A warm-up for your voice is a necessity if you want to sing well. You can also try humming. The point of the warm-up is to open up your vocal cords so that they’re loose and ready for singing. The best voice lessons will also cover voice warm-ups.
You can also do some lip trills or tongue trills (the ‘brrrr’ sound), which will help loosen up tight muscles in your throat and tongue. Just make sure that your trills are done quietly and don’t cause pain or straining. If it does, you’re likely doing them too loud or too high for your voice to handle.
How Long Should the Warm-Up Take Before You Can Start Singing?
People often think that this process will take only a few minutes, but it can easily take five or ten. By doing so, you prepare your voice for the stresses that will follow during an actual performance. A lot of singers ask this question. The answer, like many things in life, is that it depends.
How much is the singer going to sing? Is the singer a professional or an amateur? How long has it been since they last sang? And what kind of equipment are they using to sing (e.g., headphones, microphone)?
The first thing to consider is how long you warm up before singing. If you are a professional singer who sings for several hours a day, every day, then it’s much easier to warm up quicker than if you are an amateur singer who only sings occasionally.
How to Take Care of Your Voice as a Singer
The voice is arguably the most important instrument in the musical world. However, many people neglect their voices and find themselves struggling to sing:
Don’t Excessively Vary Your Voice
Play around with your voice a little bit more than you think is necessary. It is important to have various ranges in your voice, but it is not necessary to go all the way up and down the scale every time you sing or perform.
This is because it can be damaging to your voice, causing problems like vocal nodules and even vocal polyps. Save those challenging notes for when you really need them during performances, but don’t force yourself to hit every note on the scale every time you sing.
Practice Carefully
If you want to make sure you’re practicing singing the right way, use a singing voice training app or online voice trainer program. Pay close attention to what your teacher says about the proper breathing technique. You get to learn how to breathe correctly, which will keep your throat muscles relaxed when singing.
Too many people use improper breathing techniques, which can cause unnecessary tension in their bodies. A good breathing technique will help you to sing more easily and make your voice sound better.
When you are practicing, be sure to practice various songs using a variety of notes. Take breaks while practicing to give your voice time to recover. This will help you practice for longer periods of time, but it will also help you not over-exhaust yourself while practicing.
Get Plenty of Rest
You need to be sure that you are getting adequate rest before and after every singing performance or practice, as this is a crucial part of learning how to take care of your voice. Rest gives your vocal cords time to heal and get back to normal after they have been overworked from practicing or performing.
If you are using the wrong technique while performing or practicing, your voice will become strangled and hurt. Pay attention to how you feel after singing; when you feel tired, take a break and make sure that you get plenty of rest.
Hydrate Properly
This tip is crucial if you want your voice to stay healthy. Your voice needs to be hydrated at all times, especially if it has been overworked from singing or practicing it too much. Pre-hydrate yourself for at least an hour before you perform, practice, or sing.
Finally, remember that singing is one of the most fun, enjoyable parts of performing, and it doesn’t have to be something that ends up hurting your throat. Soften your tone and the volume of your voice when you’re not singing. Singing in a very soft tone can increase the longevity of your voice. Practice minimizing any muscle tension that you have when you’re singing. This way, your energy will be directed to your voice and not into the muscles.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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