Vocal Warm Ups

Warmingupthevoiceisimportantandhelpfulforprofessionalvoiceusers(singers,actors,
and broadcast personalities), for occupational voice users (teachers, salespeople, for
example), for those with injured voices, and for anyone who is preparing to give a
presentationorwantstomakeagoodimpressionwiththeirvoice.Allowapproximately20
minutes to perform a complete warm up. Ideally, these warmups should be performed
leisurely,butwithgoodmentalfocusandattentiontodetail.Makesureyouarewellhydrated
drinklotsofwaterbeforeandduringyourwarmupexercises.Payattentiontoyourposture
whileyoudotheseexercises.Good(butrelaxed)postureisimportantforfullandeasyrange
ofmotionofthemusclesandfullbreathsupport.

Whatisthepurposeofvocalwarmups?
Therearemanybeliefsandaccepted"truth'aboutvocalwarmups,butverylittlescientific
datatosupportorrefutethesebeliefs.Whatwe"know"aboutvocalwarmupsisreallybased
uponcollectivepersonalexperienceofmanysingers,singingteachers,voicetherapists,voice
scientists,athletes,athleticcoaches,sportsphysiologists,andstudents.Warmingupthebody
isusedinathleticsaswellasartisticperformances.Somewhatsurprisingly,thereisnotalot
ofresearchinsportsphysiologytodescribetheeffectsofwarmups.Thevoiceproduction
systemhassomeuniquecharacteristicsthatmakeitsomewhatdifficulttotransferconclusions
fromstudiesinotherpartsofthebodytothelarynx.
Thewarmupsmayincreasebloodflowtomusclesandothertissues,thinoutthicksecretions,
anddecreaseuseofexcessivemusculartension,butofcoursewearenotpositive.Perhaps
therearecertainpatternsofcoordinatedmotoractivitythataremostoptimalforperforminga
specificvocaltask,andperhapsthevocalwarmupsallowusto"access" thosepatterns.
Andagain,wearenotcertain.Soweareleft,atthemoment,withcarefullyconsidering
hypothesesandsubjectiveexperience.Withthatcaution,webelievethatwarmupsimprove
theperformanceoftheindividualmusclesofthethorax(chest),larynxanduppervocaltract
(throat, mouth), as well as thecoordination betweenthe subsystems of voice production,
namelythelungs,larynx,andupperairwayarticulators.Everywarmuproutinecontainsa
number of different exercises to focus upon different muscles and different movements.
Warmupsarehypothesizedtoimproveperformanceandtocontributetothepreventionof
injury.

Isitharmfultowarmupfortoolong?
Itisprobablymoreimportanttoknowwhysomeoneiswarmingupforlongerthanusual,
ratherthantheactuallyeffectsofalengthywarmup.Therearetwowarningsignsrelatedto
warmupsthatmayindicateavoiceproblem:

Needingprogressivelylonger,moreextensivevocalwarmupperiodsinorder
toachieveaclearvoice
Decreasingthedurationofthevocalwarmuproutineinorderto"preserve"
thevoicefearingthatafullvocalwarmupwilltirethevoice.

Ifyouareexperiencingeitherofthesephenomenafrequentlyandyoudon'thaveacoldorthe
flu,youmaybeintheearlystagesofavoiceproblem.Wesuggestthatyouscheduleavisitto
theVoiceandSwallowingInstituteforevaluation.

Afewnotesaboutvocalwarmupsforperformers
Someartistsfindithelpfultoperformgentlewarmupseachmorning,inadditiontofull
warmupsbeforealesson,rehearsalorperformance.Thisisespeciallyimportantifyouare
experiencing vocal problems due to reflux or vocal fatigue. Some artists perform these
exercisesinasteamybathroomtotakeadvantageofthewarmmoisture.Manyartistsfindthat
practicing vocal warm ups also provides a mental warm up, increasing awareness of
kinestheticfeedback.Don'tconfusevocalwarmupswithvocalizes.Performingvocalizesis
theprocessofacquiringaspecificvocalskill(orsetofvocalskills)suchasarticulatory
precision, smoothness of register transition, vowel balancing, singing wide intervals,
increasingaccuracyofvocalonsetwithmaintenanceoftone,andcorrectingtechnicalfaults.
Vocalizesshouldbepracticedafterthevoiceiswarmedup.Eachartistwilldevelophisorher
ownroutineofwarmups,whichmaybevarieddependinguponthenatureoftherole.Ifyou
areaperformercurrentlystudyingvocaltechnique,itislikelythatyourteacherhashisorher
ownopinionsaboutpreferredwarmups.Someadvisestartingfairlylowinthepitchrange
andextendingupward,movingfromlimitedrangeexercisestowiderranges.Otherteachers
preferstartingatthehigherendoftherangeandmovingdownwardtoavoidcarryingthe
chestvoiceuptohighbeforebecomingfullywarmedup.Someteacherspreferexercises
thatdonotexceedafifth,othersfavoranoctaveoratwelfth.Theseareissuestodiscusswith
yourteacherandexplorewithyourownvoice!

AwordaboutVocalWarmDowns
Many professional voice users routinely use vocal warm downs after rehearsals and
performances.Thoughnotascommonlyusedaswarmups,someperformersfindithelpfulto
performashortroutineofgentlevocalizing,suchasrelaxedhumming,massageoftheneck,
throat,andlowerface,easily"cooing"the/u/vowel(asincoo).Itmaybethatwarmdowns
help release some of excessive muscle tension that may accumulate during rehearsal or
performance,especiallyvocallydemandingroles.Someperformerswhosingprimarilyina
heavy"chest"register,or"belt",findthatitishelpfultowarmdownthevoicebysinging
lightlyina"head"(falsetto)voice.Aswithwarmups,thereisnoscientificdatatosupport
or refute the utility of warm downs. The analogy to athletes is used, in which muscle

crampingandstraincanoccurafterdemandingactivitiesifthemusclesarenotstretchedina
cooldownroutine.While"cramping" ofthelaryngealandoralmuscleshasrarelybeen
observedinhealthyindividuals,certainlyitmaybehelpfulforperformerstodisengage
fromdemandingvocalperformancesbyperformingwarmdownexercises.

Anoteforindividualswithinjuredvoices
Ifyouhaveavoicedisorder,vocalwarmupsmaybeanimportantpartofyourvoicetherapy
program.Althoughwehavenoproofthatvocalwarmupsarehelpfulincasesofvocalfold
andvoicedisorders,wethinkthat,inadditiontothebenefitsexplainedabove,theymayhelp
inotherwaystoo,byrefocusingthepatientonhealthyvoiceusepatterns,andrelaxingthe
musclestopreventuseofexcessivemusclecontractionDiscusswarmupswithyourvoice
careteambeforeinitiatingaregularwarmupprogram.

WholeBodyWarmUps
Professionalvoiceuserssingers,actors,radiopersonalities,andotherperformershave
known for a long time that a healthy and beautiful voice requires excellent whole body
positioning.Goodpostureisanimportantcomponent,butproperalignmentandbalanced,
smoothmovementarealsoessentialforgoodvocalperformance.Nobodystandsstillasa
statuewhentheyusetheirvoice,inroutineorinperformance.Fitnessworkouts,Hathayoga,
Alexander Technique,Pilates, Tai Chi, FeldenkraisMethodare just afewof the many
disciplines that canbestudiedto improve whole bodypositioning. For the serious vocal
performer,andforthevoicepatientworkingtohealandimprovethevoice,incorporating
wholebodywarmupsintothevocalwarmuproutinemaybehelpfultopreventanddecrease
excessivemusculartensionandoptimizevocalquality.

Avoicespecialist*canhelpimproveyourwarmuproutine.Heorshecan:
1.

Provideasuggestedoptimalorderofwarmups.Notallwarmupexerciseshavean
equallevelofdifficultyofperformance.Itmaybebesttoproceedfromeasiertoharder
exercises.
2.
Provide a broad range of warm ups. Different warm up exercises focus upon
different components of the voice production system. It may be best to incorporate
exercisesintoyourroutinethatfocusondifferentareasofthevocaltractandvocal
technique.
3.
Tailorasetofroutinesforyourparticularneeds.Aswithanytypeofexercise,you
maybenefitfromfocusinguponspecificareasofthevocaltractorvocaltechniquefor
yourpersonalneeds.
4.
Providefeedbackondoingitcorrectly.Readingaboutexercisesanddoingthem
correctlycanbetwoverydifferentthings!Asmalladjustmentinvoiceorbodyposition

canmakeacriticaldifferenceinhowmuchbenefityoureceivefromaparticularwarm
upexercise.Anddoingthemwrongcansometimesbeharmfultoyourvoice.
*Voicespecialistcanrefertodifferentprofessionals,dependinguponyourspecificneeds.
Theseincludethevoicetherapist(statelicensedspeechlanguagepathologistwithexpertisein
voicetherapy),singingteacher,choirdirector,orvoicecoach.

Isthereoneidealsetofvocalwarmups?
thereisnosinglecorrectwaytospeakorsing.Sometimes,awarmuproutinecanbecome
traditional;itisusedbysomanyvoiceprofessionalsthatitbecomesastandard.Ifitworks,
great.Ifnot,don'tuseit.Novocalwarmuproutineissacred!Everyonehastheirfavoriteset
ofwarmupsandjustlikeanyexercise,there'sacertainamountofpersonalpreferenceto
doingwarmups.
Somewarmupexercisesmayworkbetterforyouthanothers.Someofthewarmupsrequire
morevocalskillandexperiencethanothers.Ingeneral,warmupsprogressfromgentlesound
productioninthemiddleofthepitchanddynamicrange,andslowlyprogresstowardsthe
extremes.Aswithallskilledroutines,thesearebestlearnedundertheguidanceofateacher.
Workingwithateacherorvoicetherapistprovidesthebestfeedbacktomakesureyouare
gettingthemostoutofthesewarmups.Therearemany(strong!)opinionsaboutwhichwarm
upexercisesarebetterthanothers,andtheorderinwhichtheyshouldbeperformed;another
goodreasontoobtainguidancefromavoiceprofessionaltodevelopone'sownpersonalized
set of vocal warm uproutines! Look throughthese warm upexercises. All are common
routinesthatmanypeopleuseinonevariationoranother.Exploresomeofthemandseeif
theyarerightforyou.Forallofthesewarmups,sitorstandinarelaxedandbalanced
position,moistenyourmouthandlipswithafewsipsofwaterandinhaleslowlyonayawnor
throughdeepbutrelaxedinhalationthroughyournose.Keepyourshoulderslowandrelaxed.

YawnSigh

Inhaleslowlyonayawn.Feeltheairinthebackofyourthroat.Keepyourjaw
hangingrelaxedandyourtonguerelaxedonthefloorofyourmouth.Makesure
yourshouldersarelowandrelaxed.
Exhaleslowly.Keepyourheadandshouldersstillbutrelaxed,notstiff.
Repeattheinhaledyawnvocalizeasyouexhale.Repeatagainandvarythe
pitchasyouvocalize.
Repeatagain,andcountfrom1to5asyouexhale,varyingthepitchasyou
count.

UsingtheHMMMMMMM

Produceagentlehmmmmonanexhalationatapitchthatiscomfortably
positionedinthelowerrange.Repeatandchangethehmmtoahhhhalfway
through the exhaled breath. Try to change nothing but the opening of the

mouth.Maintainthesamefacialbuzzwiththeahhthatwasachievedwiththe
hmmm.
Experimentwiththepitch.Producewhilesweepingthepitchfromhightolow
andthenlowtohigh.

StrawVocalizing

Afterinhalingslowlyonayawn,exhalebyblowingthroughastrawgently
Repeattheinhaledyawn(notthroughthestraw!)andvocalizeasyoublowout
throughthestraw.
Repeatagain,andvarythepitchasyouvocalizethroughthestraw.

WorkingtheBreathSupportSystemwithHUH!

After a slow deep inhalation, expel sharply by contracting the abdominal

muscleshardwithaloudHUH!Thelarynxandthroatshouldstayrelaxedand
open. This is a difficult exercise and excellent focus must be maintained on
separatingthecontractionsoftheabdominalswiththemaintenanceofrelaxed
upperairway
Asyouimproveyourabilitytoperformthiscorrectly,increasethespeedand
repetitionsoftheexpelledHUH!

LipBuzzing

Putyoulipslooselytogetherandexhalebyvibratingyourlipslikeamotor
boat.
Makesuretokeepyourtonguerelaxedasyouexhale.
Repeattheinhaledyawn,andvocalizeasyoutrillyourlips.
Repeatagain,andsweepupinpitchthenbackdown.Ifthisbeginstotickle
yourlipsandnose,thenyouredoingitcorrectly.

LowFlowHAHAHA

Whilemonitoringyourposturetomaintaincorrectpositionandlow,relaxed
shoulder,inhaleslowlyanddeeply(butbecarefulNOTtolockyourshouldersat
thetopoftheinhalation).
On the exhaled breath, repeat HAHAHA slowly. There should be little
expelledairwitheachHA.Placeyourpalminfrontofyourlipstomonitorthe
airflow.Youshouldnotfeelmuchofabreeze!
Experimentwithvaryingthepitchasyourepeattheexercise.

TongueTrills

Lightly place your tongue tip behind your upper teeth and exhale while
vibratingyourtonguetipinatrill.
Repeattheinhaledyawn,andvocalizeasyoutrillyourtongue.
Repeatagain,andvarythepitchasyoutrill.

LooseningtheJaw

Monitor your posture to maintain easy balance and low, relaxed shoulders,
readyforfulllungexpansion.
Placeyourpalmsonthesidesofyourfaceandslowlymassagethejawand
cheekmuscleswithslowsmallcircularmotions.
Continuetomassageandnowlowerandraiseyourjaw.
Addsoundmamamamamammawithaverylightlipcontactforthem.
Changetowawawawawawithverylightliproundforaslightlydistorted
w.

TwoOctavePitchGlide

Inhaleslowlyonayawn.Keepyourshoulderslowandrelaxed.
Vocalizegentlyandmoderatelysoftlyusingtheeevowelfrommoderately
highchestvoicetolowchestvoice,andthenfromheadvoicedownthrough
chest.
Repeatafewtimesandthenreversedirection,goingfromchesttohead.
Repeatusingothervowels.

TheLessacCall

Keepingyourjawloose,callHello,payingattentiontothefeelofthesound
inyourheadandface.ChangethewordtomoreofHlloooooo.Placethebackof
yourhandafewinchesfromyourmouthtofeeltheairflow.Youshouldnotfeel
muchairflowingpastyourhand.
Donottrytocontrolthepitch.Donotforcethebreathtocomeout.
Experimentwithchangingthepitchhigherorlowerasyourepeattheexercise.
Repeatusinghello,forme,today,bequiet,mynameis..

ArticulationFlexibilityandBuzz

RepeatMumulaMumulaMumulaMumulaMumulaMumulaMumulaMumula
Focusuponthebuzzinthefrontoftheface.Asyourepeattheword,change
yourfocusfirsttothefeelofyourlipstogether,thenafterafewrepetitions,focus
uponyourtonguetouchingthefrontpalateforthelsound,thenafteranother
fewrepetitions,refocustotheeasyjawopeningoftheendingahsound.
Keeptheairflowingeasy;experimentwithchangingthepitchhigherorlower
asyourepeattheexercise.

UsingTongueTwistersforArticulationFlexibility
Therearemanydifferenttonguetwistersthataregood(andfun)topractice.Thegoalisto
producethesephraseswithoutextratensioninthearticulators(tongue,lips,jaw)orthethroat.
Allshouldbeproducedwithgoodpostureandfullbreathsupport.Startslowly,butmakesure
youarenotusingexcessivemuscletension.Initially,donottrytocontrolyourpitch,butalso
makesureyoudonotgetlockedintoanarrowpitchrange.Asyouwarmup,experiment

withvarying the pitch. Experiment with different focus points concentratingfor a few
repetitionsonthetongue,thenthelips,thenthemovementofthejaw.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers Unique New York
The tip of the tongue, the lips, the teeth Really rural
The big, blackbacked bumblebee Red letter, yellow letter
SallysellsseashellsbytheseashoreTeachingghoststosing

ExtendingBreathSupportandControlwithacaveat!
Airflow must be controlledwell by using the inspiratory andexpiratory muscles as well
asthemusclesthatcontrolvalvingoftheairflowatthelevelofthevocalfolds.Apopular
exercisetoimprovethiscontrolisproductionofprogressivelylongerphrasesononebreath.
Whilethisisanexcellentwaytodevelopbreathcontrol,theexercisecaneasilybeperformed
incorrectly, leadingto habituation of improper breath management technique. Acommon
errorinperformingtheseexercisesistolockthemusclesoftheabdomen,chestandthroat
inanefforttolimittheairflow.Whilethisstrategymayenablethespeakertoincreasethe
numberofphrasesproducedononebreath,itwillmostcertainlytraintheuseofexcessive
musclecontractionandtensionthroughouttheentirevoiceproductionsystem.Theresultwill
beavoicewithpoorresonanceandultimately,vocalfatigueandimpairedvocalstamina;a
goodreasontouseasingingteacher,voicecoachorvoicetherapisttohelpyoulearnto
performvocalwarmupscorrectly!