Warm-ups · Beginner · Every style
Straw sirens
Phonating through a straw is the best-studied voice exercise there is. The narrow straw sends pressure back to the folds so they vibrate with less effort and less collision.
How to do it
- Put a drinking straw between the lips and seal around it.
- Hum through the straw and glide from low to high and back, like a siren.
- Make the slide smooth and unhurried. Nothing should come out of the nose.
Remember Slow, smooth, no bumps.
| Numbers | 1 1′ 1 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | S Ṡ S |
| Solfa | do do do |
| Notes | G G G |
| Sung on | straw – – |
Where it comes from
- Titze 2006: semi-occluded vocal tract exercises
- National Center for Voice and Speech (Ingo Titze): straw phonation
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..