Vocal warm-ups are something only professional singers need to worry about, right? Wrong! They can and do help us all.
Why bother with vocal warm-ups?
Vocal warm-ups are something I’ve never bothered with before until I found myself struggling with one of my own songs. First off, there were some quite lengthy phrases where I needed to hold my breath, or at least control my breathing, then we had some really delicate parts that required a lot of precise control.
My initial attempts were all over the place pitch-wise, making me nervous and frustrated on subsequent takes. As is always the case, the more I sang, the more my vocals warmed up, but when I was done with the session I felt I really could’ve done a lot better.
Normally at this stage, I would’ve simply pressed ahead with more takes until I was happy, however long it took. The unscientific, stubborn approach. This time though, I thought I’d try something a little different.
Giving your voice a chance
It’s very easy for a lot of us to not put the work in, to deny we need help, concluding we’re either born great or terrible singers, and that’s life. My take is I at least believe I have an arguably good(ish) voice, but I’m not necessarily good at singing if you know what I mean? But the sad thing is, in all my time, I haven’t cared for my voice, or even gave it a single chance. I’ve never warmed it up, primed it for a performance, and now was a good opportunity to find out how.
Researching a good vocal warm-up
I found the above video to be really helpful (thanks Derrik Rockne) It’s methodical and concise, seeming to include all the exercises I, in my limited knowledge need, starting with the bizarre but surprisingly crucial lip roll which I found particularly fascinating. It also explains the reasons behind the various exercises which, if nothing else, instills you with the confidence going into a session that at least you have the bases covered.
Do vocal warm-ups work?
But it’s not just about confidence. This stuff actually works! After 5 minutes of lip-rolling, ee-ing, oo-ing, and ar-ing, for the first time in my life, my voice was ready, as though my vocal muscles were egging me into action to deliver the perfect performance. Most of all, it felt fantastic, similar to the endorphin hit you get when running.
Still tingling with anticipation, I approached the troublesome vocal again. This time I felt much more in control of my pitch, but more than that, I could open up better and be more relaxed yet powerful, thanks to all that lip-flapping. I can easily compare it to recording guitar. I always make sure I have the optimal setup, with the strings perfectly in tune, I also almost always warm up. Finally, my vocals were now ready for the job too. I’ve no idea why it’s taken me this long to realise it.
The effectiveness of a vocal warm-up
Here’s my track. I wouldn’t want you to hear the original vocal, but the best example of the effectiveness of the vocal warm-up is the build-up to the first pre-chorus. I’m really happy with the way I could move from powerful to almost a whisper whilst maintaining control and pitch, and this in turn gave me the confidence to add in a little more expression. I was nowhere near this without the warm-up, up to the point where it sounds like a different song almost.
Conclusion
If you sing live or produce your own music PLEASE don’t overlook vocal warm-ups as it did. Your voice is the single most important instrument you have as an artist, so why not make it the best it can be? Vocal warm-ups also protect your voice too, so they can actually benefit us all.
Check them out today and let me know your own results below or in the forum