Essential Vocal Warm Ups

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. Below is a list of essential vocal warm up exercises and workouts which are great for choirs and soloists alike. Hopefully you will find them useful and enjoyable.

Happy Singing!

This warm up exercise uses the first four notes of the pentatonic scale (1-2-3-5-3-2-1). It's not too fast so allows the singer(s) to really focus on the pitch of each note. This video was created after noticing that some students would slide through the notes of the classic vocal warm up (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1) without paying enough attention to each note - so even though they were putting in the time and improving their vocal tone, they were not necessarily improving the pitch.

This warm up exercise is probably the most enjoyable warm up after the A-E-I-O-U warm up. This helps with internalizing the sound of the major scale which helps with the ability to hold harmony lines for singers who have not grown up around singing. If this warm up is being led by a tutor who plays the piano, it is useful to pause and hold the note 6 before coming back down. This is also the case for note 7. The uninitiated singer(s) tend to gloss over these two notes so time needs to be taken in order for them to improve their delivery of the the scale.

This warm up exercise is the classic exercise that runs from 1 to 5 and then back down (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1). This is probably the most essential warm up for vocalists of all abilities. It covers the bottom half of the major scale so helps with developing a familiarity with singing in step without exposing the possible weaknesses in hearing or pitching the upper part of the scale. This video is quite fast so there is another slower version available on the Triad Power TV YouTube channel.

This warm up exercise is the for singers who are ready to take things a little more seriously. Although singing arpeggios can be instinctive to some people, most new singers seem to have trouble pitching the 2nd note (The 3rd degree of the scale). If this exercise is being led by a vocal tutor it is important to make a point of checking the accuracy of this note (3rd degree of the scale) in order to get a pleasing result. This video is designed for the singers to sing after the piano in a call and response fashion to encourage listening first before singing back.

This warm up exercise is for intermediate to advanced singers who need to be able to sing fast passages accurately. The melodic pattern only uses the first 5 notes of the scale but is slightly extended  (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-3-2-4-3-5-4-2-1). To make is easier this should be sung using the la sound but as singers become more comfortable with the exercise they should be able to perform it by using the open vowel sounds.

Thanks for checking out these vocal warm ups and exercises.

There are plenty more on my YouTube Channel to suit singers of all abilities.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments sections.

Happy Singing!