Warm-ups · Intermediate · Every style
Hum across a ninth
A gentle hum that slides up a ninth and back. It stretches the range and relaxes the jaw and tongue at the same time.
How to do it
- Lips together, teeth apart.
- Slide up, slide back, no bump.
- Pick the octave that suits your voice.
Remember Smooth both ways.
| Numbers | 1 2′ 1 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | S Ṙ S |
| Solfa | do re do |
| Notes | G A G |
| Sung on | mm – – |
Where it comes from
More warm-ups
Lip trill · five-note scale
The buzzing lips hold back a little air, which takes the load off the vocal folds.
Lip trill · slides on a fifth
A slow slide up a fifth and back stretches the folds smoothly from note to note, with the lips doing the work of steadying the air..
Lip trill · octave and a half
Up the chord past the octave, then down the scale: the long line carries the voice through its register change on an easy sound.
Hum · five-note scale
Humming keeps the lips closed and the sound buzzing in the face, so you feel where a good tone lives before you open the mouth..