Types of Warm-ups (vocal and Physical)
---------------it is unwise to sprint too much without proper warm-ups--------------
1. Rhythmic exercises on 'ta's,'ti's,'te's, etc.
for example:
ta ta ti-ti ta ti-ti ti-ti ta-a
tim-te ta tim-te tim-te tim-te tim-te ta ta
ti m-m ti ti m-m ti ta ti-ti m ti m ti ti m ti m- -m-m-m ti
ti-ti-ti-ti ti-ti-ti-ti tre-o-la tre-o-la tre-o-la tre-o-la
2. Numbers warm-up
example: one, one-two-one, one-two-three-two-one, one-two-three-four-three-two-one, etc. on 'do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-ti-la-so-fa-mi-re-do.
alternatives:
- doted notes
- augmentation and diminuation
- metric transformation
- chance procedures
- the jigsaw puzzle (rearrange all the notes)
3. Back-slapping warm-up
- effective for waking up people
- tension=relaxation!
4. IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
the standard way to start warm-ups: start with the 'e' vowel, then the 'a' vowel, and finally the 'o' vowel.
(from the less resonant vowels to the more resonant vowels)
- e.g. by singing 'yah-yoh-yah-yoh-yah'
5. Be mindful of the compass of notes
compass of notes = range of notes suitable for warm-ups
- e.g. "m----" (like humming) helps to find the correct placement and resonance in our voice.
For example, singing "mi-me-ma-mo-mu" helps us with our diction, and is able to exercise our mouth.
6. Placement of voice
it is important to find the format in a singer's voice too!
7. Tessitura
this means the range where most of the notes are within the instrument's (in this case, our body) register.
- the ideal tessitura to warm-up is to start from the middle low range, then to the high range, and finally the low range.
Yup, so that's all for today. See you again soon! :)
-Wen Yi
