If you're a professional singer, you'll agree that singing can be very demanding. It takes a lot to breathe some life into the audience with a powerful performance. But to achieve that, learning how to warm up your voice and cool down vocals is a must. For example, you can use a voice remover to extract vocals or instrumentals from a music track and practice for the big event. So, in this post, we'll learn why you need to warm up your voice and some helpful tips to help you achieve that.
Part 1. Why do you need to warm up your voice?
There are 1001 reasons why you'll need to warm up your voice. In fact, you'll often find yourself clearing your throat for no good reason at all. With that said, below are some critical moments when you'll need to do a dress rehearsal of your voice:
- Sing karaoke
You'll only be setting yourself up for embarrassment if you participate in a music edition without proper voice practice. Warming up your voice before a karaoke performance can actually get it in shape. Luckily, there are many ways to train your singing skills, as this post will discuss in the next section. But the most effective way is to master the lyrics clearly. This helps you to navigate through the pitches cleverly. So, get enough practice before belting out a song.
- Preserve your voice
If you're a seasoned karaoke performer or singer, for that matter, vocal warmups can help preserve your voice. In other words, your voice will sound just the same ten years from now. But, even more importantly, doing enough vocal warmups keeps your voice healthy. And the healthier your voice, the longer you'll be able to wow the crowds with a strong performance.
- Create a music mix
If you're a TikTok fan, then you must have come across countless clips by wannabe musicians. People often try to mimic the sound of their favorite musician or tunes. But it doesn't happen overnight. Apart from some good looks (not always) and a quality camera, you'll also need a voice to match. Think of it this way; you'll need more than enough practice to sing anything close to Justin Bieber or any other famous musician.
- Narrate a movie
Nowadays, movies come in varying shapes, sizes, and, of course, languages. As such, you'll come across multiple translated movies with subtitles and voice narrations. Good examples are Mexican soap operas and Bollywood movies. But you can't redub a film with a cracking voice. That's why you'll need enough warmup to master the lines and soften your throat.
- Learn your weak spots
An excellent way to know your singing potential is to record yourself doing warmups. It doesn't even have to be a high-quality recording. A smartphone or computer microphone recording will suffice. After recording yourself, you can compare your voice with that of the original singer and note the mistakes. For example, you may discover that you breathe too fast or have a weak vocal range. But practice makes perfect!
Part 2. 15 well-selected tricks to warm up your voice [Effective]
- Start by breathing deeply
Breathing in and out is an excellent exercise for those who want to perform a tune. Usually, practicing breathing exercises lowers stress levels, improving your ability to sing in the process. So, keep your shoulders low, relax your chest, and breath nice and deep. You'll be astounded by your unused singing potential.
- Clear your throat
You don't need any introduction to this voice clearing technique, do you? Well, opening your throat is one of the easiest and most effective ways to warm up your voice before a performance. It's recommended to clear your throat about two to three times to open it fully.
- Release jaw tension
Have you ever presented a project to a no-nonsense panel or interviewers? If so, you'll agree that your jaw doesn't do you any favors most of the time. If you don't relax your jaws, you'll have a trembling sound, making you look unconfident. So, release the tension in these areas by gently massaging the jaw muscles. Also, allow your jaw to open to the natural position.
- The siren exercise
Practicing the siren song will not only stretch your vocal cords but also warm up your vocal range. Also, this technique helps you to transition between notes without cracking. Simply make the "ooh" and "ng" sounds to practice the siren song. You can start with a low tone and move up gradually.
- Vocal straw exercise
This technique is sometimes called straw phonation. Interestingly, it's nothing complicated. Just grab a straw, then hum your favorite tune through it. Like with the siren exercise, start with the bottom range as you slowly and steadily glide upwards.
- Yawing exercise
Yawning is often an underrated exercise. We often yawn when feeling sleepy or tired. But taking in air through your mouth can be the vocal exercise you need. To achieve maximum results, simply yawn and exhale via your nose.
- Tongue twisters
Hate them or love them, tongue twisters are here to stay, and they are super helpful for that matter. They can help you articulate words properly apart from warming up your voice. So, learn a few tongue twisters and use them to your advantage.
- Humming
Humming is another excellent way to relax throat muscles and warm up your throat for performance. Simply start by making the "hmmm" sound as you exhale. Repeat this four to five times as you increase and lower the tone.
- Lip trills
Lip bubbles or lip trills are ideal for warming up your diaphragm and voice. This technique also reduces tension and improves breathing control. Just make a motorboat sound as your lips vibrate rapidly. Sounds childish, right? It doesn't matter!
- Drink warm liquids
Although this one sounds more like a myth, it actually works in most instances. Drinking ice-cold water or drinks before a karaoke performance can limit how the throat muscle works. In some people, this can even flare up tonsillitis. But on the other hand, drinking room temperature water or warm tea relaxes and swells the pharynx muscles.
- Stay hydrated
To dish out song lyrics with a crisp, clear voice, you must always stay hydrated. You can quickly achieve this by drinking enough liquids, primarily water. In addition, caffeine such as tea, coffee, and soda are dehydrating.
- Avoid alcohol and spicy foods
This is somewhat a continuation of the technique above. Alcohol and spicy foods not only cause dehydration but also cause acid reflux. For those suffering from GERD, this can irritate your throat, leaving you unable to sing.
- Get enough rest
Nothing beats getting a sound sleep before that big performance. That's because rest can significantly determine how your voice functions. If you sleep soundly, you'll feel more energized and confident. Remember, sleep also goes a long way towards releasing tension.
- Posture
Last but certainly not least, find the correct posture if you want to improve your voice. In this case, sand up head-high and spread your feet evenly. Also, lift your chest comfortably and gaze forwards instead of downwards or upwards. You can practice this posture with your home mirror.
- Use a voice remover
To master the song lyrics word-for-word, you'll definitely need to remove verses from the video and use it to practice karaoke. And that's where Media.io Vocal Remover comes in. It's an AI-powered online voice remover that automatically analyzes your video/audio file before separating vocals from instrumentals. Then, after separating vocals, you can trim it, apply it to a video background, compress, merge, and so on. And above all, this online software is absolutely free to use.
Below is how to separate voice from music with Online UniConverter Vocal Remover:
Step 1: Launch UniConverter Vocal Remover on your mobile or computer web browser and then tap Choose Files to load a video or audio file.
Step 2: This program will instantly analyze and separate vocals from instrumentals in your added file.
Step 3: Download the vocal file and enjoy the offline playback.
Part 3. 5 Recommended good songs to enhance your voice
First of all, anything singable is perfect for your vocal warmup sessions. But some songs are simply better than others. Let's have a look!
- Perform a shakedown
Performing a shakedown will not only warm up your voice but the whole body system. In this physical movement, you'll shake each hand and each leg at least eight, seven, and six times. Remember to count loudly as you shake your legs and arms.
- Zinga zoo
Zinga zoo is a bouncy voice exercise that will bring immense benefits if done correctly. Here, you'll sing "zinga zinga zoo" multiple times as you play around with the tone. And if you can find a rhyming background tune, the better.
- One-one-two
Here is another one that I'm sure most of you know something about. In this song, we'll count "one one two, one one two, three two one." Again, you'll keep it bouncy by getting to the top and turning back around.
- Merry men
This voice practice song is quite simple to perform. It goes by, "merry men, merry men,
merry men men men!" Repeat this chorus severally to achieve the best results.
- The sassy sailors
Lastly, you can sing this sweet tongue twister to soften your voice before performing karaoke. So let's go; seven sassy sailors sailed the seven salty seas. Please give it a tune to make the practice more enjoyable.
Conclusion
Now you know how to warm up your voice before a karaoke performance. It's pretty simple. Just get enough rest, do enough practice, and maintain a singer's diet. And yes, use UniConverter Vocal Remover to master the lyrics of your favorite songs. Happy performance!
