Vocal Exercise for Singing Practice - 10 Exercises Explained.pdf

10/25/13Vocal Exercise for Singing Practice - 10 Exercises Explained Vocal Exercise – Singing Practice The objective of this page is to help you identify the best vocal exercise or multiple exercises for your singing practice. Below are TEN Recommendations… The first place to start is by looking at the songs you’re currently singing and the particular skills each one requires. This way you can quickly identify which vocal exercises your really need to focus on during practice. For example, if a current song requires the far extremes of your vocal range then there are exercises specifically for that. Or, maybe you are rehearsing something that has lots of sustained notes in it so breath support and control exercises would be worth doing. How about trills and really fast runs? This would mean doing some exercises on flexibility. Vocal Exercise For Breath Support and Control 1) The Buzz Slide (or Motorboat Exercise) This is one of the best drills for loosening up your lips, jaw and vocal cords. Its also good for working on breath support. It is also commonly known as the Motorboat Exercise due the sound produced by your lips! Exhale through your puckered lips to create a vibration sound, kind of like a motor. You can put a finger on each cheek and relax your lips to help you get a good buzz going. Start in a comfortable mid-range tone and slide down a fifth: so-do. Do this a few times, descending by half-steps. After that, buzz the descending triad: so-mi-do, and be sure to slide between tones. Repeat this a few times, descending by half-steps. To finish up, try buzzing a fivetone descending scale: so-fa-mi-re-do. Check out this video example of the buzz or motorboat vocal exercise. www.vocalsingingtips.com/vocal-exercise-singing-practice/ 1/4 a Turn and Downward Octave This builds on the exercise above and is a little more complicated.vocalsingingtips. follow it with a turn (ti-do-re). www. 4) Upward Arpeggio.10/25/13 Vocal Exercise for Singing Practice . Sing the upward arpeggio (domi-so-do). 3) Arpeggios Up and Down (do-mi-so-do-so-mi-do) Sing simple broken chords up and down using your preferred syllable.10 Exercises Explained 2) Messa di voce Messa di voce means “placing the voice” in Italian. and a few with “ah”. The technique involves a gradual crescendo and decrescendo while sustaining a single pitch. Each time you repeat it. a few with “oo”. shift up by half-steps. Gradually get louder and then without stopping reverse it to get softer again. and then finish with an 8-tone descending octave scale from do to do.com/vocal-exercise-singing-practice/ 2/4 . Begin each new cycle a half-step higher than the previous. very softly sing “ah” in a comfortable mid-range pitch. ==> Download Free “Become a Better Singer” Book Now <== For High Singing Range Excellent training for sopranos and tenors but altos and basses will also find them useful. Do the exercise with vowel sounds: sing a few with “ee”. First. as illustrated here. buzz or vowel sound. moving in half-steps.10 Exercises Explained 5) Repeated High Note Upward Arpeggio This arpeggio variation is really helpful for keeping a lighter tone on your high notes. Use the vocal buzz technique (some call it the lip roll or even bubble lips) and move in half steps down one octave. move down by half-steps. For Low Singing Range Excellent training for altos and basses but sopranos and tenors will also find them useful. 6) Descending octave slides Find the most comfortable pitch in your mid-range and start there. Go down a fifth (so-do). To end with. use the buzz technique or the syllable vaw. www. reverse it (do-so-do). try speeding up until you can sing it as quickly as you can. 7) The Fifth slide Starting from a comfortable pitch in your mid-range.vocalsingingtips. add a third tone back up to the starting pitch (so-do-so). Ascending triplet scale Read the notes below and this exercise won’t seem so complicated. For Flexibility 8. When you get comfortable with it.com/vocal-exercise-singing-practice/ 3/4 . And if you can’t read music.10/25/13 Vocal Exercise for Singing Practice . mi etc) and you’ll get the idea. re. just read the solfege syllables (do. Sing an upward arpeggio (do-mi-so-do) using the syllable “ha”. Next. vee. Upon reaching the top of the scale. Try doing this with different sounds as well like voo. Once more. ah and oo. reverse and sing each triplet downwards. Repeat the high do (in staccato) five or six times as shown below. Sing an eighth-note triplet upward starting on each syllable. Go up and down a five tone scale (do-re-mi-fa-so-fa-mire-do).10 Exercises Explained 9) Ascending and descending thirds Again this exercise is easier to sing than it is to explain in words. up another third.10/25/13 Vocal Exercise for Singing Practice . 10) The Repeated Up and Down Five Note scale – Rapid Here’s an easy but effective one for you. repeating over and over. Best of luck! www. go up a third. down a whole step. Begin on the base note. turn around and go back down a third. down a third. When you start getting better at this exercise. try singing it as fast as you can. up a whole step and so on. Be sure to do at least one vocal exercise as part of each singing practice. Better still. up a half step. do a few and you’ll be sure to notice a big difference in your vocal skills.com/vocal-exercise-singing-practice/ 4/4 .vocalsingingtips. etc until you get to the fifth tone. After that.