How to Warm up Your Voice

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz

Last Updated: February 10, 2023 References Approved

Warming up plays the most important role for any professional vocalist and also for any human being interested in keeping his voice healthy. You can think of warming up as a magical tuning of your voice box to encompass any kind of vocal production and vocal abuse.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Full Body Tactics

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Keep good posture. In order to have the best air flow and therefore the best sound, you need to have good posture. This goes for when you're both sitting and standing. Imagine a line at the top of your head, through your back, holding you up.^{[1]
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- If you're standing, keep your feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Balance equally on both legs. Keep your head up and shoulders back. Every part of your body should be in the same line.
- If you're sitting, follow the same recommendations as you would for standing, but also keep your back off the chair, sitting towards the edge of your seat.
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Breathe deep.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} Most people have a bad habit of only using the top of their lungs. Doing this though doesn't employ the diaphragm and doesn't let you use your full power.^{[3]
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- If you are tense at all while breathing, it will resound in the muscles of your vocal folds. Breathe normally, but be conscious of keeping your shoulders low and your chest relaxed. Concentrate on breathing lower staying loose throughout your core. If you need to, place a hand on your stomach to remind yourself that that's the part that should be moving up and down -- not your chest and shoulders. Hold an "s" sound (like a hiss) when you exhale to control the amount of air that you can expel.
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3
Release your jaw. Any tension at all will keep you from your best sound. Your jaw is the instrument your voice comes out of -- you have to take care of it, too.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} The best place to sing from is your diaphragm, so stick it out to breathe there.^{[5]
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- Massage your cheeks with the heel of each hand. Push in and down right below your cheekbone and rotate in a clockwise motion. Your jaw should open without you even thinking about it and be forced to relax. Do this several times.
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Drink warm liquids. Ice cold water will limit muscle function in the throat, while very hot water can cause those muscles to relax too much and swell the mucous membranes in the pharynx. It's also best to avoid caffeine and nicotine, too. All these things constrict your throat and keep you from sounding your best.
- Warm teas or room temperature water are your best bets. You definitely want your vocal cords to stay lubed up, but you don't want to freeze or scorch them! If you do choose tea, make sure it's not scalding hot.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Before You Sing

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Do scales. You wouldn't run 5 miles (8.0 km) out of the gate, so don't expect your voice box to be able to go up and down 3 octaves either. Doing scales slowly warms up your voice, extending it to its top and bottom ranges. And it's pretty easy to do, even alone.
- If you are breathing right and holding yourself correctly, it'll be easier to hit those notes in your high register. Be patient, though, and work gradually. You'll actually hurt your voice if you start off too low or too high, forcing it to do things it really doesn't want to do.
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Work on lip and tongue trills.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} Another common method to warming up apart from scales are trills. They relax the lip and tongue, engage breathing, and eliminate tension.^{[7]
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- For lip trills, simply create a raspberry sound by loosely placing your lips together. Experiment with different consonant sounds, like "h" and "b." Go slowly up and down your range, but don't do anything that's uncomfortable or hard to maintain.
- For tongue trills, think of the Spanish "r." Place your tongue behind your upper teeth and exhale strongly. Hold the sound and air steady, varying the pitch while trilling. Again, don’t do anything your voice doesn't want you to do. You'll know.
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Add in sirens and kazoos. Some of the more fun warm ups are sirens and kazoos. When you do your siren (which should start low and go high), use your arm and toss it in a circular motion, going up and down with the pitch.^{[8]
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- Kazoos focus of the sound and stretch the vocal folds in a healthy, controlled way. Just pretend like you're sucking in spaghetti -- it's as simple as that. On an exhale, make the “woo” sound; it'll come out like a buzz. Holding the sound steady, go up and down to the extremities of your range. Do this several times.
- Try some tongue twisters going up and down in tunes.^{[9]
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  Expert Source
  
  Patrick Muñoz
  Voice & Speech Coach
  Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} This is preparing your voice for complexed songs. A good one is 'Seven salty sailors sailed the seven seas (repeat up in Do Re Me.)
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Hum. Humming actually helps cool a voice down, too, which is an oft-forgotten, though important, technique. It warms up your voice without straining your voice like singing can.^{[10]
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- Release your jaw and relax your shoulders. Inhale normally and exhale on a "hum." Go from high to low, like a sighing half-siren. If you feel a tickling around your nose and lips, good job.

Expert Q&A

Question

What are some good exercises to warm up my vocal cords?

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Patrick Muñoz

Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Answer

The best thing you can do is yawn and let out a big sigh. By yawning and sighing, you're opening up your throat and you're relaxing your muscles. This allows your vocal cords to expand and stretch. You can also try massaging your jaw. By massaging the sides of your jaw, you're opening up that space in your mouth and you're relaxing those muscles.
Question

When I am warming up, should I make high pitched sounds or will that mess up my voice?

Community Answer

Try singing "whoooooo!", in which you start at a very low note, and then slur your way up to the highest that you can in a cheer-type way. It's an odd warmup but it helps you to get your higher range warmed up without damaging your voice.
Question

Is my voice cracking because I'm not getting enough sleep?

Community Answer

It is possible for your voice to crack due to exhaustion. However, there are other reasons your voice could be cracking, such as: you've reached your range limit, poor posture, or lack of confidence and supportive air.

Warnings

Don't be self-conscious of your voice. You can trick your mind into tensing up your vocal folds. Consciously try to relax.

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