by Carolyn Fallin No matter what type of performer you are (stage actor, voice over artist, singer, spoken word artist, etc.) we are sure you’ll agree that taking care of your vocal instrument is important. Today we’d like to share a valuable vocal warm-up from accomplished performer Carolyn Fallin.
She’s appeared with award winning artists like Reba McEntire, Lee Greenwood, Michael English, Ricky Skaggs and has opened for Sandi Patti and Twila Paris. Carolyn is also the highly-respected and well-like vocal instructor behind Vocal Image Studios and we’ve witnessed hands-on as tradeshow neighbors her passion for working with young performers too!
Why Vocal Exercises Are Important
What are vocal exercises and warm ups and why do we use them?
A ‘vocal exercise’ can be a ‘warm up’ and vice versa. A ‘warm up’ is a note or set of notes in sequence that physically warm up your vocal folds, makes them flexible and gets them ready for action. A ‘warm up’ also gets other necessary muscles working, like your diaphragm (the muscle above your sternum) and intercostal muscles, (the muscles between your ribs) to assist you in building stamina that is needed for a long day on the set, multiple performances on stage or a session in the studio.
A ‘vocal exercise’ improves your singing and builds your lung capacity. A ‘vocal exercise’ may be designed to work on the placement of sound, tone, flexibility, control, strength and power. In any warm up or vocal exercise, you want to start out with an easy exercise and increase the difficulty over time. Approach your vocal exercise and warm ups with enthusiasm and quality just like you are singing a song, running a monologue, or delivering copy and you will find you get much more out of your exercises.
Try this Breathing Exercise...
Breathe in and fill your lungs from the bottom, like a glass of water. It’s tempting to take shallow breaths and move your shoulders and chest when you breathe. But, if you think of low torso breathing, moving your ribs up and out as you breathe and holding the ribs out as you sing, rehearse lines, or read copy just so the diaphragm doesn’t push all the air out of the lungs, you will be able to sustain your notes and voice for much longer periods of time.
Now Try This Exercise I Call "Sipping and Hissing"...
While standing with good posture in a natural stance, your feet comfortably apart and one foot slightly ahead of the other, put your hands on your sides at your ribs so you can feel them move. Get a steady beat going by playing the automatic percussion on your keyboard or metronome (we found this great FREE one online here: MetronomeOnline.com).
Now sip in taking small breaths as if sipping through a straw, for four even counts and hiss out your air for four counts. As you sip, feel your ribs moving and the air coming in. Concentrate on the back muscles. These are the hardest to get moving. As you hiss out like a snake for four counts, see how long you can keep your ribs from falling. The goal is to keep your ribs up until the last hiss. Now sip in again for four counts, reinforcing the ribs up and out. Continue until you feel you have given the rib (intercostal) muscles a good workout and you can do the exercise without moving your chest or shoulders. If you do it correctly, you will feel relaxed and natural.
Congratulations!
You have just learned two very useful breathing exercises for singing sustained notes and delivering long phrases. My students swear by these exercises because it frees them from thinking about running out of air. If you get in the habit of practicing this daily you will no doubt benefit too!
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ABOUT
CAROLYN FALLIN
Carolyn Fallin, the owner of Vocal Image Studios in Sherman Oaks, CA, is a world renowned vocal performance, technique, dialect and voiceover coach with experience spanning 20 years having trained many working performers and celebrities in recording studios for soundtracks and solo cds. She is known for providing knowledge along with practical tools to help students create a professional sounding voice and physical presence filled with power, emotion and the subtle nuance required to capture the heart and soul of every audience.
Carolyn received a BA from Seattle Pacific University with a double major in Music and Theatre, and was a proud member of the Professional Actors Training Program. She acquired a teaching certificate from the University of West Florida and has flourished as a vocalist and actress throughout her career. She has voiced many characters for cartoons and commercials around the world and she has performed in countless stage productions, some of her favorites being, “The Music Man,” as Marion and “Carousel,” as Julie Jordan. Carolyn has also appeared with award winning artists, Reba McEntire, Lee Greenwood, Michael English, Ricky Skaggs and she has opened for Sandi Patti, Twila Paris. She has written and produced musical shows for Walt Disney World, worked as musical director for numerous theatrical productions and served as judge for international music competitions. With a passion for training others, Carolyn specializes in preparing singers and voice talents who desire to succeed in the Entertainment Industry.
www.VocalImage.net
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