Vocal warm-ups are part of the basics of singing. They are necessary to prepare the muscles and organs of the voice. Just like an athlete who warms up and prepares his muscles and his entire body before a competition, vocal warm-ups help to wake up and prepare your voice. Indeed, thanks to good vocal warm-up exercises, your voice and all the mechanics that compose it, will be perfectly equipped to be able to produce powerful sounds and to be able to hold on for the long haul.
Vocal warm-ups understanding phonation
First of all, it is important to understand how your voice works, this fantastic singing machine…
Air, air
It all starts with the raw material that is essential to make the sounds we make: Air. This is why it is essential to master the right breathing for singing. I will not repeat here all the details of how this breathing works, but I invite you, all the same, to consult the various articles and other videos that you can find on our Activstudio site, on this subject.
In any case, know that a good vocal warm-up takes into account abdominal breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing. Understand that this air, when exhaling, will go up your air column before passing through your larynx. Your vocal cords are inside it, and as it passes through them, the air will make them vibrate.
The right frequency
This vibration, by resonating in different cavities such as the pharynx or the oral cavity, among others, will become a sound. If you remember your physics classes in college, this is the principle of frequencies. A vibration becomes a sound when it resonates in a cavity. Just like a tuning fork or a guitar whose string vibrations resonate in this wooden box to become sounds.
Vocal warm-ups therefore aim to highlight all the mechanics that make up your singing apparatus.
Singing is muscular!
Let’s not forget that your vocal apparatus is also made up of muscles, your vocal cords among others, but also many others, too often ignored! As you will have understood, singing is more complex than it seems. It is not only the vocal cords that are used when singing…
Indeed, it is your entire body that sings. All the muscles that surround your throat, your jaws, your tongue, and even your lips, participate in this vocal process. But that’s not all, there is also the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles that are mobilized during breathing. Without forgetting the abdominal muscles and even the perineum which will be essential for managing the breath and maintaining the notes…
All these muscles need vocal warm-ups to be prepared for the effort. The vocal warm-up serves to wake up the voice and all its machinery to get it in condition, like an athlete who seeks to be more efficient in the effort and last over time.
I like to say that singing is a sport which, if mastered correctly, can become an art.
Vocal warm-ups some tips for a beautiful voice
Vocal warm-up is therefore a preparation and conditioning of the voice and all its equipment before practicing singing. But this is not enough to have a beautiful voice, it must also be taken care of and preserved daily.
Rest before exercise
First of all, to be in good shape and fully operational, your voice needs rest. A good night’s sleep which corresponds to at least 7 hours of inactivity for your vocal cords is necessary. Well, know that even if you speak at night during your sleep it doesn’t count!!!
Once you are awake, do not force your voice. Let it wake up gently by speaking quietly at first before gradually increasing the volume. You can even make your first sounds with your mouth closed in a low to medium tone to allow your vocal cords and the muscles around the larynx to gently wake up. Obviously, it is useless, or even forbidden, to shout or sing at the top of your lungs as soon as you wake up… it is better for your voice but also for those around you!
Preliminary steps to vocal warm-up
It is of course advisable to also have good vocal hygiene. Avoid smoking, drinking too much alcohol, do sports, and eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day! No, I’m joking… although it can’t hurt you. On the other hand, avoid sodas and other fizzy drinks before singing, they weaken your vocal cords. Also, be careful with dairy products which cause an increase in acidity and mucus.
Finally, remember to hydrate yourself by drinking still water regularly. (You can accompany it with a few drops of lemon juice if you like, it’s excellent for your voice.) The oral cavity dries out very quickly when you sing and your vocal cords need maximum hydration to give the best of themselves.
So be aware that vocal warm-ups are a preparatory basis for the actual practice of singing. But it is just as important to preserve your voice daily.
Vocal warm-ups where to start?
Vocal warm-ups should consist of several exercises. Each singing teacher has their own methods and preferences, for my part, I recommend starting the vocal warm-up with a breathing exercise.
Breathing vocal warm-up
This exercise will allow the singer to relax and establish the correct breathing technique before tackling the vocal warm-up itself. You can start by taking a deep breath through your nose, inflating your stomach well, before exhaling as gently and for as long as possible through your mouth until you have emptied your lungs as much as possible and your stomach is completely drawn in. Repeat this breathing warm-up several times until you feel comfortable doing it and a real calming of the body and mind.
The resonance of sounds
Secondly, I recommend gently waking up your vocal cords with vocal warm-ups that combine breathing, sounds, and resonance. For example, you can take a deep breath by inflating your stomach before producing sounds with your mouth closed. Start with a low note, taking the time to feel the vibratory zone ( larynx ) then the resonance zone (cavity where the vibration resonates to become a sound). Start the vocal exercise again by increasing the pitch of the note and so on, a bit like climbing a staircase of musical notes. Take the time to feel and analyze each sound production. Also, be careful not to want to go too fast in climbing this musical staircase… you risk missing a few steps that would hinder your ascent!
Phoniatrics and articulation exercises
Vocal warm-ups can be continued with some phoniatric and articulation exercises to unlock the jaws and the ATM (Temporomandibular Joint), but also to loosen the tongue and lips.
You can, for example, practice the famous “Pepapipopu” by vocal coach Richard Cross and recite some funny and very useful joint phrases like these: “Know dear Sasha that these bags can be bought”, “I want and I demand exquisite excuses” (making the connections of course, otherwise it’s too easy), and others “The Archduchess’s socks…” and “The Kiki cocotte…” or even the famous “Thanks to big Greg I’m progressing” that I had to put here if only to flatter my ego a little with humor, of course.
Vocal warm-up scales and vocalizations
Finally, the voice preparation work can be concluded with a series of vocal exercises accompanied by the piano. These vocal warm-ups allow you to associate the ear and the voice, let’s not forget that your accuracy depends on it. As I like to tell my students: “We also sing with our ears!”
The vocalizations that you can practice on various scales will also play an important role in the vocal work of the bass, midrange, and treble that make up your vocal spectrum, that is to say, your range. To do this, you just have to play on the piano and then reproduce the different notes of a scale with your voice. You can even start by reproducing the most well-known scale, even for beginners: C D E F G A B C.
If you don’t have a piano, you should know that there are applications on smartphones or on the internet to access a virtual piano. You can even vocalize by immersing yourself in a Disney classic, the Aristocats, and sing ” Des gammes et des Arpèges “. Be careful though to always be careful to practice these vocal warm-ups without forcing your voice. To do this, be careful to always start in a vocal comfort zone about your range, and do not insist on notes that are too difficult. This work can be done with your singing teacher or vocal coach, this is a work of vocal culture and it is in the order of singing lessons and not vocal warm-ups.
Warming up is not yet singing.
Be careful, you don’t warm up your voice by singing a song that you think is easy! Vocal warm-up is the premise for singing and even if it can be relatively short and quick, it has nothing to do with humming a song. Some people tend to skip vocal warm-ups because they see them as a constraint or even a chore! Never forget that a warm-up can also be a moment of pleasure, just like singing. In addition, the different steps outlined above correspond to a complete vocal warm-up that can be fragmented.
To truly enjoy your vocal warm-ups and be effective, it is very important to feel comfortable and relaxed. Don’t be afraid to see vocal warm-ups as a game… You can have fun taking on different voice colors, a bit like when you tell a story to children, and play at illustrating the different characters by changing your tone.
The more fun your vocal warm-ups are, the more you will relax all those little muscles that make up your vocal apparatus. This will make your vocal warm-up less academic and will allow you to combine business with pleasure.
Vocal warm-ups When and how long?
First, it is imperative to be in good physical and mental condition before tackling your vocal warm-ups. If it is not the day because you are too tired or your morale is low, do not force yourself.
When should I warm up my voice?
You need to be awake for at least 2 hours so that your whole body is ready. Don’t hesitate to do some stretches of the fascia of the neck for example or even the arms and back. You can also relax by rolling your shoulders and massaging your cheeks. Finally, you can unlock your jaws and relax your tongue before starting your vocal warm-up.
How long should I warm up my voice?
Of course, the length of your vocal warm-ups will vary from person to person. We don’t all have the same needs. Also, depending on how often you train and how much time you have, the length of your vocal warm-ups may vary.
I advise you, however, not to exceed 40 minutes so as not to tire yourself out and to keep some time and energy for singing. On average, a regular, even daily, vocal warm-up will last 10 to 15 minutes. It can even be reduced to a quick vocal warm-up with practice.
Vocal warm-ups in conclusion
To conclude, vocal warm-ups allow less fatigue of the vocal cords and the larynx. They are essential in the physical and even mental preparation before making an effort to sing. Vocal warm-ups contribute to the good conditioning of the singer before a concert or a recording, just as an athlete, even a high-level one, does not start a marathon without having warmed up and prepared.
Vocal warm-ups should both wake up and prepare your voice but also introduce note work. Accuracy, vocal emission power, and good articulation of sounds begin during vocal warm-ups. This voice work will continue throughout the rest of the singing course. Through the practice of different techniques and thanks to the vocal coaching of the singing teacher, a good vocal warm-up will facilitate the application of one or more songs.