How Long Should I Warm Up My Voice Before Singing - Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy

How Long Should I Warm Up My Voice Before Singing - Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy

I get asked this question a LOT!

And it needs to be answered in 2 parts.

The question is: "How Long Should I Warm Up My Voice Before Singing?"

The question isn't: "How Long Should I Warm Up My Voice?"

BIG DIFFERENCE and here's why:

When we warm up for singing, we are getting ready for "the main event." – Singing.

AND

Depending on what we are singing, we may warm up differently.

Let me give you an example:

If I know I will be singing something really high, I will warm up in that range.

If I know I will be singing something low, I will warm up in that range.

If you know what you are doing, and know how to warm up correctly, I typically will take about 1 hour (or so) to warm up for singing… No matter how long I will be singing.

I oftentimes will sing for hours. BUT YOU MUST WORK UP TO THIS OR YOU WILL HURT YOURSELF.

In addition:

There are a lot of coaches espousing that you should only "work out"
or warm for for no more that 30 minutes.

THIS IS ABSURD.

Think about this guys.

Your voice is a group of muscles. And like any group of muscles in your body, responds as such.

If I am a soccer player, would I only train for 30 minutes to play a
90 minute game? OF COURSE NOT! How then could I possibly build up the stamina to sustain a 90 minute game? This is hogwash! In fact it is the opposite!!!!

We train even more (safely) so we can sustain a 90 minute game "game shape." (meaning: adrenaline is high, the stakes are high, our output performance will be much more intense than our luxury workouts. Often times I will train for hours daily 5-6 days per week to get ready for a tour etc..)

I cover all of this thoroughly in my singing course "How To Sing Better Than Anyone Else" for anyone interested.

I hope you find this video helpful/useful.

Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy. Where The PROOF Is In The Singing!

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Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy - Where The PROOF Is In The Singing!

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[blonderider]

I follow all your tips, Mr Tamplin, and my voice came from nothing to something else. Thank you! Can't wait to record my first tune.

[sadiabrooks]

Hey Ken Tamplin,
Thank you for taking the time out of your days to make videos on teaching us great vocal methods. I have learned more from your vids than my actual coach🤗

[leanhquoc]

This is so freaking important to know omg.

[sabrybae]

thanks so much ken, you is the best coach ever🤗🤗🤗🤗

[guilhermefariasStark]

Hi, Ken Tamplin! I'm from Brazil and I'm Christian ... I'm your fan!
your old songs are very difficult to find haha ... but one day I find!

[ShaunaMarieSings]

Excellent information, Ken...was wondering the same thing...you read my mind!!! Thank you. 💗💗💗

[SLAMSTERDAMN]

+Ken Tamplin, always excellent & well informing vids, WADR, when I was instructed/coached by a Seattle Opera ‘vet’, she had me on a nearly hot cup of quality black coffee, & stretch & then matching her piano, from high to low.
Her reason was primarily opening & warming the higher register spaces in our heads & faces.
I dunno if it’s just a matter of specifics don’t count, just so long as you don’t do things WRONG, but to this day, it works splendid, & I don’t mean to challenge your instruction & experience, nor cast myself a know it all, but it’s different enough to cause me to ask you about it. Thx.👍

[nito]

Thanks sir ....it helped me a lot ....I'm still doing it daily

[anahd]

Like always, amazing! love that outro music though! XD

[justincraig]

Thanks for being honest, Ken! You are a great singer! I could only sing a little and your video made me feel a bit safer about my voice.

[sawlaimh]

Thank you so much for sharing Mr Ken 😇👍👍

[stainlesssteve]

Hi Ken. Could you do a video on minor scale vocal exercises please? Many thanks, Stephen Boyle in Ireland ✌

[afonsodeportugal]

Mr. Tamplin, do you have any videos on how improve one's *lower* vocal range? I'm not as interested in singing higher notes as I'm interested in singing lower notes. Do you have any kind of exercises for increasing one's lower vocal range? Thank you in advance!

[eggloria]

Thank you for these videos Ken! Quick question: If you do an intensive warmup the day before, should you do a lighter one the next day?

[scotttovey]

Thanks Ken.
Great info.

To those who have bands or groups with that one person who refuses to warm up with the group because he or she warmed up in the car; dismiss them from the group.

A person whose ego is intolerant of proper instruction not only has no concern for their own voice, that person is not concerned for the success of the group as a whole.

Given the fact that the person will ultimately loose or damage their voice over the long term, that person is not a reliable member of the band and is not in it for the long haul.

It's OK to have short term members. It's not OK to have short term members that are short term members because they do not care about their personal health. The overall sound of a band or group is completely dependent upon the sound and quality of each voice in the group. Not every tenor sounds the same. Not every baritone sounds the same. Not every bass sounds the same.

While we can never have control of every single aspect of what happens in life or of even every single aspect of our health, we do have control of how we practice, exercise our vocals, and warm up. For that reason, a person that refuses proper warm up exercises, should never pass the probationary period of membership in a band or group.

On the other hand, if you don't mind having an additional obstacle in the way of your success, disregard this post.

[irarohde]

I guess ideally, and for the highly-expressive, more dramatic types of music you are largely dealing with, this makes sense. However, there are a lot of circumstances that don't particularly allow for the most full warm-up. I mean, many of the most traditional religious institutions start chanting in services at what many rockers would call "ungodly" (but we religious dudes might call "the most godly") early hours of the morning. And educators, whether music educators or general educators (who really also should warm up their cords for speaking to full classrooms of noisy kids) are often starting their teaching day before 8:00 am. But then, I try to warm up a little, and use scale-like plainchant as contiguous and smooth as I can, softening the consonants as best I can, starting in my lower registers and with the easiest chants, as you suggest here, to ease into things. I've spoken to Italian colleagues; I don't imagine that even there they could have traditionally warmed up for early-morning religious chant all that much. But they were aided by their native gentler articulation of consonants and limited-range chant, which I've tried to mimic, at times. No matter how much I soften consonants, though, I still have to face the fact that chanting litanies involve pages and pages of text, making the repertoire extremely consonant-dense, and I really need to compensate and "loosen-up" the voice by working on traditional scales with vowels-only, even at some later point in the day.

[MrMike]

Great video Ken, as always. I'm curious: Were you ever a "bad" singer when you first started out, or did you always have somewhat of a natural gift as a good singer that you further developed to become a great singer?

[successtalks]

it is very gooood sir i wanna sing like u and i m practicing

[vjqwobg]

Kenny ! Your The Best Voice Teacher On Earth ~ You Know This, Thank You <3 I'm starting fresh and clean Man just got out of jail lol "embarrassed' Any way TY TY TY ~ Peace an Love Teacher <3

[christdiedforoursins]

very interesting .hmmm, this is a whole new world I never knew too much about, I heard Mongolian singing and st Olaf collage on the radio, I truely thought all singers were like what you see in musicals, people that just burst into song when ever they want to.armenian chanting in jerusalem.I have alot to learn, looks like very exciting road ahead.great tip thank you for sharing this Ken, love joy, grace and peace unto you.realy thank you, i see im gonna have to set a time apart specifically.sleep well my friend