Everyone asks us this question. The short answer is yes, we do need to do vocal exercises in your lessons, and yes you do need to practice them!
Sometimes we just want to skip straight to songs, to the fun part. But, songs require a certain amount of emotion and performance, which can “get in the way” of what’s happening at a functional level.
Vocal exercises allow us to work with your voice and your vocal issues without the added complication of style getting in the way. These exercises are designed to bring your voice to a place where it functions at its best. This is the Vocal Balance we talked about last week.
Why do we need to do this?
If you spent all your time in singing lessons working on songs, and not actually fixing any of the vocal issues you have, then would you expect to get any better?
Doing vocal exercises is the like the training that runners do before doing a marathon. You wouldn’t just turn up at the start line, having done no training and expect to be able to complete it without any issues, (not unless you were seriously fit!).
Runners train for races to get better at running, to build fitness and stamina and to prepare for the big event.
Singing is the same, we have to prepare for the big event (singing the song). We want to get better at singing and to build strength and stamina in our voices.
Without vocal exercises it could extremely difficult to improve your voice from a functional point of view, even if that were possible.
When we add style to songs, we may bring in bad habits and vocal function that isn’t going to keep our voice in healthy and peak condition. Often, these habits are so deeply ingrained that the only way to work on them is to move away from song and turn to exercises. This works for your voice, because exercises are designed to bypass these bad habits and help you to learn how to produce the sounds in a healthy manner.
So, when we do vocal exercises, it will help you to find vocal balance and a healthier vocal production. This in turn gives you a wider range of sounds and styles to choose from when you sing songs. Who doesn’t want that?
Come and see for yourself what we can do to help you with your voice. Connect with us on Facebook, Google + and Twitter, or get in touch via the website!
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