Seasoned singers and beginners alike realize the importance of including vocal warm up exercises in their daily singing sessions. Most singers and instructors are well aware of the benefits associated with vocal warm up exercises such as improvement in voice strength and quality and the removal of muscle tension. You should set aside at least 20 minutes for the warm up session. In order to avoid dehydration of the vocal chords you should begin the warm up session by drinking lots of water to lubricate the vocal tract.
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A major benefit of vocal warm up exercises is the increase of the blood flow to the organs of articulation. You should start with some relaxation exercises to get your self in the appropriate physical and mental condition. Follow the relaxation exercises with techniques that increase breath control, improve pitch range and help in increasing vocal strength. It is not unusual to start enjoying certain warm up exercises and form a routine incorporating them.
As a beginner you may want to seek help from your instructor who will be in a better position to recommend the appropriate warm up exercises for you. It’s normal to enjoy and benefit from certain exercises more than the others and you should incorporate these in your daily regimen instead of following set guidelines. As a thumb rule, warm up exercises should progress gradually from the mid ranges to the extremes. There are many books and online programs that provide a wealth of information on the topic. Seeking the help of a voice professional is another option and even though it may be expensive it will help you to develop a set of vocal warm up exercises that will be customized to your needs.
Some of the common exercises include:
Yawning Sighing: The exercise involves relaxing your tongue, shoulders and jaw and inhaling deeply as you yawn and then expelling the air audibly.
Using the hmmm: This exercise involves starting the hmmm sound at a comfortable pitch but changing it to aahhh as you proceed.
Straw Breathing: You should start by inhaling as you yawn but purse your lips together to breathe out through the straw.
Sharp Exhalation: To begin with, breathe in deeply feeling your chest and diaphragm expand to the maximum capacity and then exhale sharply by clenching the abdominal muscles and breathing out with an audible ‘huh’ sound.
{Vowel Sounds}: Choose a group of vowel sounds like aah, ii, uhh, oohh and ae, couple them with any consonant sound and sing across the scale going from low to high and vice versa.
{Tongue Twisters}: Another way is to use common tongue twisters like ‘she sells sea shells on the sea shore’. This exercise is very helpful in relieving tension from articulators like the palate, throat, tongue and lips. Once you are comfortable with the tongue twister you can sing it at different pitch levels.
Some of the Benefits of these warm up routines include:
- Augments Stamina
- Increase in Vocal Range
- Is important for mental and physical well being
- Increases voice control
- Improves Breath control
- Helps to prepare articulators for singing to avoid damage
- Increases vocal strength
There are many other benefits that can be added to the above list so its important to follow a disciplined warm up regimen.
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