Vocal warm-ups are crucial for sustaining a healthy voice, performing at peak, and building un-shakable confidence.
Sound artists should leverage warm-up exercises to stretch and relax the inner muscles of their larynx. Doing so should make those precious assets always prepared and endurant.
At the very least, you should warm-up before any performance. Ideally, however, warming-up activities should be an essential part of your daily routine as a sound artist.
This article highlights some of the most common warm-up exercises and explains how to utilize them for boosting your vocal productivity.
Getting Ready
As you are about to start, remember not to tire out your voice by overdoing the exercises. A 30-minute warm-up session should be thorough and sufficient.
To use these 30 minutes efficiently, you need to focus on the objective of each exercise. Making each one of these funny noises could improve one or more of your vocal skills. Keeping this in mind should encourage you to focus on developing your skills as you are warming up.
Now that you got in the mood, the next thing to do is paying attention to your posture. You want your body to be straight and relaxed as much as possible.
Another thing to watch for is your breathing. You should inhale and exhale with zero tension, gently and powerfully breathing the air in and out.
It is also thoughtful to drink a lot of water before warming up. Your vocal folds need it to vibrate properly and remain clean from mucus.
Humming
With all of that sorted out, it is time to exercise. If you want to start with a gentle activity that is not hard on your vocal cords, humming is an ideal option.
Along with relaxing your facial muscles, it also improves your resonance and tone quality.
To hum, close your mouth, place the tip of your tongue behind your bottom teeth, and just hum up and down the major scale. Keep doing it until your vocal cords feel warm and ready for the challenge ahead.
Trilling Your Lips And Tongue
Another popular activity is to trill your lips. To do it, you need to take a deep breath and then push it out through your lips while you try to sound like a horse. Ensure that your lips are relaxed; it is a requirement to make them vibrate rapidly.
You can also use the same warming-up technique for your tongue. This time, you want to make the sound of the letter “R” after placing your tongue behind your upper teeth. Hold the sound steady as long as you exhale.
Trilling both of your lips and tongue strengthen your exhaling endurance.
Making The Sound Of A Siren
Making the noise of a siren is perfect for extending your vocal range and clearing up your throat. Committing to this exercise will make transitions from your chest voice to your head voice way smoother.
Starting from the lowest note in your vocal range, make the sound of an ambulance while gradually taking your voice to its highest comfortable note. Stretching out your face in the meantime should maximize the benefits of this warm-up.
Conclusion
Warming up your vocal muscles retains a healthy voice, not to mention that it takes your performance to the next level. There are many warm-up activities that you can include in your vocal workouts, but you need to carefully choose the ones that fit your voice and develop your skills.
A vocal coach can work with you on a workout plan that is tailored specifically for your voice. At Mello Studio, we love to see talented artists unleash the real potential of their vocal capabilities. Reach out to us today, and we will work with you in making the most out of your voice.
