Warming up your voice before a performance, practice, or studio session will not only help you to make the best of your performance. It is also a preventative measure to protect your voice against potentially career-ending issues.
Even if the difference between your cold voice and your warmed up voice is almost unnoticeable, singing through warmed up vocals can make it easier to push for the high notes, and generally, warm-ups take away the breathy tone. Even if you are aiming for a breathy tone, you must warm up your vocals if you want to be in the industry for the long haul.
Singing is much like any other physical activity, it requires stamina, a warm-up and a cool-down. This article will list 5 of the best vocal warm-up techniques which vocalists can work into a 10–20-minute warm-up practice. Though the vocal exercises may seem simple, they come recommended by experienced and accredited vocal instructors.
How To Warm Up Your Vocals: 5 Instructor Approved Tips
- Get Loose with the Yawn & Sigh Technique
To improve range and relax your vocals, use the simple Yawn & Sigh technique. The technique starts with a yawn, but on the exhale, breathe through your nose; in a similar way to how you sigh with a nasal exhale.
- Warm Up with Humming Techniques
The objective of a warm-up is to use techniques that don’t put a lot of strain on vocal cords. Humming is one of the best ways to start. After you have placed the tip of your tongue against your teeth, hum the major scale while ensuring that your mouth remains closed. This technique can also be done with a straw if that works better for you.
- Tongue & Lip Trilling Techniques
To make the most out of your lip trilling (or lip buzzing) warm-up, use pitch slides as you make your lips vibrate by blowing air through your mouth and nose. Tongue trilling is slightly harder to get the hang of, but singers who have no issue rolling their Rs or curling their tongues should have few issues with the tongue trilling practice.
- Pitch Glide Warm-Ups
Two-octave pitch glides are one of the best ways of improving range before a warm-up. Start by making an “ohhhh” or “eeeee” sound, then move through chromatic notes on a two-octave range. As you go up and down the range, you will transition from the chest voice to the head voice.
- The Portamento Technique
This technique shares some similarities to the two-octave pitch glide technique, but this time, you will slide from one note to the next in your full range while skipping the in-between notes.
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Remember that cooling down is just as important at the end of a gig, recording session or practice; the same warm-up methods outlined above can help the vocal cords relax. For more industry-approved tips and guides, keep A&R Factory on your radar. Or you can check out our singer songwriter blogs which feature the best up and coming talent from across the globe.