Preparation for the warm-up

Embracing the Meditative State for Vocal Warm-Up

So now that we've gotten into that meditative state, our producer mentioned that word, and it's a fantastic one to use. That meditative state is the mindset we want when approaching a song or a performance.

The Importance of a Vocal Warm-Up

We're going to do a little vocal warm-up. There's a reason why it's called a warm-up.

• Personal Experience: I used to believe that I needed to do thousands of scales, going up and down for a long time before stepping onto the stage. I did this frequently, but I found that by the time I was on stage, my voice felt tired, and I was vocally fatigued quicker than normal.

• Lack of Proper Training: Back then, I hadn't had any training, so I didn't work on my breathing or that meditative state I'm discussing. Instead of preserving my voice and using gentle warm-ups, I was screaming scales, thinking I was doing well.

The Purpose of a Warm-Up

The warm-up should be:

• Relaxing
• Fun
• Exciting

Knowing where your voice will lie for a particular performance is essential. Your voice won't always be the same. You may show up to another performance with a tireder voice than the week before, and that's okay.

The Natural Change of Your Voice

• The voice is a natural muscle and instrument; it will change over time.

• I guarantee that in 10 years, as you continue singing, your voice will sound completely different.

• I remember listening to myself at 16, thinking I had a big voice, when in reality, it wasn't great at all. Only after training did I discover my true sound.

• Growth and Development: A male singer's voice typically breaks around 12 to 14 years old, but it continues to develop often into the early 40s or late 30s. In contrast, a female voice settles quicker because younger and older women are on similar tonal planes.

Understanding Voice Changes

• When a guy's voice breaks or cracks, it transitions from a higher register to a lower one, resulting in a more mature sound.
• We need to allow our voices to settle.

Gently Preparing for Performance

To preserve your voice as a male singer, it's important to let it grow naturally.

The Warm-Up Exercises

The exercises I'm going to show you will gently prepare you for a performance.

• Structure of the Warm-Up:

  • We warm the voice up in the register.
  • Then we come down.
  • Finally, we warm it up to a higher step in the musical phrase.

• We will go up in semitones, similar to a piano with white and black notes, gradually warming up the scale.

Keeping Your Voice Vibrant

You want your voice to be bright, vibrant, and high.

• Avoid Starting with a Downward Warm-Up: If you start warming down the scale before your performance, you may struggle to bring it back up to where you want it to be.

• Pre and Post Warm-Ups:

  • Always do a warm-up before the show.
  • After the performance, warm your voice down the scale to relax it and gently sway back into a calm state, preparing for the next performance.