BACK
TO VOCALS
TO
WARM UP OR NOT TO WARM UP?
THAT IS THE QUESTION by
Christopher Beatty
THE
CHALLENGE!
When you think of the word “warm-up” in conjunction
with major league pitching what comes to mind? Perhaps a
man in a baseball uniform peeling a long sock-like piece
of clothing from his pitching arm as he walks into the bullpen
Then you see the stretches, the arms swinging around, attention
to the legs and back and perhaps other stretching and warm-up
procedures.
If
it’s Super Bowl time it brings visions of trainers
helping their treasured receivers fully prepare for the
serious battle ahead. And how about the linemen—those
of 300-400 pound gents forcing their massive bodies into
pretzel-like shapes while sitting on the ground prior to
a big practice or game. And have you ever watched Olympic
swimmers, who have much less potential trauma due to their
buoyancy in the water? They, also, are absolutely systematic
in their warm-up preparations.
Why? Why spend all the time, and in the case of professionals,
money for these tedious activities? The obvious answers:
health and performance. It they didn’t take the time
and make the effort they would not be their best.
Now, I know you can feel where this is going—so here
it is: Think of your average choir member or even major
soloist or artist. Does the word “warm-up” evoke
thoughts of a predictable, systematic routine? And how about
the average choir rehearsal or ministry in a service?
Based on 30 years of working with choirs and singers my
guess is your answer is, No. Maybe a few hums or perhaps
a worship song or two, but not an honest-to-goodness warm-up,
prepared and executed to guarantee you being your best.
And why? Most singers and choir directors think they don’t
need to. Those that acknowledge the need are convinced there
just isn’t time.
The “need to” part has already been addressed,
and I think most of you will agree: You DO need to warm-up
if you care about being your best and if you want consistency,
good blend and a lasting voice for the Lord.
OK. What about the time issue? Would God ask you to lead
His people into worship, with a physical instrument, and
not allow you to adequately prepare it? I think not. The
human voice is a PHYSICAL instrument. It can, and does,
wear out and get injured, and then the communications—the
music ministry— screeches to a halt. See, we’re
not talking about attitude, or emotions or spirit. We’re
talking about a PHYSICAL instrument that needs to be treated
as such. Where to begin?
THE GOOD NEWS!
Here’s the good news: Because the voice is physical,
and we use it for more than singing and platform events,
we can be accomplishing much by using it correctly all day
long. Let’s assume that you already have an awareness
of good posture (top of the head as far away from the floor
as possible, with a long back of the neck and short front
of the neck). Let’s also assume that you read my article
in the last “Communicator” about breathing and
you understand how God intended that to work.
Your next step is to start each day with some light warm-ups
that will get blood flowing and slightly raise the temperature
in the larynx. Begin with humming some simple scales. Then,
take it higher, then lower, then higher still, then lower
still. This will alert the mechanism that a full vocal range
is to be available throughout the day for expressive speaking.
Continue this in the shower which provides a wonderfully
warm and humid atmosphere, both very conducive to good singing
and speech.
And here’s something you may not have considered—Your
Optimal Speaking Pitch, or OSP. That’s the pitch level
around which you should be speaking during a normal day.
If it’s too low, which is the norm, you will be fatiguing
your voice with every new phrase you speak. And then, even
with perfect singing technique, you may begin to ache and
tire in the throat after only a few minutes of singing.
If it’s too high, which is rare, you will be stressing
your voice in another way.
To test where you are CURRENTLY SPEAKING simply get near
a piano, guitar or pitch pipe and begin counting in a normal
voice. Do this several times until you find the note you
seem to land on most of the time. To find where you SHOULD
BE speaking say, “Um hum, um hm” several times.
It is the spontaneous, affirming expression we all use.
Test it over several days to see what note it is closest
to. That is where you should be focusing most of your speaking.
Realize, however, that most people will cover more than
an octave in range during expressive speaking.
The normal difference between where you ARE and where you
SHOULD BE is between a major 3rd and a perfect 5th. That
means that most people speak 3-5 steps too low, and are
hindering their singing and vocal health and effecting communications.
This is another way to be preparing your voice for good
singing when you’re not singing.
Then there’s the actual preparation for singing. As
a vocal athlete, you need to go through some structured
exercises, but it can be in the car, while walking, or at
the beginning of a rehearsal. Between 10 and 20 minutes
is a good length and can make all the difference in a performance.
And remember, you can’t really warm-up on a performance
song any more than playing baseball slowly warms you up
for that sport.
“What exactly should I do?” you ask. Here I
have to mention one possibility that is a bit self-promoting.
Of our 29 current products, 12 cassettes and CD from the
Vocal Coach series are specifically designed for vocal warm-ups
and workouts. Some churches supply each choir member with
one and expect them to be warmed up by the time they get
to choir. That leadership has an expectation, but also equips
the choir to accomplish it with easy-to-use, fun, and very
systematic exercises.
Then there’s another issue that is often forgotten:
The importance of cool-downs after some aggressive singing..
That’s right. Allowing the physical voice to return
to normal size and temperature gradually...just like athletes
do. Have you ever noticed what the professional runner does
AFTER he wins the race? He continues walking, then sits
on the ground and stretches similar to what he did before
running. For the singer, some light singing and humming
gives his athletic muscles the same protection.
SOME
FINAL THOUGHTS
1.
The more serious you are about being a vocal athlete, the
more you need to learn about, and take care of your voice.
2. Have you ever lost your voice for even a few days? Do
you remember how absolutely frustrating that is? And if
you are a speaker or singer the frustration is even more
so. You feel like an athlete with a broken leg. You can’t
do what you are intended to do. Learning and applying warm-up
principles can help prevent this from happening (unless,
of course, it is from a virus).
3. It might interest you to know
that singing demands controlled, exact tonal vibration of
the vocal mechanism (as many as 1,050 vibrations per second
for sopranos sustaining a high C); and this requires rapid
, precise muscle contractions and relaxations. Laboratory
experiments have demonstrated that warm muscles contract
faster, which is imperative for good vocal control, pitch
accuracy and tone placement.
4. Though it is true that vocal warm-ups
can take time out of a rehearsal they more than make up
for it by resulting in more immediate blend, better diction,
and overall awareness and alertness during rehearsal and
performance. It’s kind of like prayer in that there
is time invested—but the results are well worth it.
TO
WARM-UP OR NOT TO WARM-UP? IT’S NO LONGER A QUESTION.
JUST DO IT!
About
the Author:
Vocal Coach Chris Beatty trains the Christian
singers of today and tomorrow. He and his wife Carole
believe that those who communicate with a clear and strong
voice will dramatically affect those around them. If that’s
your goal visit the Vocal Coach web site at www.vocalcoach.com
and see over 30 CDs, Cassettes, Videos and Books to help
you be your best. The Beattys also have a voice studio in
Nashville, TN. Their mailing address is P.O. Box 2144, Brentwood
TN 37024.
