Home / voice lessons / How to Warm Up the Voice for Singing

How to Warm Up the Voice for Singing

Warming up the voice properly is key for optimal singing. Vocal exercises are important for singers who want to keep their voice in top shape. Fort Lauderdale voice teacher Dyce Kimura recommends using warm up exercises on a daily basis for overall vocal balance and strength. Kimura also offers some specific warm up tips for singers when it is time for a performance.

Daily Vocal Warm Ups:

• Set aside time for warming up. Vocalize for a minimum of 20 minutes daily, with 30 minutes being the ideal amount of time. It doesn’t all have to be at the same time, but the 30 minutes should be completed before doing any real singing.

• Make sure to stay well hydrated. Vocal cords need hydration to function properly, and plain water is best. Don’t wake up and start exercising the vocal cords before drinking water.

• Don’t sing songs during warm ups, but rather only do vocal exercises. Start out with humming on a five-tone scale going from low to high and then high to low.

• Go up and down on scale using lip trills and tongue rolls. This relaxes the lips and mouth while preparing the vocal cords for singing.

• Make different noises with your vocal cords, such as an “mmmm” with a weak cry noise. Keep making the noise while going through the scales from low to high and then high to low. The goal is not to go for power in the warm up stage but to find the connection with the vocal chords in all registers.

• Maintain good posture during warm ups and singing. Good posture aids in proper breathing and enables the lungs to get enough air while doing these exercises. This applies during singing as well.

• Always start vocal exercises slowly and gently. It is not good for the vocal cords to be slammed with too much air pressure before they have been properly warmed up.

• When warming up for a performance, it is recommended to extend warm up time throughout the day of the event rather than doing warm ups all at once. Dyce Kimura recommends four ten minute sessions at intervals throughout the day of a performance to give vocal cords time to adapt, wake up, and thin out for optimal singing.

To deliver the best performance each time, singers are encouraged to follow these daily vocal warm up tips.