Exercises

This exercise takes you through two kinds of arpeggios:

1) 1- 3 - 5 - 8 - 5 - 3 - 1

same as Do - Mi - So - D o - So - Mi - Re

same as A3 - C#4 - E4 - A4 - E4 - C#4 - A3

2) 1- 3 - 5 - 8 - 3 - 5 - 4 - 2 - 7 - 5 - 4 - 2 - 1

same as Do - Mi - So - D o - Mi - So - Fa - Re - Ti - So - Fa - Re - Do

same as A3 - C#4 - E4 - A4 - C#5 - E5 - D5 - B4 - G #4 - E4 - D4 - B3 - A3

Begin the exercises after you've already warmed up for about 10 minutes or so, espcially for V2 which takes you through an octave and a half. The demonstration includes a couple of vowels, and you can try these exercises with different vowels to see how your throat responds -- always with the goal of no extra tension there.

The video begins with an announcement about Jeannie's short sabbatical from uploading new content to this Series, due to family emergencies that need her attention. She's fine though, don't worry!

Jeannie takes you through a belted siren octave exercise, from G3(2) all the way up to A5(4)! This is a helpful, freer way of practicing getting to higher belted notes without using a glottal stop or pop (a harmful burst of air as you begin a note).

It's essential that you use your core support to do the belting, not your throat. Think of your throat as passive, as your mouth opens to make space for the sound. Release your jaw, and allow the sound to shine forward and bright.

In this 17:30 video, Jeannie takes you through a warmup, describes what is going on and how to do it well, and sings with you, too. Exercises in the video:

• Breathing: sustaining a "hiss"
• Sustaining a  note on "ah"
• 1-5-1 glides
• Octave glides up and back, on "ya, ee, o"
• 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 (half scale) on "ah, ee, o"
• Octave glide up then sustain top octave, "ah, ee, o"
• "Ee-hee ah-ha" and "Ee-ay-ah-o-oo" two-part exercise, on one breath
• "Ma - may- mi-mo-moo" on one pitch, sustained and legato
• "Soul and Intervals" exercise, from her book Your Singing Voice page 164, originally entitled "Meditation on Breathing" by Sarah Dan Jones

This effective exercise helps you manage your breath for any kind of singing. In it you practice breathing in slowly, pausing by holding your breath, then doing a hiss sound for 16 counts. Jeannie takes you through the exercise step-by-step and does it with you. This is a great way to begin your daily vocal practice!

Tip: When you make the hiss sound, keep it even-toned by listening as you go along. This will help your body to learn how to release air in a steady manner, which is great for breath control. The hiss should be at a moderate volume, not too soft.

This short improvisation over classic pop changes, in the key of Bb, began when jeannie was improvising at the piano. The exercise takes you through two to three registers, depending on how you want to sing it. The range is big, the way Jeannie sang it is going between chest into mix and into head tones.

You can also practice harmonizing with this exercise, or add your own spin to it especially if the range feels too big. The chords in this 2-feel groove are:

||: EbMaj 7 | Dm Gm | Cm F | Bb Bb7 :|| tag: Eb, Bb/D, Cm, Bb

We always teach and practice singing in major keys --you know, Do Re Mi Fa Sol! But what about singing exercises in a minor key? Singing a flat third instead of a major third in a scale changes the intervals between notes. It happens in melodies, and when you also practice minor keys, you'll learn to adjust your singing to less predictable detailed intervallic movements.

In this video Jeannie describes the difference and takes you through an exercise in major/minor.

This exercise does two things:

1) takes you through staccato singing on one breath, and

2) takes you through both major and minor keys

The exercise is designed to sing intervals of thirds with a space in between them ( a rest), where you don't breathe. This helps build your breath support while singing fluidly through a broken pattern. Also by taking you through major and minor keys, it is great for your ear training and pitch accuracy.

Ideally, take a breath at the end of each system (staff of music) as indicated by the apostrophe. If needed you can breathe as well after two measures, as indicated by the apostrophe in parentheses.<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->Range: C 3/4 to Eb 5/4

This exercise is a trickster, and very fun! It glides through a melody using the dominant 7th in a major key (mixolydian mode). Then, after one breath you sing a similar melody, but this time in a minor key, and there's a leap of a perfect fifth down to the minor third. That's the trickster! Be sure you let your pitch drop there so you're not sharp.

There are three backing tracks provided:

1.  Melody on flute, guide vocal for the first couple of examples, and piano backing track through several keys
2. Same as #1 but without the guide vocal
3. Backing track without melody

1. Two measures (4 beats) to give you the starting note and tempo, before each modulation
2. Chord support for several keys, ascending

When you've warmed up for about 10 minutes and your voice is feeling smoother, try out this 1/2 scale pattern (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1).

It is sung on three vowels: Ah, Ee and Oh. This will give your voice more flexibility.

Range: G3-G5, or G2-G4. (Note that if the range is too high or low for you to sing comfortably, you can adjust the note where you come in, and drop out if needed for the highest notes, then come back in. As always, don't strain to reach the top (or bottom!) Length: 4:14

Scales are a normal part of vocal exercises--and the same is true for most instruments. But so often singers don't practice them regularly. These are a straight-forward way to work on your transition areas, singing "o-ee" through a major scale, turning around on the 9th ("Re" in Solfege), and back down again, completed on one breath.

The accompanying audio track takes you through several keys and back down again, just as I would do in a voice lesson. If the starting pitch is too low for you comfortably, start the exercise a step or two higher. The same holds true for the top notes: don't strain to stay with the backing track. Instead, pause if your throat feels tight or the notes too high, then come back in again when comfortable.

Remember, you never, ever want to strain your voice. Be sure to take supporting breaths before each phrase.

This exercise is a gentle and mindful way to begin your singing practice.

This exercise continues after the 1-5-1 Glide with a wider interval, to help you stretch a bit more as you're warming up.

This exercise stretches you gently and calmly through register shifts as you continue to expand your range during your warmup.