Doing voice exercises is like going to the gym for your voice!

Many professional singers talk about strengthening their voices and preparing them for the demanding task of high-quality singing. Voice exercises are a central part of any vocal warm-up regime, and can add versatility, beauty and strength to your voice.

Experienced singers know that they can't simply jump into their favorite music and start singing all-out without proper preparation. This would spell disaster for their long-term vocal health, and their singing careers. So think what this kind of approach to singing would do to younger or less experienced voices! Anyone who wants a long and healthy singing life should build in voice exercises of various kinds to their daily routine. Your body will reward you in the months and years ahead by allowing you to sing freely and expressively for a long time.

The type of voice exercises you choose to do will depend on your current age and experience, as well as the type of music you are working on. There are a few essentials that every singer can do, however, so have a go at the following examples and you'll soon see the positive results!

How are these voice exercises ordered?

To get the very best out of your unique vocal instrument, you need to split your exercises up into smaller chunks, much like you would at the gym. Someone who trained only their tricep muscles and nothing else would be imbalanced, incapable of doing the most basic movements, and would look pretty odd too; far better to do a full-body, balanced workout. Singing is no different, and these voice exercises are designed to work on each of the important aspects of the voice, so that you end up with a strong and versatile instrument.

1 - Voice exercises: the power of humming!

Humming is one of the most gentle and effective ways to get your voice warmed up. Start off by humming really quietly, in the middle of your voice, then turn your attention to the buzzing sensation in your face. Turn up the volume gradually until you feel like you've reached an "optimal hum"! You'll know when you get there!

A word of warning - there should be no tension or "local effort" to produce the buzz in your face. Humming should be a relaxed way to get your vocal cords working, so keep this at the forefront of your mind as you increase the intensity.

2 - Voice exercises for your jaw, lips and tongue

Your jaw, lips and tongue are incredibly important in singing, because they shape the sound you produce into vowels and consonants. They are called the articulators. Without them there would be no words, so they need attention!

- Choose a comfortable pitch, and speak the sounds "ma, ma, ma", "ba, ba, ba", "ya, ya, ya", and "la, la, la". Focus on producing a clean, punchy sound which is full of positive intention. Notice the different ways you are using your tongue, lips and jaw as you move through the sounds. - Repeat the exercise, this time singing the sounds on a note in the middle of your voice. Do this a few times on different mid-voice pitches, so that you really get a feel for the articulation taking place. - Now sing the sounds up and down a half-scale, then a full-scale, still in the middle area of your voice. These exercises are not about extending your range, so don't worry about hitting high notes.

3 - Voice exercises for a smooth sound

There's nothing better than singing with a beautiful, smooth sound, which feels connected and anchored in your body. Some simple scales are the best way to access this type of singing, known as "legato" singing, from the Italian word meaning "tied together". For example, sing up and down the scale on an "ah" vowel. Don't go too high or too low, just focus on that smoothness of tone. Then sing a bright "aa" sound, like the Italian "aa". Feel the difference in the sensations in your chest, throat, and face, but maintain that sense of connection.

4 - Voice exercises for extending your range

There are many things you can do to work on increasing the strength and vitality of both your high and low notes, but here are a few useful examples to get you started:

- Start from a note in the middle of your range and sing up and down the scale on an "ah" vowel. As you go up, think "energy" and think down into your body. Thinking downwards stops you mentally and physically reaching up for the high notes, and it also connects you more to your breathing mechanism, which is key for supporting your voice as you go up. Monitor your whole body for areas of tension, and work on only using the muscles needed to sing high - if it hurts, stop immediately. Your high notes are precious, and can only be worked on for short periods of time to avoid fatigue. Don't become disheartened if they take a bit of time to improve and strengthen - this is totally normal. Remember, it'll be all the more rewarding when you do reach your new heights! - After a few scales using the above method, switch to the vowel sound "ee" and do the same again. "Ee" is a more closed sound, so you will feel different sensations in your throat and your face. This is fine, as long as you work on singing an even tone up and down the scale, and, as above, increasing your energy and thinking down when going up. Experiment with dropping your jaw a little as you go higher, to give you more space to resonate.

- To extend your range downwards, the opposite principles apply. Again, start on a note in your middle voice and sing down the scale on an "ah" into your low range a few times. Think about relaxing and "letting go" as you go downwards - your vocal cords simply won't react correctly if you try to force your voice lower. You still have vocal energy to keep the tone alive and vibrant, but you don't need to engage your breath support as much as when you sing high. Whatever you do, don't thrust your chin down! It might be that your low notes are breathy to start with - this can be fixed over time, as your vocal mechanism becomes more efficient and accustomed to singing low.

An experienced teacher can guide you through many different voice exercises, and help you to develop the areas that need work. The above exercises are a starting point for your vocal regime - make sure you do them before jumping in to full-scale singing. Your voice will thank you in the long run!

Andrew Ashwin is an experienced professional singer and voice teacher. If you want to improve your singing instantly for free, just visit http://justhowtosing.com. Need a singing teacher now who has what it takes to make you great? Click Here!

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