VOCAL WARM-UP EXERCISES
Only a few of the music books you see in this website mention general information about vocal warm-up exercises. You might not be able to comprehend the generalizations if you are new to singing. I will share my favorite vocal warm-up exercises for that reason. I will not use music terms and symbols; instead, I will replace them with basic daily conversational terms and symbols that are more understandable. My goal is to explain clearly so you can understand.
Although these warm-ups are my favorites, I only use about half of the vocal warm-up exercises I am about to share with you. You can take all the exercises and use which ever ones you like best, it is a personal choice. I usually practice between 15 minutes to 30 minutes in the morning prior to breakfast and between 5 to 15 minutes before singing. Hint: empty or light stomach is preferred over full stomach when it comes to singing and exercising. Why? Because a full stomach will definitely make you feel uncomfortable.
Why bother to warm-up?
VOCAL WARM-UP:
- Prevent voice damage
- Increase your vocal range
- Improve the muscles of the chest, throat, neck etc…
- Relieves stress both physically and mentally
- Better voice control
- Prevent injury
- Build up vocal stamina
- And MORE
Let’s first go over BREATHING:
Breathing should be by mouth for both inhaling and exhaling. Repeat, breathing should be by mouth not by nose.
Standing Positions for Breathing:
- Chin slightly titled down
- Shoulders relaxed, but not in a shrug
- Feet relaxed and shoulders width apart
- Arms and neck relaxed
- Back either straight or slightly lean forward
Inhaling Steps for Standing Positions:
1. Open your mouth quickly as if you are about to sip in a small amount of air smoothly into your body. Hint: when you open your mouth, make sure your jaw stays still at the same position from the beginning to the end of an exercise and relax. DO NOT tighten your jaw. Quickly = less than 1 second. Smoothly = DO NOT make any noise.
2. To take in a small amount of air smoothly as indicated above is our 2nd step.
3. Direct that same small amount of air to the lower part of your stomach. Hint: lower part of your stomach = about 5 cm below the navel.
4. Because you direct that same small amount of air to the lower part of your stomach, the lower part of your stomach will push out a little bit. You can FEEL it.
Please look at figure 1 for reference
My suggestions: Please take your time to practice slowly at first but eventually try to do step 1 to step 4 quickly and smoothly. Hint: quickly = less than 1 second. Smoothly = DO NOT make any noise. In other words, you should be able to perform step 1 to step 4 in less than 1 second. Why? Because step 1 to step 4 are the exact steps you use to take in a small amount of air during a pause while singing a song. There are many pauses in a song. Repeat, step 1 to step 4 are the exact steps you use to take in a small amount of air during a pause while singing a song. Take in a small amount of air quickly and smoothly will preventing people from noticing. Repeat, you DO NOT want people to see your mouth open and make some noise as you take in a small amount of air while singing a song. The steps should be taken quickly and smoothly as if nothing happened.
Please look at song# 2. If you watch closely on song#2, you might be able to catch me taking in a breath during a pause on 00:56 and 01:28. If I do not take in a breath during a pause, I might not have enough breath to sing the next part of the song. That’s what happened to me on 02:52 of song#2. I should take a quick breath at 02:48.
Addendum: Since I inhaled quickly, if I did not tell you, there would be no way you could tell? Now take your time to review each video carefully.
Exhaling Steps for Standing Position:
1. Slowly squeeze the same amount of air you inhaled earlier out by gradually push the lower part of your stomach inward. Because you gradually push the same small amount of air you inhaled earlier inward, you can FEEL the lower part of the stomach pushing back to its normal size. Hint: gradually = slowly and continuously from the beginning to the end of an exercise. Repeat, slowly and continuously which means DO NOT pause or jerk from the beginning to the end of an exercise but consistent with one movement. DO NOT tighten the muscles of the lower part of your stomach as you gradually push in. THEY MUST BE RELAXED. How can I relax the lower part of my stomach while pushing in at the same time? Years of practice.
2. Because you gradually push the lower part of your stomach inward, the same small amount of air you inhaled earlier is now slowly and continuously trying to escape from your stomach.
3. The same small amount of air is now heading to your mouth. Your mouth MUST remaining open from step 1 (the first step of inhaling), your jaw MUST stay still and relax.
4. The same small amount of air is now escaping your mouth. Try to make this noise for now as the air escaping you mouth→ shhh. We will go over different noises when we do our vocal warm-up exercises.
Please look at figure 2 for reference
Note: there is no specific time to finish step 1 to step 4. But the longer the time you are able to hold a breath (in a natural manner not in a desperate manner) the better. Just pretending you are trying to blow up a balloon; the longer the time you able to hold a breath the better. In singing, you do not want to take too many unnecessary breaths.
Hint: You often see me mentioning the same amount of air from both the inhaling and the exhaling steps. It simply means that whatever amount of air you inhale, that same amount of air should be exhaled. In our case, the same amount of air inhaled will travel straight to the lower part of the stomach and staying there. That same amount of air will be exhale from the lower part of the stomach out of the mouth.
Hint: Breath travels straight = do not let any fraction of the air you inhale to stay outside of its designated destination. The only designated destination in singing is the lower part of your stomach.
Tips: All the 31 sketches on the EXERCISE BOOKS page will help strengthen the lower part of your stomach. Jogging is another excellent way to strengthen your entire body. Playing tennis will also help. Since you use the lower part of your stomach to generate power in singing, everything else should be relaxed. Hint: Everything else = legs, buttock, hands, chest, shoulders, neck, throat, jaw, chin, tongue, head etc. Again, the focal point of energy is the lower part of the stomach. When inhaling or exhaling, you are the only person that feels the movement of your lower part of the stomach. In other words, DO NOT let anyone else sees the lower part of your stomach pushes out (inhale) and pushes in (exhale) while you are singing a song. It does not matter if you are doing the vocal warm up exercises, be comfortable.
My suggestions: Take your time and practice slowly so you can feel comfortable doing this. The exhaling steps are opposite from the inhaling steps.
Hint: If you get the breathing right, singing will be much easier!
SUPPORT
In everyday activities, support is needed when you are carrying something a little bit heavy.
Hint: if something is heavy or really heavy, a log for example, it is safer to use a dolly or a pick up truck instead. Or you can make that log less heavy by cutting it in half if you still want to carry it. Where do you get the support from when carrying something a little bit heavy? You get the support from the muscles of your leg and the muscles of your buttocks. When supports are in action; your knees are slightly bent and your backs stay straight.
Note: your entire body must remain relax. Again, I am talking about something a little bit heavy; not something extremely heavy.
Two images from Figure 3 are the actual images of me carrying a log, after cutting it in half, during a recent tornado.
Support is needed in singing when you are trying to hit high note.
Hint: if the note is really high for you, it is better for you to lower the whole song down half a key or a key so you feel comfortable singing.
Hint: lower the whole song down half a key or a key is similar to cutting the log in half as indicated above. Where do you get the support when trying to hit high note? You get the support from the muscles of your leg and the muscles of your buttocks. When your supports are in action, your knees are slightly bent and your backs stay straight.
Note: your entire body must remain relax. If your throat tightens up or your neck veins are popping out while trying to hit high note that means you are way out of your comfort zone. Repeat, if your throat tightens up or your neck veins are popping out while trying to hit/sing a high note, which means you are way out of your range. We DO NOT want to see that happen. You can or will hurt your throat and could eventually damage your voice. Your entire body must remain relaxed at all times and your voice should go up the scale naturally. How to make your voice go up naturally? The answer is practice!
Two images from figure 4 are the actual images of me doing my vocal warm-up exercises in a recording studio. My knees are slightly bent as I hit the high note.
Figure 7 demonstrates support in action while in the sitting position (the same steps as exhaling).
Hint: You should be able to hit a high note naturally, after practicing, without strictly following those support tips I just mentioned. Bending your knees every time you hit a high note is distracting to the listeners and should be eliminated if possible.
Sitting Positions for Breathing:
- Chin slightly titled down
- Shoulders relaxed and not shrugging
- Feet relaxed and shoulder width apart
- Arms and neck relaxed
- Back either straight or slightly leaning forward
Please look at figure 5 for reference
Inhaling Steps for Sitting Positions:
- Open your mouth quickly as if you are about to sip in a small amount of air
- Drop your jaw to release tension and be sure to leave your jaw in that position
- Relax your chest
Please look at figure 6 for reference
Exhaling for sitting positions:
- Squeeze the lower part of your stomach to push out the air you just inhaled
- Lift your chest
- Now blow out the air you inhaled earlier. Your jaw must remain in the same position from the inhaling step as you blow the air. Try to make this noise for now as you blow out the air → shhh.
Please look at figure 7 for reference
Now, let’s go over some instructions and symbols below before we start our first vocal warm up exercise:
Be sure to do each exercise from lowest to highest pitch first and then soft to loud.
Be sure not to confuse between low notes and soft sound
Be sure not to confuse between high notes and loudness
Here is one example of soft: A bicyclist rides pass you with two flatted tires!
Please look at Figure 8 for reference. Again, on Figure 8; pretend you are the person standing next to the bicyclist. Can you hear the noise? How do you react? Will you be likely to run to the bicyclist and tell him about the flatted tires?
Here is one example of loud: You are standing about 10 yards from a helicopter and it is about to take off.
Please look at figure 9 for reference. Can you hear the noise? How do you react? Will you likely to run away because it is too loud?
Here is one example of low: Pretending you are squeezing the upper part of a bottle of water, the water will go up slowly. Why? Because half of the water will go up and half of the water will go down.
Please look at figure 10 for reference
Here is one example of high: Pretending you are squeezing at the lower part of a bottle, the water will likely to go up high. Why? Because all the energy is apply at the bottom of the bottle.
Please look at figure 11 for reference
Please look at figure 12 for reference of how low and high look like in music
, = a coma means there is a pause (a pause is a break or a complete silence) before you are saying or singing the next word. Pick the length of time you want to pause. It could be .25 of a second, .50 of a second, .75 of a second or 1 second. Whatever length of time you pick be sure to stay with it consistently from the beginning to the end of an exercise. For example, say: la, ga, la, ga, la, ga. The length of pause/silence you picked between la and ga, you should stay with it until the end of the exercise.
Hint: A certain or exact is required in an actual song in order to create musical sounds. The definition of musical sounds is listed at the end of this page. The following symbols will indicate on a sheet of music as of how long a pause/break is:
YOU will learn more about those music symbols and many other useful music symbols in the MUSIC NOTATION AND SYMBOLS book in the MUSIC BOOKS page on this website. I skipped over the information which did not apply to me. I hope you will do the same. If not, you might have a major headache due to information overload!
→ = an arrow means there is no pause. For example, say: a→ . In this example, you should say ‘a’ with the same volume without pause until you are about to out of breath. Repeat, there is no pause if you see an arrow next to a vowel or a word. You should say that vowel or word until you are about to out of breath and then stop completely.
Hint: Same volume = if you start with a whispering voice, you should stop with a whispering voice. If you start with a talking voice, you should stop with a talking voice. If you start with a yelling voice, you should stop with a yelling voice. When you start with a yelling voice, watch out for your throat and your neck veins. Do not hurt your throat.
Hint: completely = do not fade out at the end of an exercise but stop completely. Repeat, If you think you are about to out of breath; stop completely and repeat the same exercise by taking another breath. Please do not fade out. Do not keep trying if you think you are about to run out of breath. To keep trying will hurt your throat and damage your voice. Instead, stop immediately and inhale another breath and then repeat the same exercise.
Hint: The continued or same volume is required in an actual song to create musical sounds.
Bold (text) word = whichever vowel or word is in bold text, you are to say that word higher. Again, there is a difference between high and loud. Please not to confuse between the two. For example, say: la, la, ma, la, la.
Hint = higher means whichever range or level that is comfortable to you. My higher pitch might be different than yours. A good example is climbing a hill. You can climb on top of the hill and I can only climb to the middle of the hill. In this example, you are climbing higher than me. I am lower than you but higher than the person at the bottom of the hill. It will take me more time to practice in order to climb on top of the hill. I also do not feel comfortable when it comes to the height that is why I stop at the middle of the hill. In singing, the best way to test your range is the way your throat feels. If your throat has tighten up or your neck veins are popping out when you are trying to hit a high note then you are out of your comfort zone. Repeat, if your throat tightens up or your neck veins are popping out, that means you are way out of your comfort range. We DO NOT want to see that happen. You will hurt your throat and eventually damage your voice. Your entire body should be relaxed at all times and your voice should go up high naturally. How? The answer is lots of practicing.
Hint: A certain or exact high note must be sung in an actual song in order to create the musical sounds.
Italic word = whichever word or vowel is italics; you have to say that word or vowel lower. Again, there is a difference between low and soft. Please not to confuse between the two. For example, say: ya, ga. In this example, ya is lower than ga.
Hint: A certain or exact low note must be sung in an actual song in order to create musical sounds.
Underlined word = whichever word or vowel is underlined, you have to say that word or vowel in the normal/medium volume (not low and not high but normal/medium). A good example of a normal/medium volume is a speaking voice. If I am speaking to you in a small class room or anywhere else that is a good example of a speaking voice. For example, say: ma →
In this example, you should say ‘ma’ with a normal/medium volume as if you say ‘ma’ to a person standing in front of you. An arrow means you have to say ‘ma’ without a pause from the beginning to the end of an exercise. Repeat, do not fade out but keep the same volume from the beginning to the end of an exercise. If you think you are about to run out of breath, stop immediately and take in another small amount of air to repeat the exercise.
Tip: the best way to stop immediately without fading out is to take in (inhale) a small amount of air just the moment after your brain tells you that you are about to run out of breath.
Hint: the end of an exercise simply means whenever you are about to run out of breath.
Hint: A certain or exact medium note must be sung in an actual song in order to create musical sounds.
Now Let’s Start Our Vocal Warm-up Exercises In the Standing Positions:
(1) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Count as you exhale 1→ 2→3→4
A. Inhale
B. Count as you exhale 1→2→3→4→5
A. Inhale
B. Count as you exhale 1→2→3→4→5→6
A. Inhale
B. Count as you exhale 1→2→3→4→5→6→7
A. Inhale
B. Count as you exhale 1→2→3→4→5→6→7→8
* If you feel comfortable, keeping counting to 9, 10 and 11
(2) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale shhh→
Tip: Curve your tongue and place it behind the upper front teeth. Your tongue can either touching the teeth or not touching the teeth….as long as you feel comfortable. Your jaw should be slightly dropped.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(3) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale dzuu→
Tip: Curve your tongue and place it behind the upper front teeth. Your tongue can either touching the teeth or not touching the teeth…as long as you feel comfortable. Your jaw should be slightly dropped.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(4) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale meee→
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale eee→
Tip: Try several times with teeth apart and try several times with teeth together. Please look at figure 13 for reference.
(5) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale aaa→
Tip: Try several times with teeth apart and try several times with teeth together. Please look at figure 13 for reference.
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ohh→
Tip: Try several times with teeth apart and try several times with teeth together. Please look at figure 13 for reference.
(6) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale oo→
B. Make this noise as you exhale zoo→
Tip: Try several times with teeth apart and try several times with teeth together. Please look at figure 13 for reference.
(7) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale rrr→
(8) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale la,ga,la,ga,la,ga,la,ga
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
A. Inhale
B. Again la,ga,la,ga,la,ga,la,ga,la,ga
* If you feel comfortable, keep going
(9)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ta,la,ta,la,ta,la,ta,la
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
A. Inhale
B. Again ta,la,ta,la,ta,la,ta,la,ta,la
* If you feel comfortable, keep going
(10)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ya,ha,ya,ha,ya,ha
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
A. Inhale
B. Again ya,ha,ya,ha,ya,ha,ya,ha
* If you feel comfortable, keep going
(11)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ya,la,ya,la,ya,la
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
A. Inhale
B. Again ya,la,ya,la,ya,la,ya,la
* If you feel comfortable, keep going
(12)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ah, all, uh,ah,all,uh
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
A. Inhale
B. Again ah, all, uh,ah,all,uh,ah,all,uh
*If you feel comfortable, keep going
(13) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale la,la,ma,la,ma
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(14)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ya,ya,ga,ya,ga
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(15) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale a,a,a,a,a
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(16) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ah,ah,ah,ah,ah
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(17)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale mee,mee,mee,mee,mee
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(18) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ee,ee,ee,ee,ee
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(19)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale huh,huh,huh,huh,huh
Please look at figure 4 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(20) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ya→ga→ya→
A. Inhale
B. Again ya→ga→ya→ga→ya→
*If you feel comfortable, keep going
(21)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ta→la→ta→
A. Inhale
B. Again ta→la→ta→la→ta→
*If you feel comfortable, keep going
(22)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ya→ma→ha→
A. Inhale
B. Again ya→ma→ha→ma
*If you feel comfortable, keep going
(23)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ta→
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(24) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ma→
Tip: Your jaw is slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue is slightly touching the bottom of your lower teeth.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(25)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale la→
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(26)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ga→
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(27)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ha→
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(28) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale ah→
Tip: Your jaw should be slightly dropped and the tip of your tongue lightly touching the bottom of your lower front teeth.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(30) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale “hey”
Tip: Just pretend you are calling someone. Control your voice so you will not hurt your throat.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(31) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this “motor boat like” noise as you exhale buhhh→
Tip: You should feel both of your lips “vibrating”.
Please look at figure 14 for reference.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(32) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make this “mosquito” noise as you exhale hmmm→
Tip: Your lips are slightly touching each other.
Please look at figure 15 for reference
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(33)
A. Inhale
B. Make this noise as you exhale mom,ma,mo,moo
A. Inhale
B. Again mom,ma,mo,moo,mom,ma,mo,moo
*If you feel comfortable, keep going.
Tip: Your lips are slightly touching each other.
*Be sure to repeat the same exercise several times.
(34)
A. Inhale
B. Make this ambulance or fire engine sirens as you exhale waa,waa,waa→
*If you feel comfortable, keep going. The place you live might have different ambulance or fire engine sirens. If so, please imitate yours.
TRY YOUR BEST TO IMITATE THE SOUND OF EACH ANIMAL LISTED BELOW. THE ACTUAL SOUND AND RHYTHM OF YOUR PET MIGHT SOUND DIFFERENT.
(35) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make the sound of your favorite dog as you exhale wav,wav
A. Inhale
B. Again wav,wav,wav
*If you feel comfortable, keep going.
(36)
A. Inhale
B. Make the sound of your favorite sheep as you exhale bahhh→
A. Inhale
B. Again bahhh→bahhh
*If you feel comfortable, keep going.
(37) (I do this exercise all the time before singing)
A. Inhale
B. Make the sound of your favorite cow as you exhale moo→
A. Inhale
B. Again moo→moo
*If you feel comfortable, keep going.
(38)
A. Inhale
B. Make the sound of your favorite cat as you exhale meow→
A. Inhale
B. Again meow→meow
*If you feel comfortable, keep going.
(39)
A. Inhale
B. Make the sound of your favorite duck as you exhale quack,quack
A. Inhale
B. Again quack, quack,quack
*If you feel comfortable, keep going.
Vocal Warm-up Exercises in the Sitting Positions:
Sitting Positions for Breathing:
- Chin slightly titled down
- Shoulders relaxed and not shrugging
- Feet relaxed and shoulder width apart
- Arms and neck relaxed
- Back either straight or slightly leaning forward
Please look at figure 5 for reference
Inhaling Steps for Sitting Positions:
- Open your mouth quickly as if you are about to sip in a small amount of air
- Drop your jaw to release tension and be sure to leave your jaw in the same position
- Relax your chest
Please look at figure 6 for reference
Exhaling Steps for Sitting Position:
- Squeeze the lower part of your stomach to push out the air you inhaled earlier
- Lift your chest
- Now blow out the air you inhaled earlier. Your jaw must remain at the same position from the inhaling step as you blow out the air
Please look at figure 7 for reference
NOTE: Whichever vocal warm-up exercises you feel comfortable doing in the standing positions, use them again in the sitting positions.
Addendum: I “rarely” do vocal warm up exercises in the sitting positions. It is a personal choice. If you do, have fun.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TALKING AND SINGING
Speaking is a form of communication that is used to express one’s feelings or thoughts in a spoken language. We speak every day in order to communicate with the each other.
Let me make up an example of speaking as a form of communication between Peter and Mary. Peter is a regular customer and Mary is a cashier of a coffee shop called Café to Go.
Mary: Good morning, Peter. Welcome to Café to Go! How are you today?
Peter: Good morning, Mary. I am fine. Thank you. How about you?
Mary: Not bad. Would you like to try our new brand of coffee?
Peter: Sure. What is it Mary?
Mary: It’s called iced coffee.
Peter: Does it taste good?
Mary: It tastes like regular coffee. The only difference is that it has ice in it. We only serve iced coffee until the end of summer.
Peter: How much is it Mary?
Mary: $1.08 plus tax. By the way, we only serve one size.
Peter: Here is $1.08.
Mary: Thank you. Here is your iced coffee.
Peter: Thank you Mary. See you tomorrow.
Mary: See you.
Peter: Bye.
Mary: Bye.
The conversation being communicated between Mary and Peter mentioned above has a well organized structure.
Organized structure: The story has beginning, body and conclusion. We just went over speaking. What about singing? Singing is another form of speaking except in singing you have to use your voice to produce musical sounds. How do we produce musical sounds? We produce musical sounds by lengthening the words, shortening the words, make the words louder, make the words softer, pause at a certain period between words and many other factors depending on the story and the speed of the song. How can we tell? The quick answer is after much regular practicing. Unlike speaking, singing requires dedication and regular practice time. It can take years of regular practice to be or feel competent.
If you memorize the song below and then communicate with a friend without using musical sounds, it is speaking. But if you memorize the song below and then communicate with a friend using musical sounds, it is now singing.
The song below is written by Robin. Robin is my songwriting coach.
Give Me the Moonlight
Verse I:
When I’m caught up in the craziness of my job and day-to-day stress
I lose touch with what makes me happy.
Chorus:
Give me the moonlight and I’ll be fine because when I’m with you
in the quiet of the night all my cares melt away.
Verse II:
I can drop the mask I wear in the daytime, be myself, and share my doubts and fears.
You listen and put your arms around me.
Chorus:
So give me the moonlight and I’ll be fine because when I’m with
you in the quiet of the night all my cares melt away.
Bridge:
You and I together in the warmth and beauty of the moonlight is what I live for.
Chorus:
So give me the moonlight and I’ll be fine because when I’m with
you in the quiet of the night all my cares melt away.
The song above is written in a Verse/Chorus structure. The lyrics are carefully chosen to fit the structure of the song and to make the musical sounds easy to produce. In other words, we should be able to use the Verse/Chorus structure just mentioned to turn the conversation between Peter and Mary into a song (title Café to Go) after carefully chosen the lyrics to make them musical sounds.
Without explaining much more, you now know the differences between speaking and singing.
