, with removable wooden sides, they may be made readily collapsible.

The side pieces of wood should of course be just long enough to fully stretch the top and bottom boards when inserted at the back; and on the under side of the top board and the upper side of the bottom, near their outer edges, should be glued small cleats to prevent the removable side-boards slipping inward when they are in place.

When the sides are drawn out the shoulders of the figure readily shut down on the bottom piece, thus enabling the body to be packed in very small compass.

Learn how to become a ventriloquist, and you will never look back. Good luck!

If you want to become a ventriloquist you must remember that the illusion produced is the result, primarily, of an acoustic phenomenon-the uncertainty of the sound’s direction; and, secondarily, of a habit acquired of speaking without moving the facial muscles.

As to the exact spot whence the sound proceeds, the ventriloquist usually takes care to show that by an expressive motion and by looking in that direction, or designating it with his finger while his face expresses fear, interest or surprise.

In order to produce a muffled sound that seems to come from afar or from an enclosed place, the ventriloquist arranges his tongue in such a way that its base, upon bearing against the soft palate, shall form a sort of diaphragm that allows but very little of the voice to pass. If, then, the ventriloquist articulates his words with a strong guttural voice, the sound will seem to come from the earth, from a grotto or cavern, or from a box, cask or closet.

If you are just starting trying to become a ventriloquist then I will give you a tip learned from years of experience. I know of no better way to attain the proper position of the vocal organs than by the ventriloquial drone practice recommended by Robert Ganthony.

To acquire the ability to make this drone, take a deep breath and, while holding it, make a retching sound at the back of the throat as if (to put it delicately) trying to be sick. As you do this utter a prolonged “Ah,” exhaling slowly.

At first the “ah” will very likely be little more than a grunt, but by trying again and prolonging the sound as you make a greater effort, the exclamation will begin to sound like an uncertain drone, finally settling down to a clear, sustained hum like that of a distant bee drone, from which it derives its name.

The farther back in the throat the sound is made the more distant will it appear to the listener, and the more forward in the throat the nearer will it seem.

When you are learning to become a ventriloquist, you may not get the drone at once, but a little practice will enable you to do so. When once you hear that clear, distant-sounding drone you may know that you have your mouth as it should be for ventriloquism, but until you do produce that you must hark back because, unless this foundation is laid properly, all that follows is unsatisfactory and your ventriloquism will lack that distant quality, to obtain which is to be a ventriloquist.

Practice on the bee drone enables you to sustain the vocal cords in position and familiarize them with their novel and unnatural duties. When once the drone is obtained with “ah,” all the other vowels should be droned, until they become equally easy to produce and sustain.

The acquirement of the drone is the acquirement of all distant sound, but it is well to begin first with the droning of a bee, which is a continued sound only altering as the insect approaches or recedes, and is produced by prolonging the ” ah ” as long as you possibly can. In making the bee apparently approach from a distance, the increase in the sound must be made gradually, in fact, at the rate a bee progresses.

If you can make the sound of a dog barking near at hand you have only to assume the “drone” position to make it appear outside, and the same is true of the imitation of a cock crowing.

The next step is to obtain a sudden transition from the drone to the natural voice. Commence by saying “Ah” in the natural voice and follow with the ventriloquial “Ah,” not as a prolonged drone, but staccato fashion, and practice this with all the vowels.

It’s safe to say that you have become a ventriloquist when you can master the ‘distant voice’. Distant voice takes patience, practice, and determination, but don’t give up! You can do it!