# Warm up — Western voice

> [`sovt.html`](sovt.html)

Two minutes before you sing. A straw, a lip buzz, or a hum. The mouth is partly
closed, so a little air pushes back and the voice does not have to shove. Do this
after [standing and breathing](ready.html), and before
[shaping a vowel](vowels.html).

The picture of the warm-up comes from
[VoiceScienceWorks](https://www.voicescienceworks.org/sovt-exercises.html).
[Ingo Titze](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asDg7T-WT-0) shows a longer straw
session, including a song. That is later.

## Through the straw

Setup: paper, metal, or corn straw, or a paper cup with a small hole. Lips seal on the straw; air exits through the straw while you buzz. Pinch your nose once — if the hum stops, air was leaking through the nose.

### What to do through the straw

Four jobs (same order the first week):

- **Steady hum (one pitch)** — low breath, buzz one comfortable note through the straw for several seconds. Match the drone if it is on. Not a scale; one pitch.
- **Slides / glides (small pitch change)** — same buzz, glide slowly up a short distance and back down on one connected tone (not do–re–mi steps). Three round trips, easy range.
- **Sirens (high ↔ low)** — one long quiet glide from low comfortable pitch up toward your easy top and back down on the same buzz. Shorten if you crack or the straw sputters. Optional until slides feel smooth.
- **Transfer** — straw out, hum the same pitch, open to “doh” without changing pitch.

### First-week checklist

1. Low quiet breath, lips on straw.
2. Steady hum.
3. Nose pinch test.
4. Three small slides.
5. Optional siren.
6. Straw out → hum → “doh”.

Two or three minutes total. Scales and songs wait for later pages.

## Vocal fry

Vocal fry is the creak at the bottom of the voice. Say “uh” and let it run out of
air until it rattles, like a door hinge or the last scrap of a sleepy sentence.
Some teachers send a little of that creak through a straw. It is easy to squeeze
your throat while you hunt for it, so this warm-up does not use it.

## No straw

Same two jobs: one comfortable hum, then a slow slide up and back down.

| Shape | How |
|---|---|
| Mmm | Lips together. Hum. Then slide. |
| Nnn | Tongue tip behind the upper teeth. Hum. Then slide. |
| Ng | The end of the word “sing.” Then slide. |
| Vvv | Top teeth on the lower lip, as in “love.” Then slide. |
| Zzz | The buzz in “buzz,” at the teeth. |
| Lip buzz | Loose lips, “brrrr.” Fingers on the cheeks if the lips clamp shut. |
| Tongue roll | A rolled “rrrr.” If it will not roll, use the lip buzz. |

## When to come back

| If it feels like… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Airy, almost a whisper | Hum through the straw. |
| Tight in the throat | Softer. Let the air do it. |
| The note cracks as you go up | The slow slide, quieter. Stop where it cracks. |
| Tired | Two minutes of hum, then stop. |

If it scratches or hurts, you are pushing. Softer, or stop.

## How this fits

1. [Stand and breathe](ready.html).
2. Warm up (this page).
3. [Shape the vowel](vowels.html).
4. [Hold one note](control.html).
5. [Pitch, time, words](/singing/western/).

Order today: straw or lip buzz, then a hum, then open to “doh.”