Why You Should Warm Up Your Voice
Why warm up your vocals is a common question asked by many. Do you really need to warm up before you sing?
Absolutely!
Believe it or not, when you sing, you are actually exercising your voice. Your vocal cords are muscles and they need to be warmed up properly. If you look at any athlete before a game or event, they are stretching. This reduces injury and allows for better flexibility and performance. The same thing can be said for your vocal cords.
The benefits of warming up are:
Increased flexibility in your vocal cords.
Better vocal range.
Decreases vocal fatigue.
Prevents injury to the vocal cords.
Warming up can also help jump start the resonance placement in your voice and can start getting muscle coordinating. It is not uncommon for the voice to have some issues bridging before a proper warm-up. When I conduct singing lessons in my Boston area studio, I usually start students warming up using buzzing sounds like squeaky “hmmm”, “hun” or “hung”. These work great for getting the voice resonating in the right spot.
The most important aspect of why you should warm up your vocals is to prevent injury. Your voice is your instrument and unlike a guitar, when it is broken, it can not be brought into a shop and fixed in a hour. Take care of you voice by warming up for a few minutes before your performance or practice. Your vocal cords will thank you.