Tongue ties are commonly associated with lisping, but they can cause a much wider and more complex range of symptoms.

If you’re working with a singer and something just doesn’t quite add up.

They may be practising diligently but not making any progress.

Or maybe they can hum high notes but can’t sing them, then it could be that tongue tie is the issue.

As certified orofacial myology specialist Jessica Luffey explains on the Singing Teachers Talk podcast, there’s much more to tongue ties than many people think.

What’s perhaps most useful for singing teachers to know is that the condition isn’t always easy to spot.

In some cases, there is a very obvious membrane (or frenulum) connecting the bottom of the tongue’s tip to the floor of the mouth. However, in other people, the frenulum is attached further back under the tongue, making it much less visible. 

So, just because you can’t see a connective membrane doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t an issue.

It’s estimated that 40 to 50% of the population have a tongue tie. Symptoms in severe cases can include difficulties with breastfeeding in babies and, with older children or adults, problems eating, articulating and sleeping.

But a mild tongue tie might not be that problematic – if you’re a normal voice user.

However, if you’re a singer, it can be a different story as the vocal load is much higher.

“Tongue ties affect the tongue’s ability to move and to move in an isolated way, so that’s it’s obvious that that’s going to have a lot of negative impacts on singers,” Jessica says.

Red flags

Here are some things you might notice in a student that might warrant further investigation.

• The student progresses in every single way except one or two.
• The singer practises diligently but doesn’t seem to make a lot of headway.
• They complain of tongue tension, jaw pain, pain at the front of the neck or a dull achiness under the chin.
• The student complains of shoulder tension or migraines at the point where their spine attaches to the bottom of their skull.
• Inability to sing closed vowels on high notes.
• Difficulty getting into their upper range without really driving their breath.
• Experience difficulties staying in a forward placement in their upper and lower passaggio.

Things you might hear singer with an undiagnosed tongue tie might say

• I can’t breathe out all the way, or I can’t breathe in all the way.
• I know I can sing higher, but not without pain.
• I can hum up to a D6, but I can only sing up to an A5.
• I can sing the most beautiful high note on ‘ahh’ a vowel, but I can’t do it on an ‘e’ vowel.
• The singer has a great ear, but can’t sing in tune, especially in their upper passaggio.

What to do if you suspect there’s an issue

On the podcast, Jessica explains three simple self-assessment exercises which can be used to explore whether a person has a tongue tie. (Watch it here on YouTube).

If you suspect it may be an issue for a student, Jessica suggests running through the self-assessment with them. If the results indicate a tongue tie could be a possibility, suggest the student see an airway dentist or tongue specialist.

“Please open that conversation with your students because most of the time they might secretly harbour a lot of harsh feelings about how their body already feels,” Jessica says.

“Tongue ties can cause a lot of pain and tension, and most often, it prohibits people from progressing in their technique because it’s physically limiting.”

Learn more

Listen to Jessica’s personal experience with tongue tie and find out more about the best treatment pathway for tongue tie (it’s changed a bit in recent years).