Hello everyone, I’m Pointer, a Beatboxer from Taiwan. This article is my basic lip roll tutorial, and I will include two videos for you to follow along and practice. If you have any questions, feel free to DM me on Instagram or leave a comment on YouTube. There are many variations of this sound, such as inward lip roll, hollow lip roll, vocalized lip roll, or lip roll whistle, but we’ll take it step by step and start with the basic lip roll.Once you’ve built a solid foundation, learning other variations will become much easier.
Tutorial
First, start by imitating this mouth shape: “”. It’s a bit like you’re pouting or making a sad expression. Next, leave a small gap on one side of your mouth—I use the right side. Then, suck air inwards, similar to the motion of kissing, or the shape your mouth makes after applying lip balm or drinking from a straw. Try to mimic the sound, producing a soft and smooth lip roll-like sound.
Next, practice by alternating between sucking and blowing:
Blow >> Press the air out by squeezing one side of your lips.
Suck >> Inhale air through one side of your mouth.
One thing to note is that during a normal lip roll, the air doesn’t go into your lungs when you inhale. It’s more like taking a small amount of air and holding it inside your mouth.
When learning the lip roll, focus on mimicking the mouth shape and facial expression. The key to producing this sound lies in your lips and entire jaw. Even if you don’t get it right at first, keep trying to imitate the motion.
Review Steps
- Imitate the facial expression while looking in the mirror.
- Suck in your lips.
- Practice using the inhale and exhale method.
- Tilt your mouth slightly—the sound will feel more “stretched” (since these muscles aren’t used often).
- Find the right position and angle.
It’s completely normal if you can’t produce the sound at first, or if it sounds weird. However, with consistent practice, you’ll definitely be able to get it after some time.
Practice Tips
- Practice three times a day, spending 10 minutes each session.
- Practice whenever you have free time.
- Watch various tutorial videos and listen to different explanations.
- Keep a record (I personally think this is a very important step) by either recording yourself or practicing in front of a mirror.
Personal Experience
Back when I was learning, I practiced constantly while walking home from school. After about three months, I suddenly got it. The first challenge was creating the friction sound when inhaling. Once you can produce that, the second challenge is getting the end sound of the lip roll. Once you’ve mastered that final sound, you’re pretty much there. After that, you can start incorporating it into combos.
Combo
Here are three basic combos for you to practice. You can refer to my tutorial videos for more guidance.
b: kick drum
t: hi hat
pf: pf snare
lr: Lip roll
a: cough snare
k: outward k sound
1.b t pf lr t b pf lr
2.b k lr pf k lr
3.b lr pf lr a lr pf lr