Singers: warm-up routines/random miscellany.

1. 0

   elizabeth aislingposted 15 years ago

   Hi all,
   I am a classical soprano and I've been wondering lately how long other singers take to be fully 'warmed-up'. Sometimes I have to warm up for quite a while before my voice sounds its best; other times, I can warm up very briefly and still achieve that same sound. For me it seems to depend upon environmental conditions (weather, temperature, barometric pressure), stress levels, or times of the day. Some its best as early as 7 or 8 AM. Does anyone else here experience that?

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2. 56

   Dame Scribeposted 15 years ago

   I love Soprano and Coloratura singers. that's a awesome gift but as far as me singing...well..guess I am at my own best when I am not tired... not that I could ever sound like Montserrat Caballe, Bev Sills or Renee Fleming more like Emma Rossum lol

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3. 0

   elizabeth aislingposted 15 years ago

   I have to say I envy Coloratura sopranos. There are so many fun and beautiful pieces written for that voice type. I am a huge Natalie Dessay fan, myself.
   
   How much time do you usually set aside to warm up before you start working on repertoire, etc.? I know some people need only 5 minutes but I have a rather 'big' voice and so I need somewhere closer to 15 minutes, or else I can't make proper use of my full range.

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4. 66

   Daniel Carterposted 15 years ago

   I directed choirs and orchestras for a long time. Still do sometimes. It was easy to tell in the first two minutes of warm-ups whether we needed 10 minutes or 25 minutes. Aside from the conditions you mentioned, the singers' condition--rest, state of health, stress levels, etc, were a HUGE factor. Sometimes when we had difficulty warming the voice, I had them warm the body with stretches and yoga-type movements. That helped a lot.
   
   A singer is a vocal athlete. You have to treat your body the same way an athlete does theirs. Eat right, lots of liquids, warm the body before putting a lot of stress on the voice, etc.

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