Lesson 17 of 24SingingBeginner

Mum exercise

1:28

Adam Mishan walks through the "mum" vocal exercise, keeping the vowel consistent and speech-like so it doesn't spread or splat as you sing.

Part of the courseBeginner Singing Lessons For Men24 lessons (1h 9m)

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24 lessons (1h 9m) · 4 free
    • 01. Mum exercise

      You are here

      1:28

    • 02. Mum demo

      4:01

    • 03. Mum - your turn

      3:28

Lesson transcript

Mum, Mum, Mum Exercise

This exercise is going to bring together all the other previous exercises. What you've learned will really help solidify it and get it closer to the way you sing.

Exercise Overview

  • Focus on Speaking Style
    This exercise is a "mum, mum, mum" exercise, and we really want to do it the way that we would speak. If you would say,
    "mum, mum, mum."
    That's how we want to do the exercise:
    "mum, mum, mum, mum."
    We don't want to change it from that spoken form.

Common Mistake

One thing I see a lot with singers is that their chin will tend to rise and the vowel will splat, sounding something like this:
"Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma."
You hear how we had, like, 50 different types of vowels in there?

Key Objective

We want to keep it:
"mum, mum, mum, mum, mum, mum, mum."
Really in that sound all the way through.

Important Notes

  • Using the M as a Springboard
    Another important note with this exercise is that we want to really use the M as a springboard to bounce off of in order to get that full sound.

  • Volume Control
    When it comes to your higher range, try also not to get any louder as you go higher. We really want to keep it at that spoken volume. Very spoken,
    Spoken volume.
    I'm not screaming at you. I'm not whispering. I'm kind of right in between, right where I'm talking right now.

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Adam Mishan

Adam Mishan

Adam Mishan is a vocal coach who taught himself to sing. His videos document the journey from not being able to hold a pitch to singing with real control, and that path now shapes how he teaches - over 200,000 people follow along on YouTube. In his courses you'll work on pitch, breath support, tone and range in small, repeatable steps, the same way he built his own voice.

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