There are many ways to warm up the vocal instrument. In this blog, I will explain the importance of a warm-up ritual. I will offer you practical exercises for your body, breath and voice so that you can incorporate them into your daily warm-up routine.
Why is Warming up the voice so important?
Your voice is an instrument, and like all instruments, it needs to be tuned, warmed and stretched to express its music with freedom and ease.
The vocal instrument is a physical one and contains Ligaments, Facia, Cartlidge, Nerves and Muscles. It is important to gently stretch and bring blood flow to these areas before extending your voice through singing or speaking for long periods. If you don’t warm up well, you could feel strain and tightness in the throat, body and even cause irreversible damage to delicate ligaments in the larynx. Warm-ups prepare you for the intense vibrations that come with singing by gradually extending your breath, range and getting rid of excess tension and mucus. They allow the breath to flow freely and the cords to vibrate optimally; this is key to good vocal health and longevity.
Treating vocal warm-ups like a ritual is vital; it allows us to honour our bodies and the mystery of our voice and breath. Warming up each morning enables you to become conscious of how you feel and what is moving through you emotionally and physically. Giving you time to unfold and stretch into the day slowly, grounding the body, trusting life and allowing you to be present.
Ideally, a warm-up would include; simple stretches for the neck, shoulder, jaw, and other body parts. Breathing exercises that gently open and stretch the lungs and then a vocal warm-up!
You should begin your vocal warm-ups with gentle exercises that put as little pressure on the muscles as possible. They should release tension in the throat and neck and allow only a small amount of air to pass through the vocal cords. In the singing world, we would call these SOVT exercises - Semi Occluded Vocal Tract exercises. Meaning that the mouth is partially closed when we sound; this creates back pressure that aligns the vocal cords and allows them to resonate gently without too much pressure. We can do exercises like this by singing through a metal straw, blowing bubbles through a straw into water, lip trills, humming, ng sounds and more.
You will find that if you warm up regularly, it will be easier to sing the songs you love, and your voice will be more open. You will be able to sing or speak for longer, and it will be easier to reach those high notes.
Your warm-up ritual should go for 10 - 20 minutes every day, especially if you are a singer, voiceover artist, actor, teacher, facilitator, speech giver or any professional that requires the voice to be open, relaxed and free.
Here are two recordings to support you in your warm-up ritual:
Body & Breath warm-ups
Body
Palms up - Arms overhead
Shoulder shrugs with jaw release
Neck side stretch
Jaw massage with knuckles
Chewing
Breath
Natural breathing
5 count Inhale belly to chest, Exhale chest to belly
Inhale - Hold 3 - Exhale sh
Vocal warm-ups
Sirens - straw or tongue out
1 5 1 Slides - straw, tongue, wee
1 2 3 2 1 Mah - jaw release
1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 - vowels (ah, eh, ee, oh, oo)
1 3 5 8 5 3 1 - arpeggio “Can you hear me Sing”
NOTE: When you are practising the exercises in the recordings, make sure to listen closely to what your body tells you. Always sing with kindness and a gentle, passionate heart. Be aware if muscles are overactive and begin to slowly soften them so that a feeling of flow can be present, allowing the natural voice to be as it is.
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