Initial warm ups

OK – if you know the sensation of having a ‘frog in your throat’, it is 8 in the morning and you are due to be leading the music in worship in 1½ hours[!] then these are for you!

• Start on a low pitch comfortable to you and blow a raspberry over the distance of a 5th and back again
• Do this 6 more times moving up the scale with each new exercise

Next exercise:

• Start with the exercise above and repeat each exercise this time to the vowel sound ‘oo’.
• Repeat this 6 more times

Next exercise:

• Start with the 5th as in the previous exercise then add a ‘raspberry’ slide from the 1st to the 8th [octave] and back again
• Repeat this exercise 4 more times

Another exercise:

• Screw your face up tight and sing the word ‘meow’ down the scale from the 5th note to the 1st note
• Repeat this 7 more times

Note – the raspberry sound is generated at the front of the face [i.e. a forward sound that resonates in your head]

It’s a great sound to begin warm-ups as it is very gentle on the voice.

Alternatively you could use the ‘ng’ sound – one of my favourite warm up tools!

This is the sound at the end of the word ‘hang’. Sing the ‘ng’ sound in place of the raspberry if you find that your lips just don’t do the raspberry thing!

Final ‘warm-up exercise:

• Use the ‘ng’ sound to sing through one of the songs on your songlist as a gentle warm up. I call this the ‘ng’ hum
• We’re not looking for ‘loud’ here – just a steady control of tone and breath throughout the melody

Geraldine Latty
22 November 2006