Rolling the "RR"
I can't roll my tongue to make the "rr" sound. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there an exercise that I can do to help me pronounced the "rr" sound'
50 Answers
I've been trying to figure this out for 40 years and have never succeeded. All the advice I've ever heard amount to: :"Just put your tongue here or there and, blah, blah, blah" - nothing works. It's like "just" throwing a ball left handed. The closest I can get is to start the roll in my throat (a french R) and move it forward. Hard to do quickly. Also, I don't think of the RR as a slightly different form of R. It is a completely different sound and is formed differently. Terribly frustrating.
When I was a child, it was the sound that we used (when playing "Cops & Robbers) to mimic a Tommy gun (think movies of Chicago gangsters). I've never encountered a kid who couldn't make the sound but I have found that 10-20% of adults (English speakers) can't seem to manage it.
For practice purposes, the version that I learned of a Mexican tongue-twister:
RR con RR, cigarro.
RR con RR barril.
Rápido corren los carros
Del rápido ferrocarril.
Would that explain the light-headedness?
Yes: probably the tip of your tongue is too tense, so you're having to blow too hard, and you're not getting enough oxygen to your brain. Try to relax. It's all about control, not strength.
not blowing air with inhuman strength or achieving high speed tongue movements, as some believe.
Would that explain the light-headedness? 
If the tongue is keeping the upper part of the mouth air tight, the strength of the air stream required to get push the tip of the tongue (and get the thrilled R) is rather low. If you increase the strength of the air stream, you have to increase the tension on the tip of the tongue to compensate. It is about correct muscle control in response to the air stream, not blowing air with inhuman strength or achieving high speed tongue movements, as some believe.
hmmm, even more helpful... Now I have homework. Sometimes I can get vibrations, but they seem forced, and adding that to a word? Not even close. Some great sounds though. 
More detail: the tongue should be flattened, so that it expands sideways, pressing hard against the teeth on either side. If the tip of the tongue is pressed hard against the alveolar ridge, and you try to blow air out, you should be able to block it (if you very try hard, you could even feel a bit of pain on your throat, but the air still doesn't come out). Once you have achieved this, you have to learn how to control the tension on the tip of your tongue: too slack, and the air will scape without rolling the tongue; too taut, and the air will be stopped altogether. The trick is to be able to control the right amount of tension on the tip, while keeping the sides very tense and air tight.
Your description helps, but easier said than done. I need to go find a secluded spot in the house to practice without the peanut gallery making fun of me.
Touch the roof of the mouth''? Bad idea!
Your tongue must be touching your teeth on either side of the mouth, with the tip touching the alveolar ridge. The idea is that the air is forced to exit the mouth by pushing the tongue at the tip, but since we are keeping a certain amount of tension there, the tip of the tongue goes back after being pushed, only to be pushed over and over again, producing the vibration (2 to 3 times on average for every RR).
The method is very similar to the brrrr sound that you make when you blow air while keeping your lips closed, but too tight, so they vibrate. The RR sound does the same, but using the tip of the tongue instead of the lips.
Aarrrggg!! I can't get this figured out. If I put my tongue all the way back at the roof of my mouth, I can vibrate the tip of my tongue, but I can't seem to say any actual words with my tongue back that far. Am I close? I am getting light headed trying to blow hard enough to get the rrrrrr sound close to the front behind my teeth. All I get is ssssssssss. Is it really going to take a year and a half?
I have read somewhere that you can make a sound close to this rrrr (or maybe for just the single r') by saying a mixture of d, r and l. Will that work'
Denny said:
The key word is "used to". My gap is permanent.
A gap in your teeth should not affect your ability to roll your r's because your tongue isn't supposed to touch your teeth. I have a bit of a gap between my two front teeth and I can roll my r's very well. It took me about a year and a half of practice to learn it though... Good luck.
Denny,
I can't roll my r's either. My husband and sister can and they find all kind of ways to pick on me about it when I am practicing. Have you had any luck with it. The only time I have been able to do it was, one night when I had a lot of tequila. Haven't be able to do it since. My friends say I am trying to hard.
haha!! RIGHT'!'! lol, it was getting to the point of, there are not the right words to expain this at all stage!!
The key word is "used to". My gap is permanent.
How comes I am always brought into the problem. If it doesn't work, don't blame me.
Wink, wink.
