A vocal warm-up is a series of exercises that prepare the voice for singing, acting, or other use.
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Changing pitch undoubtedly stretches the muscles,[1] and vocal warm-ups help the singer feel more prepared.
Physical whole-body warm-ups also help prepare a singer. Muscles all over the body are used when singing (the diaphragm being one of the most obvious). Stretches of the abdomen, back, neck, and shoulders are important to avoid stress, which influences the sound of the voice.
Some warm-ups also provide voice training. Sometimes called vocalises, these activities teach breath control, diction, blending, and balance.
Before actually starting to sing, it is important to start breathing properly and from the diaphragm. Start with simple exercises such as hissing. Inhale deeply and then make a hissing sound, continuing until as much air as possible has been expelled. Repeat several times, but be sure to breathe using the diaphragm, not by moving the shoulders up and down, which is a common sign of an untrained breather.
After, use lip trills and tongue trills to help control breathing as well. Start just using a steady note, then making a "fire engine sound" go up and down. Eventually move to real notes, starting in the middle range, such as middle C.
Start easy, with light humming. Pick a note in the middle range (middle C is reasonable) and begin humming. Move between notes, but stay in the middle range.
To start warming up your range, sigh from the top of your range to the bottom, letting the voice fall in a glissando without much control. Do several of these.
Next, sing an arpeggio of three thirds to an octave (1 3 5 8 5 3 1), again starting from middle C. Use open vowels such as o, ih, ay, and ah, and start each syllable with a consonant such as B, D, or P. Repeat the exercise a half-step higher, and continue up to the top of your range, but don't push too high.
Next, sing down a five-note scale, using a syllable formed with an open vowel and a sibilant, for example "Za a a a a". This time, repeat the exercise a half-step lower, to the bottom of your comfortable range.
Finally, sing a slightly more difficult phrase, again starting an octave lower than middle C. First jump up an octave, then down a fourth, then down a third, then another third: (1 8 5 3 1). The phrase "I lo-ove to sing" fits with this exercise. Others choose to sing a few words over and over to warm up, such as "me, my, mo, mull".