Karaoke Forums

"Pitch" is a word expressed far to often in SS. There are alot of singers that I hear who are really good, you just hear the pitch go astray every here and there. And what i'm wondering is if these folks are warming up there voice before they record.  I for one have a warm-up ritual that I have used for years, both in live settings and for recording purposes.

         I was wondering if anyone who subs in SS actually does vocal warm-ups before they record, and if so what kind of warm-ups they do. Mine is as follows:

 Step 1: I'll usually go through some scales, starting at the middle of my range and then working downward, then back up through to the top of my range.

 Step 2: This step is very important, I drink 2 shots of room temperature Jagermeister, trust me on this folks, it totally strips all the gunk from your vocal cords, and relaxes you as well. I say room temperature because you really shouldn't drink anything cold before you sing, it dilates the blood vessels in your throat .

 Step 3. I sing the "Itsy bitsy spider", (Don't Laugh)  This is more of a personal voodoo thing for me, so I won't go into much detail, .

  To me warming your voice up before you sing is comparable to an athlete stretching there muscles before they compete, it's an absolute must in my opinion. And when I first start my warm-ups my pitch is all over the place, but by the end I have control over it. I have used this routine for years, wether I'm performing with my band, or recording a submission for SS, and I like to think it has never let me down.

  Just wondering what other folks do for warm-ups, if they do at all

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Satisfaction is the death of desire

After step 2 I would drink about 6-10 more ciders and forget all about recording
I record them all without intentional warm-up... who's got time for such a thing!

jee

Well Jee, I have heard you state in previous posts that you spend an hour or two recording your subs, so what's 15 minutes added on to that?,  especially when it will drastically improve the overall  quality of what your putting out?.  And keep in mind ,I'm not just speaking of recording stuff for SS. This applies to live performance as well, and even more so.

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Satisfaction is the death of desire

As silly as it sounds, I sing Iron Maiden's Hallowed Be Thy Name on the way to any show in my van to get my voice ready.  The song has some long held notes and is all over the sound spectrum.

i should warm up...but never do...i also have horrible posture while recording...i always record sitting down....i get too bored standing up....i usually record pretty quickly..so i dont really warm up..and have never warmed up before working out either...i can bench about 375 lbs and run the 40 in about 4.6....maybe i would soudn better after warming up...or faster and stronger....but in reality im too too lazy......

I don't warm up either.... and i NEVER stand up! ! I'm usually sittin' cross-legged on my chair in front of my computer when I sing. My elbow resting on the desk holding my mic... so yah... posture doesn't get any worse than that! HAHA!!!

.... and I wonder why I can't hit some of those high notes.....


as for warming up before going out to karaoke.... THAT warm-up gets done all day long when I'm recording at home  :D

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I usually do scales too....but what really seems to warm me up best is just singing the song but not straining my voice. By the third rendition I seem to be ok. And hot tea, and cough drops. I'm not sure if the cough drops are really helping, or are more of a placebo.

I was told that cough drops don't help. They contain sugar which is not good for the voice, or something rather Neither does alcohol I used to take a tequila shot before my recitals if I didn't have time to warm-up, but it was more for my nerves than my voice( having to sing to college students who are forced to come listen for a grade is nerve rackin ). But I think it be best to warm-up to scales or apreggios.Those who don't know either than I guess an easy song would do, something to get those vocal chords warmed up.

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~Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. - Victor Hugo

~When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head, and said, "I can do better than that!"
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I've never thought about warming up I guess.. I get 30 minutes to record here and there.. usually when I'm home from work on break and have to hurry before I'm no longer home alone..

I just usually grab mic and go.. and yes.. I know I'm one whose pitch is all over the place in a lot of songs  LOL

Since I hardly ever drink anymore.. I'm pretty sure your step #2, while it sounds great, would probably put me under. and then who'd care about singing? . Actually like I said... can't do that.. since I record while home on breaks.. I think work would frown upon my coming back

I always stand when I'm singing.. just habit.. have always stood when singing.

Since I haven't subbed, I can only speak of live singing.  Most of my warm-up consists of talking to people before I start to sing.  As for a beverage, I always keep a glass of blackberry brandy or Hot Damn on the table behind me to sip on throughout the night.

- After previewing the above post, I noticed the name of a certain cinnamon-flavored beverage was changed to protect the innocent.  Hopefully y'all know what I meant.

Thought this might be interesting.  The person who wrote this is listed on the bottom.
I removed part of this persons attached link, otherwise it might be construed as advertising.


"Warming Up"
(How to get the most from your voice)

Whether you rap, sing, belt, scream, croon or perform spoken word, you will get more from your voice if you warm up first.
Actually, there’s no avoiding it. Those who feel it’s unnecessary, or silly, are simply warming up as they sing rather than before. There is a huge difference, however, when you gradually work the body up to performance level. Your pitch, range, power, expression, and most important, your longevity will greatly improve.

Any increase in any muscle activity raises the body’s core temperature. Shocking the body into action from a cold start triggers protective muscles to brace against the prospect of injury. Neck, jaw and tongue muscles lock in place requiring a vocalist to exert extra air pressure to sing. The tension creates friction which causes the vocal folds to over heat and swell. Translation: Punching out the first few songs of the set will make you blow out quicker and stay blown for most of the next day. Temporary vocal fatigue might not seem to be much of an issue when you’re gigging once a week. But what happens when your music "hits"?

Consider the schedule of Emerson Hart, singer for Tonic, when the band’s song, "If You Could Only See," shot up the charts. Management kept the band on the road for well over a year, working five nights a week with plenty of thirteen-dates-in-a-row stints. Often, Emerson’s day began at 7:00 AM with an unplugged song for a morning-drive show. Then, it was off to various promotions and afternoon interviews, finishing with a 90 minute set at midnight. When Emerson called me, he was satisfied with his vocal abilities; but nervous about surviving his success. I devised a warm-up plan to prepare him for the daily routine.

What you sing to warm-up is not as important as how. I recommend the simplest sounds. Your attention should be on physical freedoms rather than quality of sound. Release your breath with several long, low volume hisses. Then, loosen your face and neck while humming with a wandering, siren-like, motion. Don’t allow your face to change to reach for pitches. Alternate the hums with an extended zzz sound and gradually change this to an EE vowel and then an AH. Keep your melodies sweeping. I don’t recommend singing songs quietly because there are usually tensions programmed into them. As you loosen up, turn up your volume -- but not before. As you get louder, stay with an EE or AH. The point is to wait until the body gives you permission to increase the load. The length of a warm-up should be in reverse proportion to the need. Long gig -- short warm up, but if you’re doing a single song on The Letterman Show, you should warm up and then sing for an hour for that, trusted, middle-of-the-set feeling.

The hardest part about warming up is making the time and finding a place. I used to be embarrassed to make the funny sounds required in front of others hanging in the back room -- if there was one. Now I choose the dirty looks over the frustration of having a set end just as my voice is waking up. Be inventive; head out to the car or van in the warm months or, in winter, hang in the bathroom or stand in the middle of the crowd if there’s a band before yours. No one will hear a thing -- I do it all the time. If you’re running late, warm up while driving to the gig or rehearsal. The best routine is to warm up slowly all day. Every chance you get, lightly vocalize on hums and zzz sounds. Just remember, for any style singing, starting with a loose, flexible instrument will allow access to your full potential. Where you take your voice from there, is up to you.

Written by:
Mark Baxter a vocal therapist who offers private and video lessons.

I agree with all of the above but lean more toward Chams original post.  My routine is quite simple really.  Once through a tune I know is difficult for me personally, along with a stiff drink to losen the vocal cords up and relax.  After that, its all about keeping your throat lubricated whether it's moderate alcohol or plain water.  Really everyone is different so whatever works best for an individual, stick with it  Kev...

Fifth of Jack and a "Speedball", eh? (Janis Joplin...)

For me, I just have the required beer to loosten up the vocal chords, (pun intended) and get up and tough it out..

Anyway, having not been out much lately, Saturday was fun.

I only goofed up a few times...

I stopped by the Karaoke Sammy revue, and had a great time.

Sammy is the best host...

I Sing some Sinatra On the way to my show.
As for My Rod Stewart set I save it for last. and smoke 8 cigarettes before I start.
I think my Rod Stewarts "I dont want to Talk about it" is in my subs,

Interesting question!  I'm glad to find out I'm not the only one that sits when I sing, - I figured y'all were standers for some reason.  

I've never thought about warming up really, I usually just start singing and keep singing parts over and over until I get the desired sound... after a while my voice seems to "limber up" and things sound a lot smoother- though I think ya have a good point, it would probably save time to warm up!