Vocal Tips: Warming Up & Sirens
A first edition
Talking about the voice is something I adore. It’s so integral to who we are, how we express ourselves and the joy we can feel when it is liberated and explored in the singing form. Along my journey as a singer, teacher and student of the voice, I have had many inspiring conversations and thoughts, all of which seem to be guiding me to being written down. So, I am currently writing a Voice Handbook, which I plan to have completed by the end of this summer. It's showing me how it wants to be and is still very much a work in progress, but I wanted to share a little from it, for anyone who may be interested in diving into the beautifully fascinating and intimate realm of The Voice.
This article is one of the chapters in its very raw form, a first edition. It is a welcome and curious challenge to share in the written form something that ideally would need to be shown and experienced in person, or at least via a video call. And then the universe did its magic, and sent me more opportunities and hints that it was indeed possible to put some of this into the written word and share it.
Chapter Three: Warming Up & Sirens
Singing involves the whole body, so much like athletes, singers need to warm-up before practising or performing. We’ve already looked at physical stretching, now for some internal work. It is important to warm up your voice to avoid straining and damaging your vocal cords, and also to allow your vocal apparatus to resonate in all its glory. Yawning is one of the best ways to warm-up and release tensions. In trauma-releasing, once the body is given the go-ahead to relax, you may notice you start to yawn and yawn almost uncontrollably, releasing tension you may not have even realised you had accumulated. Yawning opens up your throat and helps your voice resonate, so go for it!
Exercise 1 – Lip-Rolling Siren
Imagine you’re a disgruntled horse. Now make a neigh with that disgruntled energy. You can shake your head too if it helps. Make sure your lips are relaxed and rolling.
Once you have this, add a sound, on one note. Your horse is now a Harley-Davidson. Try starting that motorbike. If it helps, you can squeeze your cheeks just slightly. Once you have this rumbling away, you’re ready for the next part.
Create an ascending and descending siren on this lip-rolling “brrr” sound. You are aiming to create a smooth, consistent, united and free sound.
What do you notice? Where is it hard? What happens at the top? What happens to the breath?
Repeat this with increased awareness after some self-reflection. Repeat a few more times, observing and listening all the while, allowing your body to become accustomed to the exercise at hand. It is normal for there to be breaks in the sound the first times you attempt this. This is connected to the breath not being support enough and this will come with time and patience. It is also normal for it not to be very smooth at first. You may notice periodic jumps and “wobbly” moments. Our voice has different registers and requires slightly different techniques and positions, so the jumps signify this. It doesn’t really matter, ultimately, however, the goal is for it to be you to decide if there is a jump and where. With enough time, practice and awareness, you’ll be able to iron out all the creases and create a truly smooth and controlled siren, so you are in the driving seat.
Exercise 2 – The Nasalized (‘ng’) Siren
Imagine you’re looking at a plate of horrendous food, that’s also been lost behind the sofa and has now suspicious green matter growing on it. What sound do you emit? Where does it come from? Typically, it should be a nasal sound. Try again. Are you sure it’s 100% through the nose? To test this, while emitting the sound, pinch your nose. The sounds should be interrupted immediately. For this next exercise we want the sound to be nasal, ie. coming from the nose.
Once you have this, practise creating smooth, continuous and consistent sirens on this sound. Be aware of the jumps. Be aware of the sound getting louder or quieter anywhere. Be aware of speeding up – no cheating!
** Singing is both physical and psychological. It is intimately connected with our inner critic, which can also be our inner cheerleader. We can become aware of our limiting self-beliefs through the study of the voice. And likewise, when we are doing apparently simple exercises like these, it can help to be aware of where our minds are getting in the way. Some people have no trouble shutting off their minds. For others, it’s a little harder. With any exercise taking us towards the high notes, this can often be a bit scary and ungrounding. We can feel like the hardest part is getting to the top and that the rest, ie., descending back down to our starting note, is plain-sailing. What do you notice when doing this exercise? Is the easiest part the beginning of the descent? Usually, most people find this is in fact the hardest part. This is probably due to the fact that our mind is telling us that hardest part is over and it’s all “downhill from here”, so you can relax. Wrong! This is where you need extra oomph, as the breath is not what it was at the beginning and the focus and engagement of the singing muscles throughout the body should be active until the very last moment of our exercise. It is only when we decide we have finished that our singing apparatus can rest.
**If you’re struggling with making your breath last, over time and with practice and exercise, this should improve. However, there are a few tricks you can apply which can help get an extra squeeze of breath out. The first, already mentioned previously, is making sure your posture is good. Imagine there is a string pulling you up from your crown chakra, so your chin tucks in slightly, your neck is straightened and you gain a tiny extra amount to your height. This will straighten the singing tube that is your body. Secondly, as you get to the top of these sirens and about to start your descent, try squeezing the pelvic area, the root chakra, slightly and holding it as you descend. Do you notice a difference?
** Sirens can be used on any sound really, and two other good sounds are on “v” and “z”. With “v”, the “Bee Siren”, you’ll notice there is resistance against the teeth, and the top teeth are pressing down on the bottom lip. The tongue should be relaxed and behind the teeth. With “z”, the “Mosquito Siren”, here too there is resistance against the teeth and the mouth is slightly ajar. Both are also great workouts.
I'd be very appreciative of any feedback, comments, thoughts, experiences! Leave them in comments here below and perhaps we can open up a conversation on The Voice and see where this might take us!