In this video on Pitch Exercises, we practice rising and falling intonation on a number of vowel sounds as well as short words. To change your intonation, you need to be able to use your pitch consciously and thoughtfully.ĭepending on how pitch works in your native language, this can take some practice. In that video, I give you a simple exercise that you can do in order to see what’s available to you in your own voice. If you’re completely new to pitch, please be sure to check out The Power of Pitch. To get started with intonation, you need to have an awareness of the pitch variation in your own voice.Īfter all, when we speak, we change our pitch consistently throughout our sentences. Understand the Pitch Variation in Your Own Voice That’s what we’re going to practice today with these intonation exercises. The challenge for many people is increasing the variety of tones that you express through your pitch and inflection. Once you’re able to identify the different emotions and attitudes expressed through tone, you’ll be able to start working on them in your own voice. In order to improve your intonation when speaking English, you need to develop sensitivity to the emotions and attitudes that native English speakers express through their tone of voice.Ī deeper awareness of how we communicate meaning through intonation will help you become more socially and emotionally intelligent in conversations with native English speakers.