The Voice: Vocal Warmups and Diction Exercises for Singers and Actors

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By ProCW

That's right! FREE vocal warmups to improve diction and to avoid damaging your voice

Are you involved in the arts? Perhaps you are a vocalist, an actor or even a public speaker. Have you ever had your voice prevent you from performing your task effectively? You know, you probably could have avoided that. Did you know that you can have permanent damage to your vocal chords if you don't warm them up properly? Avoid permanent vocal chord damage. Warm up your voice - properly!

The following exercises are for the experienced actor, speaker or vocalist and should not be attempted by the average "Joe" or "Jane" for that matter. I'm kidding!! Anyone can try them... they're just mixtures of words and or sounds for goodness sake.

You may say these warmups however you like. Find your own rhythm and speed. I recommend starting slow and then increase your speed gradually. Admittedly, some of the warmups may seem kind of odd. Some may even look stupid to you at first. Don't worry about that. Do them anyway. They have been designed to have both simple and quite complex patterns and are easy to remember.

Ready? Give it a shot. Don't forget to breathe!

Need help with Voice Warmups?

Maybe this hub can help you!
Maybe this hub can help you!
Source: ProCW

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Free Vocal Warm ups - Set 1

1. Ah-blah, alligator; blah-blah, anticipator

2. Beckoned Becky, boasted Bobby, believed babbling Brooke.

3. Can't David Eat Fish, Gail?

4. Honduras has horrible hamburgers.

5. In Jeffrey Kemp's last meeting, no one presentation remained solid.

6. Trust the tongue twisters to tickle that tongue.

7. Ugly vampires wear extraordinarily yellow zippers.

8. Alligators - Baboons - Cats - Dogs - Elephants - Fish

9. Gorillas - Horses - Iguanas - Jaguars - Kangaroos

10. Llamas - Monkeys - Newts - Octopus - Porcupines

11. Quail - Rabbits - Snakes - Turtles - Unicorns - Yaks - Zebra

Free Vocal Warmups - Set 2

This set of free warm ups are to be used for practicing pure vowel sounds. They are to be said rhythmically with breaths after each line. Good luck and have fun!

A (pronounced ah)

ah - zah - ah - zah - ah - zah - ah

bah - yah - bah - yah - bah - yah - bah

cah - xah - dah - xah - cah - xah - cah

dah - wah - dah - dah - gah - dah - gah

E (pronounced eh)

feh - veh - feh - veh - feh - veh - feh

geh - teh - geh - teh - geh - teh - geh

heh - seh - heh - seh - heh - seh - heh

jeh - reh - jeh - reh - jeh - reh - jeh

I (pronounced ee)

kee - nee - kee - nee - kee - nee - kee

lee - mee - lee - mee - lee - mee - lee

mee - lee - mee - lee - mee - lee - mee

nee - kee - nee - kee - nee - kee - nee

O (pronounced oh)

poh - joh - poh - joh - poh - joh - poh

roh - hoh - roh - hoh - roh - hoh - roh

soh - goh - soh - goh - soh - goh - soh

toh - foh - toh - foh - toh - foh - toh

U (pronounced oo)

voo - doo - voo - doo - voo - doo - voo

woo - coo - woo - coo - woo - coo - woo

yoo - boo - yoo - boo - yoo - boo - yoo

zoo - oo - zoo - oo - zoo - oo - zoo

Don't get upset about your voice getting tired.

With proper vocal warmups and warm downs, you can maximize your vocal time.
With proper vocal warmups and warm downs, you can maximize your vocal time.
Source: ProCW

More about Warmups Set 2.

By doing each of the warmups in Set 2, you will speed through the entire alphabet. Go through them all just 5 times and you'll actually go through the alphabet 10 times. Truly a great workout and warm up for the vocalist/actor/speaker! I'm not going to say that this is a full vocal warm-up. You should spend 15 minutes or more on warming them up. However, this is a great vocal warm-up tool. Feel free to remember them! Anyway, much success on your Voice and/or Public Speaking Adventures. Don't forget to print this out or bookmark it so that you can practice these and commit them to memory.

Tongue Twisters are Great for Warmups, and...

  • All things speech related, to put it simply. If you speak in front of people, if you speak on the phone and even if you sing, tongue twisters can get the blood flowing to the right places in your mouth, jaw, cheeks and even other important facial muscles!
  • Tongue twisters take a tole on the tongue. Your goal should be to make the tongue tired, but to make the tongue wired! (This will come with practice!)
  • Just to have fun with!

Free Vocal Warmups - Set 3 - Tongue Twisters

Tip - Try your best to say the tongue twisters as briskly and as crisply as possible.

  • Top of the day. Tip top. Tippity toppity snip snop.
  • Babbling, Ben brought Babs to behave badly.
  • David tried drying tomatoes daily, due to Dina's tremendous diet.
  • Paul pruned Penelope's pansies leaving Penelope perplexed.
  • Mable had a maple tree. Mable's maple tree didn't make maple syrup for Mable. Is Mable's maple unable?
  • Twenty little leopards laughed at two lofty lions.
  • Imagine having an imaginative imagination.
  • Many mice are mighty mice.
  • Thirty-three times three plus one is me.
  • Sure, Sally sold sixty shells at the sea's shore, but Sue sold seventy seven! Sally, surprised at Sue's success, screamed and shouted seventeen times; "Sue's shells are shabby! Sally's shells are chic!" Sue said to Sally, "Say what?" Then Sue shouted, "Sally sold sixty six shells, so she's upset. Sorry for shouting!"

It takes time to truly treasure the twisting of the tongue, huh?

Easy Diction Exercise!

Free Vocal Warm ups - Set 4

  • Warming up and warming down is worth a little time.
  • Much can be accomplished with some rhythm and some rhyme.
  • They will help your voice to help itself to get to maxi-range.
  • Even though the sounds of them can be a little strange.

Free Vocal Warm ups - Set 5

  • Mashed Potato. Smashed Tomato.
  • Baked Tomato. Burned Potato.
  • Lunch with Potatoes. Dinner with Tomatoes.
  • Potato, Tomato. Tomatoes, Potatoes.

Free Vocal Warm Ups - Set 6

(Start pianissimo. End fortissimo.)
(That means start very soft, end very loud.)

  • Mini me. Mini me. Mini me. Mini me.
  • Medium, medium, medium, medium.
  • Maxi, maxi, maxi, maxi me!

Free Vocal Warm ups - Set 7

Directions: Start on an easy-to-sing note: perhaps C. Sing every work (and syllable) on that note. Then work your way up, chromatically and then down, chromatically.

Laugh a little -
Laugh a little -
Laugh a little louder.

Ha! He-ha! He, ha!
Ho-hu, he.

(Repeat.)

Other Quick Vocal Tips

Don't forget to breathe properly. Use good diction, even if you're reciting a part that doesn't require it. Differentiate between your "D" and your "T." (very, very common mistake.) Make each statement, every single word, stand out.

Free Vocal Warmups

More Free Vocal Warmups

Even More Free Vocal Warmups

Comments

moses 2 years ago

wow great,

this is wonderful for encouraging, developing, and inspiring up coming artist over the world, keep up the good work.

Kelcey-Chinchillaluver 2 years ago

Hey these really helped with my voice everyone says I sound better when I havn't even told them I used these! THANKS!!

rajivnandy profile image

rajivnandy 2 years ago

hey !! these exercises are really awsumm ....d u no nethin tht helps if u hv a nassal twang in the voice ?

Dvid Heath 2 years ago

great place here

vocalcoach profile image

vocalcoach Level 7 Commenter 22 months ago

I found the vocal warm ups interesting. Thank you for sharing this useful information. I look forward to more of your hubs. Thumbs up!

b.p.rao 21 months ago

thanking you very much I am glad to hear vocal warm up interesting

kat  21 months ago

thanks for sharing these exercises, they have really helped with my voices for when i am acting. Now i can speak loud, clearly and in the voice of my charecter. The audience and my teacher have noticed an improvement(:

kendall 19 months ago

these are cool i wil show my friends even the potato tomato one

Madisson 17 months ago

Hello. I am a proffesional singer and go to MAAD it is a music and arts district and I must say these warmups are extroardinary

Miley Cyrus 15 months ago

Wow, These warm-ups are great! I use them everyday!

jessica 9 months ago

these warm-ups are great!!!!!!!!!

Nicki Minaj 8 months ago

These are awesome! I use these all the time

Kelly 7 months ago

WOW! awesome warm up tips. I also found some wonderful info about online singing lessons at http://singingcenter.com/online-singing-lessons.ht

Julia 6 months ago

Hmmm... author of this seems familiar... Anyway, good to see these warm-ups. Might try to use some in rehearsals.

Kaylah 6 months ago

Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate .

akriti maurya 5 months ago

hey i find these helpful,,,,,,,thank u!!!!!!!

lolum 5 months ago

good im 8 and if u hair my voice youll be very very very happy cuz when i say here is a tip do this breath in aand make this sound haa u no wat sound then breath out then say la la la la la la as soon as u finish breath out ok

bill clinton 3 months ago

Wow this was a big help from you guys

nemain 2 months ago

Grasias! Fue un exito con mi clase the coro, y han majorado tanto!

louromano profile image

louromano Level 1 Commenter 2 months ago

Thanks for sharing it... I really love it..

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