Why do singers do all these ridiculous vocal exercises?

If you’ve ever spent some time in a vocal lesson, you’ve probably spent some time doing a seemingly ridiculous vocal exercise that probably made you laugh. Why would someone want to do something that looks or sounds that way?

The answer should be obvious: you do the silly stuff so that your voice sounds better.  But you’re skeptical. “How will my voice sound better if I do that silly thing you’re doing there?”

The proof is in the execution of the exercises. Have you tried them yet? Have you given them a chance?

Here’s something to think about. Singing is biological. If someone massages your shoulders, you have a biological response. Shoulder and neck muscles relax. Your mind relaxes. You start to feel better. It is no different if you massage your vocal folds and the muscles surrounding them. Your neck and shoulder muscles are right there on your back. Your vocal folds are hidden on the inside, tucked in horizontally within the larynx. Yes, you can massage your lifter muscles in your neck and that can help but the vibration that certain vocal exercises provide can most efficiently loosen up the folds and the surrounding muscles.

And this is why singers do “lip trills”, “tongue trills”, and buzzing exercises. When athletes stretch their bodies before they work out, they become limber and less likely to injure. When you exercise, you want to be flexible to elicit the most efficient and safe biological response. But warming up and exercising your folds can just seem strange due to the ways that we need to target the muscles involved in singing. Think about all the various activities people do to exercise the various muscles of their bodies when they go to the gym and there is likely a comparable exercise to work on your voice.

Follow THIS LINK to my Subscriber page where I provide new exercise videos every month! Try any of these exercises but particularly a lip trill, tongue trill, or buzzing exercise. Then try singing a song and see if you notice a difference in the sound and feel of your voice.