Warm-ups · Beginner · Every style
Lip trill · five-note scale
The buzzing lips hold back a little air, which takes the load off the vocal folds. The voice warms up without pushing, and the breath has to keep flowing or the trill stops.
How to do it
- Close the lips loosely and blow until they flutter, like a motorboat.
- Add a gentle voice to the buzz and follow the line up five notes and back.
- If the lips stop, put a fingertip lightly on each cheek and try again.
Remember Keep the buzz going all the way to the last note.
| Numbers | 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | S R G M P M G R S |
| Solfa | do re mi fa sol fa mi re do |
| Notes | G A B C D C B A G |
| Sung on | brr – – – – – – – – |
Where it comes from
- Jacob's Vocal Academy: warm-up exercise 1, lip roll
- Titze 2006: semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res.)
More warm-ups
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..
Straw sirens
Phonating through a straw is the best-studied voice exercise there is.