As a beginner singer, it’s essential to have good vocal exercises to improve your voice’s quality, range, and stamina. These exercises help you strengthen your vocal muscles and develop your control and coordination, making it easier for you to sing with more ease and confidence. Here are some basic vocal exercises for beginners:
Breathing exercises
Breathing is fundamental to singing. Without proper breathing, you’ll struggle to produce a quality sound. To get started with breathing exercises, sit or stand up straight, inhale deeply through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Practice this several times, feeling the expansion of your diaphragm as you inhale and the contraction as you exhale. Once you have mastered this, try inhaling for four counts, holding your breath for two counts, and exhaling for four counts.
Lip trills
Lip trills are a great way to warm up your vocal cords and improve your breath control. Start by relaxing your lips and blowing air through them, creating a “brrrr” sound. Continue this sound for 10-20 seconds, increasing the length as you get more comfortable. You can also try sliding the pitch up and down while keeping the “brrr” sound consistent.
Tongue trills
Similar to lip trills, tongue trills help you warm up your voice and improve your breath control. Start by rolling your tongue and placing it behind your teeth, blowing air through your tongue, creating a “rrrr” sound. Continue this sound for 10-20 seconds, increasing the length as you get more comfortable. You can also try sliding the pitch up and down while keeping the “rrr” sound consistent.
Humming
Humming is another excellent exercise to warm up your voice and improve your vocal tone. Start by humming a comfortable pitch, feeling the vibration in your chest and head. Try to sustain the hum for as long as you can without running out of breath. You can also try humming different scales or arpeggios to improve your pitch accuracy and control.
Siren exercises
Siren exercises help you explore your vocal range and develop your control and coordination. Start by sliding your voice up and down on a comfortable vowel sound, like “ah” or “oo.” Try to keep the sound smooth and consistent as you move up and down your vocal range. You can also try siren exercises with different vowel sounds and at different speeds. This helps to develop to better vocal range.
Scale exercises
Scale exercises are a great way to improve your pitch accuracy, control, and range. Start by singing the major scale up and down, starting on a comfortable pitch. Try to sing each note clearly and evenly, focusing on your breath control and posture. Once you have mastered the major scale, you can try other scales, like the minor scale or the pentatonic scale. Mobile apps like the Riyaz app have 1000s of such scale exercises to practice.
Articulation exercises
Articulation exercises help you improve your diction and clarity when singing. Start by practising different consonant sounds, like “t,” “d,” “s,” and “z,” focusing on enunciating each sound clearly. You can also try singing different words or phrases, focusing on pronouncing each syllable correctly and with good breath control.
Projection exercises
Projection exercises help you develop your volume and projection when singing. Start by singing a comfortable pitch, focusing on projecting your voice to the back of the room. You can also try singing in different positions, like sitting, standing, or lying down, to develop your control and improve vocal projection in different situations.
Relaxation exercises
Relaxation exercises help you release tension in your body and voice, improving your vocal quality and reducing the risk of injury. Start by taking a few deep breaths, focusing on releasing any tension in your body. Then, starting from your feet and working your way up, tense and release each muscle group in your body. Finally, try a few minutes of deep breathing or meditation to help calm your mind and reduce stress.
Vocalizing with a recording
One of the best ways to improve your vocal skills as a beginner is to practice singing along with your favourite songs or recordings. Choose a song with a range and style that suits your voice and listen to it several times to get familiar with the melody and lyrics. Then, try singing along with the recording, focusing on matching the pitch, rhythm, and emotion of the original singer. This exercise can help you develop your ear training, vocal control, and interpretation skills.
Conclusion
Vocal exercises are essential for any beginner singer who wants to improve their voice quality, range, and stamina. These exercises help you develop your breath control, vocal coordination, and projection, making it easier for you to sing with confidence and expressiveness. While there are many different vocal exercises out there, starting with the basics like breathing exercises, lip and tongue trills, humming, scales, articulation, and relaxation exercises can provide a solid foundation for your vocal development. As you progress, you can add more advanced exercises and techniques to your practice routine, such as vibrato, falsetto, belting, and runs. With consistent practice and dedication, anyone can become a better singer and enjoy the joy and fulfilment of making music with their voice.
If you are a beginner, consider downloading the Riyaz app – a vocal music teacher in your pocket. 🙂
