SINGING EXERCISES: The Ultimate Daily Vocal Workout Plan for Beginners

You have probably looked all over the internet for online singing tutorials. There are so many out there, some named differently but have the same steps. It can get pretty overwhelming and confusing for someone who is just starting out. 

No worries.

In this article, I will give you a complete daily workout plan that is perfect for aspiring singers who want to improve and to start committing to daily workouts.

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What Are the Benefits of Vocal Development Exercises?

First, let me help you get your mind set up for these exercises.

It is very important to understand that beneath all the sparkle and glamor that comes hand in hand with singing and performing on stage, singing is still very much physical activity. It involves special muscles that can get damaged in the process. This is especially true when these are left in stagnation or strained to perform more than what these are currently capable of. 

This is why it is important to find a balance when doing exercises to improve your singing voice and maintain your vocal health.

  • Warm-Ups and Exercises Allow You to Use the Best Version of Your Voice

Doing voice strengthening exercises allow you to clear your vocal cords of any mucus build-up while you slept. These can due to health issues, unuse, the way you breathe during your sleep, and even your diet. Daily exercises let your body get rid of the mucus build-up and loosen up the muscles that may have tensed overnight. These also promote blood flow through all the parts of your voice box in order to bring you to a point where your voice is at its prime.

  • Daily Warm-Ups Allow Your Voice to Improve

Just like any form of workout, vocal exercises need to be done daily to achieve results. You may not see the positive changes overnight, but daily practice is sure to make a difference. 

  • Warm-Ups and Vocal Exercises Help You Minimize The Damage Your Vocal Cords Can Receive During Singing

There is always a risk when it comes to exerting physical effort. It is the same as singing. Without proper warm-ups, proper singing exercises and technique, it is much easier to commit a mistake and injure or damage your vocal cords. Warm-ups and exercises gradually train your muscles to take more pressure as you sing, hence lowering the chances of injury and damage.

How Often Should You Practice Singing?

Some people think that once or twice a week should be enough practice for someone who wants to sing. This is not true. In reality, you need to exercise daily for at least 30 minutes to make sure that all the muscles that have anything to do with your singing voice do not fall into stagnation. 

If you do not have a warm-up routine to follow, then it is extremely wise to consult a professional vocal coach. You might be wondering, why do you need one? Is it not enough to just scour YouTube for free content? The answer to that is this: on the internet, you can post just about anything without proper training or even correct information. While not every single source is unreliable, it is crucial, especially for beginners, to do singing exercises and vocal warm-ups correctly. Otherwise, you run the risk of developing bad habits that might be difficult to rectify later on.

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Vocal coaches are trained professionals and they have studied everything that has to do with voice, including correct techniques that will improve your abilities. Even if you do not know any vocal coaches near you, there are other convenient ways of finding yourself a vocal coach or even lessons and exercises that you can do daily to keep up with your training. One of these things is taking online classes. To help you decide which online class you should take for your skill level, you can refer to this
article I wrote about my top 9 best online singing courses on the internet.

Vocal Training Exercises For Singers

Some exercises can cause more damage than good to singers, so it is important to ensure that your singing training exercises are tailor-made for singers. The ones I will include in this list have been proven and recommended by many vocal coaches as one of the best vocal warm-ups. It is crucial that you follow this routine step by step as jumping from one exercise to another may cause strain. Now then, let us get started with the actual exercises.

Humming

Why:
Humming is something we already do whenever we feel content or happy. It is easy, convenient, relaxing and less strenuous than actual singing. It is perfect for preparing your vocal cords before doing harder exercises.

How:

  1. Rest your tongue behind your bottom and front teeth.
  2. Begin humming from the lowest note you can make and slowly and gradually make your way up the scale. 
  3. Do not strain your vocal cords, when you reach a point while humming where you feel like you are exerting too much effort, gradually hum your way down the scale before going back up.
  4. Make sure to include the ‘H’ at the beginning of your hums as they help facilitate nasal breathing which will help improve your tone.
  5. Keep doing this exercise for about 5 minutes.

Here is a video that you can follow with this vocal exercise:

Ngs

Why:
This exercise might sound nasal at first but the longer you do it the clearer you will see the improvements. The purpose of this vocal exercise is to soften your hard palate (the roof of your mouth), allowing your voice to reverberate better within your mouth, therefore improving your tone.

How:

  1. From the word ‘Sing’ use the ‘ng’ at the end and sustain it.
  2. Just like the humming exercise, start from your lowest town and gradually climb up the scale until you reach the highest you can.
  3. Once more, do not force yourself to continue if you encounter pain during this exercise. Instead, gradually go down the scale until you reach your lowest note.
  4. Once you are at your lowest note, make your way up the scale once more.
  5. Do not forget to observe proper breathing.
  6. Keep doing this exercise for about 5 minutes.

Here is a video that you could watch as a guide for this exercise:

Ha-Ha-Ha

Why:
Solfege is used initially by composers and then eventually adopted by singers as it helps them develop a better pitch. These exercises will also help develop your musical auditory skills and even teach you how to read notes.

How:

  1. On your piano, find Middle C. And then, starting from Middle C, sing through the whole solfege (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do).
  2. Carefully focus on the sound and the pitch.
  3. Once you are used to the pitch, do this exercise without the accompaniment of a piano to train your ear to pick up mistakes in pitch.
  4. Continue doing this exercise for 5 minutes. This is a very versatile singing exercise and can be done creatively so feel free to experiment. This website (1), for example, gives plenty of creative solfege exercises that you can incorporate in your daily workouts.

Here is a video you can use to guide you through this exercise:

Solfege

Why:
Solfege is used initially by composers and then eventually adopted by singers as it helps them develop a better pitch. These exercises will also help develop your musical auditory skills and even teach you how to read notes.

How:

  1. On your piano, find Middle C. And then, starting from Middle C, sing through the whole solfege (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do).
  2. Carefully focus on the sound and the pitch.
  3. Once you are used to the pitch, do this exercise without the accompaniment of a piano to train your ear to pick up mistakes in pitch.
  4. Continue doing this exercise for 5 minutes. This is a very versatile singing exercise and can be done creatively so feel free to experiment. This website (1), for example, gives plenty of creative solfege exercises that you can incorporate in your daily workouts.

Here is a video you can use to guide you through this exercise:

Arpeggio

Why:

The Arpeggio is especially important to help improve your ability to recognize patterns and intervals during singing. Not only does it help you with your rhythm, because of the sliding nature of this exercise, it will also help you improve your transitioning into something a bit more seamless.

How:

  1. Select from either ‘Ah’ or ‘Oh’. Some singers add a consonant at the beginning. In order to hear your slides better, however, it is better to do this with only the vowels first.
  2. Referring to this scale:
    Arpeggios
    Start from the bottom note and gradually work your way up to the middle.
  3. From the middle then, gradually make your way down to the last note.
  4. Continue doing this exercise for 5 minutes.

Here is a video that you can watch to guide you through this vocal exercise:

Sing A Song

For the last five minutes of your exercise, go ahead and pick two songs that you like and know well to sing. Choose something that starts out slow and relaxed and then eventually builds up the intensity. 

This will straighten out any kinks you might have that have not been covered by the vocal warm-up you have already done.

Personally, my favorite warm-up songs are the following: 

  • Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley:

  • Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley:

But you can change this to any song you prefer.

What Do Bad Voice Exercises Do To You?

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Bad
vocal exercises are exercises not organized properly and noticeably have extreme jumps in difficulty between each one. These create sudden tension and relaxation from your muscles which can result in vocal strains. Continuous use of bad voice exercises can instill bad habits in you, which are difficult to get rid of once you gain more experience as a singer. 

Additionally, strain gives you a difficult time conditioning your voice to its best version, which means longer warm-ups before performances. It can also cause you to get a sore throat more often than usual as well as lose your voice for a period of time.

These reasons are why it is extremely important to find yourself a good vocal coach to walk you through some singing practice techniques for beginners. In the event that you have no access to a vocal coach, look for singing exercises to help you improve your singing voice.

References

  1. https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/enhance-your-voice-with-these-vocal-warm-ups-and-breathing-exercises/