10 Best Vocal Exercises for Singers

Singing is a
physically demanding act, requiring extreme vocal energy to deliver a great
performance. When your physical instrument is in peak condition, you’ll sing
with freedom and not worry if you can sing night after night because your voice
will always be ready.

Singing your best requires proper warm-ups, stamina conditioning, and vocal-strength training exercises to warm up the voice and build a solid instrument. The following exercises will keep your voice on point on the stage and in the studio. They are broken into three phases: Warm-Ups, Stamina Training, and Vocal Muscle Building.

Warm-Ups

Like a runner
stretches to warm up their muscles before an event, you should “stretch your
voice” with specific body stretches and massages before vocalizing with simple
warm-ups like Lip Bubbles. This will increase the blood flow to your instrument
and prevent vocal burnout. Here are three of my top warm-ups that I use daily:

1. Vocal Stress Release

The Vocal Stress Release program from Raise Your Voice is a series of body stretches and massages. The program includes common neck stretches, shoulder rolls, and other stretching/massaging techniques to alleviate tension in the neck, face, jaws, shoulders, and diaphragm. Stretching and massaging before vocalizing is much like preparing your body for any other physical activity, such as jogging or lifting weights — you’re increasing blood flow to the vocal muscles for your vocal workout and singing. Increasing blood flow to the vocal area is a must if you wish to maintain your voice. Vocal massage is extremely powerful. If the simple act of massaging the front of your throat can help a singer to quickly recover when hoarse, then imagine what a full Vocal Stress Release routine will do for the voice!

Here is a bonus audio clip to walk you through the Vocal Stress Release program:

2. Lip Bubbles

Purse your
lips like a horse and make them bubble as you sustain random notes or slide up
and down in range. This common warm-up exercise increases blood flow to your
vocal cords and surrounding muscles, making your voice feel like it has opened
up like a blossoming flower.

Here is an example of Lip Bubbles:

3. Gargling Tone

You can make
a gargle sound without water, sustaining and/or sliding through your range. It
will sound like Chewbacca on an “ah” sound and like a pigeon on an “oo.” This
simple warm-up helps improve the control of breath flow and relaxes the upper
throat and the roof of your mouth.

Here is an example of Gargling Tone:

Stamina Training

We train our
voice for one purpose — effortless singing. Yet, many singers feel tired or
hoarse after only a few songs because they lack the vocal stamina needed to
perform night after night. This is why stamina training is important. Here are
the easiest ways to improve vocal stamina.

4. Vox Training

By vocalizing
through the long tube of the Vox (doctorvox.us), the bubbling water creates a
back pressure of sound waves. The back pressure returns to your vocal cords to literally
massage your vocal cords with sound to release internal muscular tension. By
attaching the mask to the Vox, you can sing your favorite songs much easier
while increasing vocal stamina.

5. Cardio Singing

I discovered
and coined the term “Cardio Singing” in 1992 when I used to jog and sing along
to random songs on my Sony Walkman. Simultaneously running and singing
conditions your body for better breath control, strengthens the lungs and
intercostal muscles, and increases your physical stamina for live performances.

6. Tiny Singing

Tiny singing
goes hand in hand with Cardio Singing. I’d never sing loud when jogging, so I
learned to sing very tiny, like a fly buzzing out the lyrics of a song. All you
need to do is sing as softly as possible. You want to use just enough breath to
create an initial sound as you sing. In the beginning, it is tough to control
such a tiny volume. The voice may sound breathy or husky or may even crack
uncontrollably. In time, your tone will become very clean, and it will sound
like there’s a tiny rock star singing while standing on your tongue. Tiny
singing is an excellent way to practice challenging songs before singing loud
and proud. Tiny singing will improve your full-voice tone, you’ll feel vocally
stronger, and singing will become easier.

Vocal Muscle Building

If you want
more range and power, then building vocal muscle mass with vocal strength-training
exercises is the secret. Following are the best vocal strength-training
exercises on the planet.

7. ISO Exercises

Isolation exercises (ISO) are the three best vocal exercises for increasing vocal range and power. They are not vocal scales; they are three simple exercises (Falsetto Slides, Transcending Tones, and Sirens) that isolate the muscles involved in vocal production and work them in an isometric fashion by sustaining notes or sliding through your vocal range. You can hear an example of my full-voice Siren in my article “How to Increase Your Vocal Range” for a better understanding of an ISO exercise. Bottom line, they are pure vocal strength-training exercises that have increased thousands of singers’ range and power.

8. E Screams

The E Scream
is an exercise that focuses on falsetto; it is simple to do. Choose a higher
pitch in your vocal range and begin sustaining that pitch at a very low volume,
a soft “eeeeee” in falsetto. Once you are sustaining the pitch, begin swelling
the volume into a loud, bright “eeeee” falsetto to increase the brightness,
bite, and dynamic intensity of the voice. While it sounds silly, it does
wonders for the voice. I use this exercise to train my voice for banshee, King
Diamond type wails and to prepare for all of my glass-breaking TV shows. It
will help you to unleash some of your best rock and metal screams.

Here is an example of an E Scream:

9. Minor Scale Training

Many singers
are used to practicing vocal scales in a major key, such as a three-note
pattern on C major (C-E-G-E-C). While I do use a major-scale warm-up every
morning, for fun and before rehearsals I prefer practicing with minor scales
because many of my songs are in minor keys. Singing on a minor scale like A minor
(A-C-E-C-A) adds a different flavor to your workout, and it makes the workout
fun.

Here is a demonstration of the Bubble Gargle exercise on a minor scale from the Rock & Metal Singer’s Vocal Warmup Routine.

10. 1,000 Challenge

My first
television show was Good Morning America. I was extremely nervous. To
combat the nerves and to loosen my vocal tension, I walked the halls of the
studio while performing hundreds of Lip Bubbles. I am positive I performed well
over a thousand that morning, and, by showtime, my voice felt so strong and
resonant that it felt like it was made of crystal. This is the basis of a
concept I call the 1,000 Challenge that I teach to my students. Imagine, like
me, you’re nervous and your voice is tight. Over several hours, you slide up
and down in your range on Lip Bubbles a thousand times until your voice feels
immortal! Next, imagine you’ve felt vocally stuck for months and cannot get
above one certain note... you perform a thousand Sirens one day, and
suddenly you’re able to reach three notes higher in full voice before bedtime!
It can happen! FYI, it is easy to keep count when using a pitch counter or
clicker counter.

Range
extension, solid tone, increased vocal stamina, a voice that doesn’t fail you... it’s all possible! Pick a warm-up, a stamina routine, and a vocal strength-training
exercise routine that works for you! I use all of the above, but all I ask of
you is to pick and choose one from each section to build a basic routine that
you know you’ll perform five to six days per week. You will thank me later!

PS: If you need guided audio tracks for these exercises, then check out The Ultimate Vocal Warmup, Metal Falsetto, Extreme Vocal Stamina,and the Rock & Metal Singer’s Vocal Warmup Routine at JaimeVendera.com.

Check out these other articles by Jaime Vendera:

How to Increase Your Vocal RangeHow to Metal Scream Without Hurting Your VoiceHow to Overcome Stage Fright

View More Vocals Articles
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