Vocal Exercises

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Warm Ups, Vowels & Resonance

When you begin a warm up, begin in a comfortable middle voice, repeat the exercises going up semi-tones and stop before you reach very high notes - do not try to extend the range at the beginning of a warm up. Then go to the next exercise and go down a semi-tone until you are below where you started off. Then continue to the next exercise - going up, extending the range a little more, then down, etc.

My favourite exercise is the trill - especially the lip-trill (see videos).

It is fun, it is silly, we do not think while doing it and it feels good. It is easier to reach higher notes, it relaxes the facial muscles, it causes vibrations all over the face and invites vibrating sensations and good vocal resonance, it does not involve the tongue (and we do not have to think about releasing it). It builds our breath - we need more breath power to overcome the resistance of the lips and we have to have constant, steady and uniform air flow to keep the lips rolling. Too bad there aren’t many pieces written for lip trills. Hey, composers - why don’t you come up with a pretty piece of lip trills? Exercises:

  • Glissando down from the fifth to the tonic (5→1). Repeat going up by semi-tones. Think up when you are sliding down. Remember - Do not go too high at the beginning of your session before you are fully warmed up.
  • For more advanced students - glissando: 1→8→5→3→1. Repeat, go up semi-tones (not too high). Think up when you are sliding down.

Tonge trills is my second favourite exercise and what I recommend to practice after the lip trill. Its advantages are similar to those of the lip trill. It does involve the tongue, but in a way that forces it to be flexible, to allow the trill to happen. It is also good to practice the rolled ‘r’ for students who have difficulty with it (read here some tips on how to roll your ‘r’). Exercises are similar to the lip trill:

  • Glissando down a fifth (5→1) or an octave (8→1). Think up when you slide down. Repeat, going down semi-tones.
  • Glissando: 5→8→5→3→1. Repeat going down semi-tones. Think up when… (you know)
  • Glissando up and down a fifth (1→5→1) or an octave (1→8→1). Repeat, going down semi-tones. Think...

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Agility & Breath

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Range

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Vocal Exercises Quiz

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