How to Warmup & Practice
[This Guide is still being adjusted- so some information may be dated]
Think of this sheet as a guide through some of my favorite vocal exercises that I have curated into sections. You can use these exercises to build your voice from the ground up everyday when you warm-up. Meet your voice where it is that day, without expectations, and guide it to where you’d like! You do not need to do every exercise in each section, but rather try them out and find your favorite exercises for getting your unique voice ready to sing!
Timing your warmup:
Everybody’s voice is different, so each voice will take a different amount of time to warm up. The “ideal” amount of time for a warmup is about 15 minutes, but depending on the day and demands it may take longer. If it is a performance day I may warm up differently than a practice day.
Get your body ready to sing:
Stretches (Alignment and Articulation work):
Extend one arm at 45 degree angle to the floor, bring the opposite hand across the body and place it on the clavicle of the extended arm. Then look head away from the extended arm and bring forehead to shoulder. Do this on both sides.
[link example]
Drop your head to your chest and roll your head around. Do this in both directions!
Stretches for tongue and jaw: [example]
Tongue stretches
Lip Stretches
Make your face as big as possible and then as small as possible
Maybe do some Yoga if you like! Here’s a link to a Yoga with Adrienne video designed for releasing the throat: Yoga to free throat
Getting your breath moving (breathing and support w/o voice):
Lean forward or bend over and breathe into your back lower ribs, feel them expand out backwards and to the sides
Now try to extend them without breathing in.
While keeping your back ribs out, pant like a dog. Make sure the source of the panting is coming low from that area between the belly button and the bottom of the ribcage.
You can do this leaning forwards if necessary
When comfortable try and speed up to as fast as possible
Pant through your nose to open up that space
When comfortable speed up to as fast as possible
Blowfish or [ss] or [ff] without sound for as long as you can
Chugga chugga breathing
Buzzes and connecting breath to voice:
Getting your breath moving (breathing and support w/ voice)
Start with either lip trills, raspberries, or with a straw blow bubbles in some water (my favorite) while singing.
If using the straw and bubbles method, fill up a cup with about two inches of water and gently blow bubbles into the water (I recommend a cup with a lid, so that you do not end up in the splash zone.) Keep the bubbles moving at an even pace as you sing (you do not want to see the bubbles slow down, speed up, or stop while performing this exercise.
Then move to using the blowfish, a [v] sound (as in the word “very”) or a cocktail/coffee stirring straw.
This is to warm up our support, so while doing this put one hand on the stomach and one on the chest to notice what sensations are happening in the body
Eliciting sound:
Exercises in phonation, resonance, and registration:
Primal sounds:
Put a hand between your ribs and belly button and lazily make the sounds “huh!” “uh huh!” or “huhuhuhuh” (as in an awkward laugh)
Do the same thing while using the sound “hmm!” or “mhm!” or “hmhmhmhm” (an awkward chuckle with your mouth closed
Notice the leaning sensation in that region between bottom of ribs and belly button
Resonance or the “pencil exercise”:
“Mah-eee” (the “ah” should sound like the [a] in “mat”) keeping the [ee] sound over the pencil line.
Do this three times, or until the voice becomes steadier
“Mah-ee” and “Mah-ee-oo” slides keeping voice over pencil line
Slide from low to high, moving from M1 (modal voice) to M2 (light voice)
Slide from high to low, reverse of above
Resonant voice sentences- read the sentences in various places of the voice keeping sound above pencil line
Mee-mee-mee scales and arpeggios
“hee-hee-HEY-HEY” or “hah-hah-HEY-HEY”
Start the hee-hee or hah-hah in the light voice above the pencil, then bring your modal voice in on the HEY-HEY above the pencil on the same note
Lining up voice:
Exercises in evenness, agility, and quality
Grand Scale
Caruso Scale- meow
[ee-oh-ah] into high voice
