BBC - OneMusic How to... - Improve your vocals (page 7)

Start in the middle range and never feel that you're straining - if it hurts, or feels uncomfortable, stop. Drink room temperature water throughout. Give yourself a break in-between each exercise.

As with the breathing warm up, there is no right or wrong number of times to repeat these exercises, but be thorough.

Start right in the middle of your range - the most comfortable note for you.

Vocal exercise 1

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Start just below middle C for women*, an octave lower for men.
Hum "mm" with mouth closed, gradually opening the mouth until you are singing "ah".
Do this over the count of 8. Try to feel the resonance on your lips and open up to a pure vowel sound.
Move up to the note B - "mm" turning into "ee"
Note D - "mm" - "uuh"
E - "mm" - "aaay"
F - "mm" - "ooh"

* higher voices start on C and go up rather than down.

Vocal exercise 2

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Start on a note that is comfortable for you, and slowly sing "me may moh mah moo", all on the same note.
Go up note by note.
As you get higher, make sure the sound doesn't get lost in the back of your throat - keep remembering to use the diaphragm, to avoid a weedy, "heady" sound.
Then try it on these different notes, making a tune.
E - D - C - D - E - - C - -
Descending down the scale:
D - C - B - C - D - - B - -
C - B - A - B - C - - C - -
Go down as low as you can, but don't strain your voice.

Vocal exercise 3

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Starting around middle C for women, an octave lower for men:
1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-3-2-4-3-5-4-2-1 OR:
C-D-E-F-G-F-E-D-C-E-D-F-E-G-F-D-C
Sing this on "ah", then go up one tone, and "la", then up one tone on "me", then up one tone on "mah", then up on e tone on "fah",
Do the same, starting again from C, going through the vowels: "ah", "eeh", "iih", "oh", "ooh". Feel your mouth opening into the vowels.

Vocal exercise 4 - Sirening

Watch Vocal Exercise 4

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Starting within the most comfortable range for you, slowly go up and down like a police siren, throughout all your vocal range, with an "ng" sound.
Breathe as slowly as possible, and snatch a breath when you run out, trying to ensure an almost perfect, continuous line.
You can do this exercise forever! But try different variations, like trying your lips buzzing together, try with your tongue trilling, or "ooh"ing.