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yeah, but did you warm up?

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VideoHere

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i just wanted to post a reminder to all the folks on the forum to always remember to warm up before you try any heavy duty workouts or singing.

it's so easy to hasten your warm up time, and go right at it and forget that the voice has to get loosened up. so much struggle and frustration can be eliminated by just getting the voice ready to go.

it could be 10 mins. for some, till over an hour for others. only you can know but go through it...don't hasten it, don't bypass it, unless you have no other choice.

you will find if you take the time, you may actually be able to do things with your voice you never knew you could do, because you didn't get to the point you needed to get to with your warm up to begin with.

you also will find that reduction in difficulty everyone is seeking (including myself) if you just get the voice ready,

the whole body ready.

you wouldn't start your car and take off like a bat out of hell, why would you do that to your voice?

now i make a point to ask my voice, yes, actually ask my voice if it's ready to go..or does it need a little more time...

warming up to me is all about "access" you are working towards vocal access..

please feel feel to comment.

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thanks phil.

i just know a lot of the younger or more beginner singers have to really understand, really digest the importance of preparing the voice, body and mind to sing.

i'm concerned they'll tend to downplay (as i used to) the importance.

they need to develop the discipline and patience to warm up slowly, nice and easy, comfortably and methodically before they go full out.

i have to constantly keep myself in check as i tend to want to start belting things out and then my voice communicates back to me and basically says...

"no, bob, you're not ready to go there yet. you haven't even warmed up my muscles or stretched me out enough and already you want access to the higher notes?

no sir! access denied! you might be ready mentally, but i still need more time.

and while we're at it, all those range and stamina tests you pulled on me last night tired me out, so what do you say...let's take a day off and let me rebuild myself a little, i need to recoup..okay?"

i'm telling you folks, when your voice speaks, you'd better listen!

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I can totally relate with all of this.

Warming up is an art and a science. I still haven't mastered it. I think it's so individual that a teacher can't fully teach you the best way to do it for YOUR voice, so it's one of those skills that grows slowly as you gain experience and take notice how your voice response to different methods of preparation.

Exercise and diet also factors hugely into warming up for me and I imagine it must be that way for everyone. It's like a warm up to the warm up. I remember times where I've tried to warm up before lunch after a hasty breakfast earlier in the morning and my voice is totally lacking energy and can't even respond to a warm up. So I go eat a good lunch and try again and then i hear an immediate improvement and my voice is ready to start actually benefiting from the warm up. Also I find that a good jog - with good breathing and pushing yourself to the limit physically, is a great way to prep for a good warm up. Sometimes I'm too busy to put in the time for it, but I generally always go for a jog on the days of long studio sessions just to make sure I'm working at my best energy - unless I notice my voice is already doing well, then I would purposely not exercise so I don't screw it up. Because sometimes if you exercise poorly it can have the opposite effect - same if you eat poorly.

But if I do everything "clinically" and "correct" - all the right nutrition, good form on the exercising, and a systematic warm up...I'm pretty much guaranteed a good vocal day and a successful performance or recording session.

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so many friggin' things can mess you up

too little sleep, mood, weather, stress, diet, allergies..yeech!

but the warmup.....a lot of people downplay it...and i'm also referring to the non-vocal portion.....the body stretching, the face scrunching, the head and neck rolling, and all that stuff we see as expendable.

all this really helps.

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thanks phil.

i just know a lot of the younger or more beginner singers have to really understand, really digest the importance of preparing the voice, body and mind to sing.

i'm concerned they'll tend to downplay (as i used to) the importance.

they need to develop the discipline and patience to warm up slowly, nice and easy, comfortably and methodically before they go full out.

i have to constantly keep myself in check as i tend to want to start belting things out and then my voice communicates back to me and basically says...

"no, bob, you're not ready to go there yet. you haven't even warmed up my muscles or stretched me out enough and already you want access to the higher notes?

no sir! access denied! you might be ready mentally, but i still need more time.

and while we're at it, all those range and stamina tests you pulled on me last night tired me out, so what do you say...let's take a day off and let me rebuild myself a little, i need to recoup..okay?"

i'm telling you folks, when your voice speaks, you'd better listen!

My voice talks to me too. It usually says: "But I wanna watch Game of thrones! ... Oh, all right, let's do everything YOU want to do".

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My voice talks to me too. It usually says: "But I wanna watch Game of thrones! ... Oh, all right, let's do everything YOU want to do".

Hail to the King, hail to the one. Kneel to the crown, stand in the sun.

Sorry, the game of thrones thing brought A7F to mind.

;)

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Oh boy, how I hate doing warm-ups. But I deeply regret it when I don't do it properly, and in the middle of my practice my voice doesn't sound decent, or I cannot reach certain notes. And when I really take the time to warm-up it makes a world of difference. But I still am trying to figure out the best and most efficient way of doing it. I also try to vocalize lightly through a straw several times during the day. It has helped me a lot when it is time to practice.

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Oh boy, how I hate doing warm-ups. But I deeply regret it when I don't do it properly, and in the middle of my practice my voice doesn't sound decent, or I cannot reach certain notes. And when I really take the time to warm-up it makes a world of difference. But I still am trying to figure out the best and most efficient way of doing it. I also try to vocalize lightly through a straw several times during the day. It has helped me a lot when it is time to practice.

curious, why do you hate warm-ups?

Sometimes if you hate them it's because you're doing them wrong or they're too hard for you. Not always but it's common. It's either that or you're doing everything right and they're too easy for you so they bore the hell out of you, which is not necessarily a bad thing whereas the former usually is. When your warm up routines are just right for your voice they should naturally become enjoyable or at least tolerable.

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Hi Owen, I think it is because I want to rush to singing (the fun part), as I am not very patient...and also because I may be doing them in the wrong way. Additionally, I think my voice needs about 45-60 min to be in top shape, if I am not recovering from a hard practice or rehearsal with my band from the day before. Would you be so kind to share with me some of your routine warm-up? Cheers

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Hi Owen, I think it is because I want to rush to singing (the fun part), as I am not very patient...and also because I may be doing them in the wrong way. Additionally, I think my voice needs about 45-60 min to be in top shape, if I am not recovering from a hard practice or rehearsal with my band from the day before. Would you be so kind to share with me some of your routine warm-up? Cheers

It depends on what I'm working on vocally, but it's mostly scales. And too many to explain in a forum post, it's stuff that Phil has been giving me, he's constructing this giant vault of vocal exercises and he's given me about 5 different full vocal workouts now each with a slightly different purpose.

The general progression starts light and ends with your most versatile mixed voice just like any good warm up but there's a ridiculous amount of variety within it and I guess that keeps it interesting. All the different variables - different vowels, intensities, scales, sirens, etc. are explored which not only leads to comprehensive development of technique but also helps you stay focused, retain concepts, become flexible, etc.

Sometimes they still get boring but usually when that happens I know I'm almost ready for a new workout or a new approach to it or something like that. Usually when I am challenged I am not bored as a vocalist but that's just me.

If you are very eager to get to singing you can also try turning your songs into warm ups. One lesson with a great teacher where you come warmed up and work on a challenging song and they'll show you all kinds of ways to deconstruct it and stuff. Problem is I guarantee you'll forget and want to just go straight to singing the song, so you have to record the lesson and study how they warmed you up to its challenges. But yeah you can skip right to that kind of song-vocalization and do it in a warm up kind of way where you start easy and make it harder, if you are too bored with scales and sirens. But Phil has told me before that the scales/sirens are still better to warm up with in a way

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A good tip that many overlook when warming up is that the actual resting period is PART of the warm up. Instead of rushing through 45 mins of scales, do 10 mins then go rest for a few minutes. Come back, work some more then go take another break. when you do this the work you did "sets" into the voice.

This too.

I almost think the ultimate warm up system would have instructions for when to take breaks and how long. Or maybe it just depends on whenever you get fatigued. I'm still trying to figure this variable out, all I've been told is to break when you're fatigued which works pretty good for now. But how long to break, I don't know, maybe that's something I have to figure out myself.

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Thats the thing there is no "ultimate warm up system". You are an individual. Like with any skill its different for everyone and everyone has different needs to get their voice balanced for that day. Once your voice is in good balance your goal is to keep it there and thats why some days you won't need the 60 min warm up maybe just the 20 on the part that is making your voice unbalanced.

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So, I will repeat for (I lost count) the whatever time, pro singers who warm up average 30 minutes, sometimes an hour. And a 30 minute rest before show time. And I mean the guys who have been singing for 30 or 40 years professionally.

Maybe they know something. Maybe they don't. There too busy singing to stop in here and talk about it, I guess.

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Hi Owen, I usually start with lip bubbles, then go to sirens, and finally 1-octave scales and slides, usually starting on eeh and ooh vowels that are the easiest for me. Then I start mixing the vowels ooh+ehh, and mixing in the other vowels between E4 and C5. Then, I go back to scales and slides on the other vowels within the same range. Finally, I start to sing songs, the easiest first and start to work on the higher pitch ones. To rest, I usually go back to my easiest practice song (Crying in the Rain - A-ha cover) and sing it once or twice and go back to the higher stuff I've been practicing. I almost forgot to mention that I've been using the straw every 2-3 songs I practice, and it has helped me a lot.

Cheers

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Gneetap one way you can vary your current warm up is designate various dynamic levels for different exercises. You didn't mention about doing some workouts light some heavier some medium and that variety will help both your technique and mental focus

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Gneetap one way you can vary your current warm up is designate various dynamic levels for different exercises. You didn't mention about doing some workouts light some heavier some medium and that variety will help both your technique and mental focus

Hey Owen, I liked this idea! I never tried varying the dynamic levels of the warm-up exercises. But I now and then try to do this when practice singing songs, such as keeping a hard rock song very light, or stepping down the twang pedal in more light ballads type of songs. Thanks for the tip, and keep on rocking! :cool:

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for me personally, i have to really curb my enthusiasm to start belting and wailing and go nice and slow. you will begin to have a sixth sense as to whether or not you are thoroughly warmed as the years go on.

for me it's about accessing the voice's high and low notes, then getting openness and freedom, which aids you with your focus..

you will eventually begin to know when your voice is ready as well as the days where it's going to need some extra help.

warming up is a skill just like singing is a skill..per your own, particular voice.

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for me personally, i have to really curb my enthusiasm to start belting and wailing and go nice and slow. you will begin to have a sixth sense as to whether or not you are thoroughly warmed as the years go on.

for me it's about accessing the voice's high and low notes, then getting openness and freedom, which aids you with your focus..

you will eventually begin to know when your voice is ready as well as the days where it's going to need some extra help.

warming up is a skill just like singing is a skill..per your own, particular voice.

Yeah, I totally get it. I even started to get the sense of when I can start singing, or not. It may take from 30 to 50 minutes, but when I'm good to go, it feels so nice the tone and the control.

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