Singing Warm-Ups - Where to Start?
So you’ve decided to take up singing, or perhaps are coming back to it after a long break, and are unsure how to decide on your warm-up routine? In this article, I’ll give a brief summary of some universal warm-up exercises I teach that provide a strong foundation for all singers.
In my experience, there are four essential pillars of any warm-up that should be addressed prior to making any actual sound. These are: Neck/Shoulders, Tongue, Jaw and Breathing. Below are some examples of gentle stretches and exercises that I personally use to cover each of these four areas - these can be incorporated into your current warmup routine, as well as used in isolation prior to singing to maximise the efficiency of your voice.
Singing Pillar 1: Neck & Shoulders
Shoulders - Bring the shoulders up to the ears and slowly rotate forwards for 2 or 3 circles, as if you are counting the hands of a clock face, then repeat this rotating backwards. Keep this nice of slow, finding the largest range of motion possible without causing yourself strain. The shoulders should then naturally rest slight further back, pushing your chest out slightly.
Neck - Find a nice posture with your feet shoulder-width apart and shoulders in position indicated above. Drop your head to your chest, and then slowly rotate your head round clockwise, feeling the stretch as you do. Do this exercise for 5 rotations, and then repeat anticlockwise. Again, the key here is to find as large a range of motion as possible.
Neck - Drop your head to your chest, and then slowly rotate your head so that your chin is pointing towards your left shoulder. Hold for a few seconds, then rotate your head again, this time so your left ear is pointing towards your left shoulder. You should now be facing straight ahead, with your head tilted to the left. Let you jaw hang loose (yawning is helpful for this), and then tilt your head upwards by around 20 degrees. You should feel a stretch across the right side of your neck. Now follow these steps in reverse, until your head is back to resting at your chest. Repeat the steps, this time to the right-hand side. Do this exercise 3 times on each side.
Singing Pillar 2: Jaw
Take the first two fingers on each hand, and place them on either side of your face in the indent where your jaw connects to your skull (just in front of your ears). Push in fairly forcefully, and make small circular rotations while opening your jaw as much as possible. This should feel uncomfortable, but not painful. Feel how your jaw naturally relaxes in reaction to this. Repeat this as many times as you like during various points of your practise to help alleviate jaw tension.
Singing Pillar 3: Tongue
Close your mouth, and the move your tongue in a circle around your teeth (as if you have something stuck in them), getting right to the back of the mouth with each rotation. Do this 10 times, and then repeat in the other direction.
Stick your tongue out as far as you can, and then slowly bring it back into your mouth, controlling the speed as much as possible. Repeat this 10 times, or until you start to feel as stretch in the root of the tongue (located at the top of the throat).
Singing Pillar 4: Breathing
Put your thumb on your belly button with your hand just below. Take a deep breath in and feel the expansion from the abdomen as you do. Hold this for 4 secs, and then release the air for 8 seconds. Repeat this, this time release the air to a ‘shhhh’ sound. You can practise this with ‘ffff’, ‘ssss’ and ‘thhh’ sounds as well. You can then add some pitch to this exercise by repeating in using a ‘ha ha ha’ sound.
Take a low, supported breath, and then let it out to a ‘vvvv’ sound, this time exploring the upper and lower parts of your range. This is called ‘sirening’ Repeat this a few times, vary the pitch and speed as you like.
General Singing Tips
Drink plenty of water – it takes around two hours for it to hit your vocal cords after consumption, so regular hydration throughout the day is key.
Try to avoid diary, caffeine and alcohol prior to any intensive singing practice. Diary can cause the thickening of mucus in the throat which can inhibit your ease of singing, and both caffeine and alcohol have a dehydrating effect on the voice.
When starting out, don’t practise for more than an hour at a time without a break, and stop for the day if you feel your voice getting tired.
If you would like a personalised warm-up routine and vocal development plan based around your voice type, I offer 1-to-1 coaching sessions both online and in-person. Why not book in a FREE consultation with me via Zoom to begin your vocal journey today?
Enjoyed this article? Check out my article on Vocal Essentials for All Singers