As a beginning singer you don’t want to just jump into a full blown practice or performance without warming up first.

There are many vocal exercises to try when learning how to sing.

The main point is to remember to ease into the activity and don’t strain your vocal cords.

Most warmups can also be used as singing practice to enhance your breathing and techniques down the road.

Here are some fun and useful vocal exercises for anyone taking beginner singing lessons.

One of the most common riffs in music is the 3-note riff. Runs are super common in contemporary music, but many beginning singers avoid them, because they can sound awkward if they aren't done correctly. I often use this exercise to practice a few necessary components to a successful 3-note riff.

Hi, I’m Camille van Niekerk with 30 Day Singer, and this is your first vocal lesson! First, we want to assess your ability to match pitch. That’s because every vocal exercise we use assumes that you can match pitch, at least in a limited range.

If you’re a beginning singer, you’ve probably found your chest voice and your head voice, but you may have some questions about mix. Mixed voice is typically not something we “find”, like our chest or head voice - it’s a balance we develop. In this lesson, you’ll learn 3 exercises to begin developing your mix in the easiest way possible.

Because this is a time when many folks set new goals or commit to new habits, my tips for you today are less about technique and more about making your singing practice fun and sustainable.

Vocal fry is considered to be the lowest register of your voice. The sound resembles a creaking door or a slightly gravely surface. When we are using vocal fry our vocal folds are just loose enough to allow little air bubbles to escape, which creates the crackling and popping sounds we hear. As a speaking habit, it can create a weak or disconnected lower body support mechanism, which can lead to vocal strain when trying to raise one’s voice.

First, to understand harmony, we need to know what melody is! Melody is the principal part in harmonized music. It’s the lead line, the part we remember and sing along with. If I asked you to sing Happy Birthday, you’d be singing that song’s melody. 

The voice grows in power the best with resonance. When our vocal tract is able to get into the right shapes the vibrations produced by our voice start to build off of each other and amplify. Every singer who wants a big full voice needs to connect with optimal resonance.

Riffs and runs are so fun, but they can be intimidating. That’s why we’re starting out easy, with a simple 3-note run. We’ll add on one pitch at a time, ending with a 5-note run pattern you might recognize. I’m Camille van Niekerk, here today with 30 Day Singer, and I invite you to follow along!

Silent Night is a beautiful traditional carol however, it can actually be surprisingly tricky to sing well. First off the phrases are long and involve a lot of long sustained notes. If you take this too slow at first the end phrases are going to get tough. We also need to have a generally gentle and soft tone to keep the feeling of a lullaby without losing pitch and going flat.