Best vocal warm ups for singers – the magic of SOVT (semi-occluded vocal tract) exercises
SOVT (semi-occluded vocal tract) exercises are vocal warm ups that involve narrowing at some point in the vocal tract, for example the mouth being partially closed during sound production.
Due to the mouth space being reduced, some of the airflow that travels from the lungs reflects at the lips and goes back down to the vocal folds. This back pressure helps to counter the pressure below the vocal folds, which in turn helps them vibrate more evenly with reduced tension and much less effort. This makes SOVT exercises, the best and safest vocal warm ups for singers and speakers.
The benefits of SOVT exercises:
- They are the gentles exercises for the voice
- They make oral and lung pressure interact in such a way that helps the vocal folds achieve the most optimal level of vibration
- They enable more vocal control and greater access to high pitches whilst minimising the risk of vocal strain
1. Lip Trills (Lip Bubbles)
Lip trills will help you develop a consistent breath flow and slowly and gently expand your range.
To do this exercise take a breath, and then send the air out through pursed lips making them gently vibrate. To begin with, aim for a vocalized lip trill on a monotone (one note) and then do a lip trill all the way across your range.
Maintain a steady flow of breath and volume all the way throughout without getting louder as you move up the scale. Also, avoid tensing up your larynx when you are ‘lip trilling’ higher notes.
This exercise should feel relaxed, smooth, and relatively effortless. If there are any signs of tension, stop and try again without forcing too much breath. If you struggle to get your lips to vibrate consistently, try placing two index fingers by the corners of your mouth, as if you wanted to touch your teeth through your cheeks. Find out more about the benefits of lip trills here.
2. Sirens (pitch slides) on nasal consonants 'n' or 'm'
Sirens will help you gently stretch your vocal folds and smooth out transition points as you go up and down the scale. To do this exercise, start on a comfortable note in your chest voice and gently travel up the scale. If your voice ‘flips’ when transitioning between the registers, do the siren again, but this time slow down on the approach to your transition points and avoid pushing too much breath.
3. Paper cup phonation
To do this exercise, make a small hole in the bottom of your paper cup and sing into the cup with the rim over your lips. You will notice that much less effort is required to produce a sound and your singing should feel more relaxed and freer of tension.
4. Straw phonation
In this exercise, the narrowing of the vocal tract increases the air pressure above the vocal folds. This helps to keep them slightly apart during phonation, which in turn reduces the impact collision force and makes it a safe exercise to work on improving your resonance and range. During this exercise you can make a humming or a buzzing sound into a straw and smoothly glide across your range from the lowest to the highest notes and back. You can also manipulate the resistance by using different lengths and diameters of the straw.
5. Voiced fricative consonants
Fricative consonants are produced by the mouth being partly closed, for instance the sound of f, v, z, s. Try making any of these sounds and hold it out using steady diaphragmatic breath support, e.g. ‘zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’.
