Straw exercises are a SOVT - Semi Occluded Vocal Tract exercise. This means that you are partially blocking the vocal tract when singing or speaking. Humming and exercises with your tongue out are also doing the same.
Straw phonation improves the efficiency of the vocal mechanism, balances the alignment of vocal folds, and reduces vocal fatigue while improving voice quality.
Straw phonation encourages the vocal cords to be in their most optimal shape and position for vibration, which fosters efficiency. Efficiency helps start a clear and easy sound, especially when vocal cords stiffen for high pitches or due to inflammation.
Straw exercises square up vocal folds (sometimes our vocal cords aren’t aligned or coming together well). Thin straws create a steady back pressure that sets the vocal folds as they vibrate. It separates them at the top when needed and allows you to square them up, which lowers lung pressure, which is needed to start vibration.
They maximise interaction with the vocal tract as sound waves are vibrated back to them. Sustained vibration helps sustain vocal cord vibration, resulting in a more consistent and even tone.
Therefore, the vocal folds and muscles in the vocal tract learn the most efficient position and shape for self-sustaining phonation by doing straw probation exercises.
What does straw phonation do:
Helps find the optimal pitch for speech
Helps to prevent injury
Preserves flexibility and muscle mass of the vocal instrument
Helps rehabilitate and heal vocal injury
Allows you to create smooth transitions in the vocal register
Loosens stiffness in vocal cords, allowing greater resonance and, therefore, better tone quality
You can use a thick metal straw or a bamboo straw and blow into the water while making pitches, or you can use smaller metal straws bought from https://voicestraw.com.
These are the ones I use, and I gently sound into them. I warm up daily with the straws and highly recommend them to anyone who sings or speaks a lot. They have saved my voice!
How to:
Place a straw in between your lips without letting any air out
Mama Ocean support sound
Effort should be like you’re making a normal speaking sound
Relax your face and neck muscles; you can puff out your cheeks if you want to
Begin with sirens and move to vocal warmups, starting with a small range and gradually getting bigger
When you finish and start singing or talking, you may feel a lot of buzzing and placement in the head; see if you can find this feeling every time you speak or sing
Use for warmup and cool down, in between songs, while you’re performing during the day or when you feel vocal fatigue
Stretch and destress the vocal cords, vocalise through a straw several times a day for 2-5 minutes
Exercises:
Sirens - low to high to low
12321 - major scale
15181 - slides
Here are some links to straw warmups I like:
Whitney from the Singing Straw has many good videos you can try out and enjoy.
Ingo Titze—Professor Titze has studied this specific technique scientifically, resulting in several peer-reviewed scientific publications. The Vocal Straw exercise is a great little video and more informative than warmup-based.
In Love and Song,
The Sound Weaver