Speaking of Voice: “My Go-To Warm-Up” by Raymond J. Roberts

The first sound produced during the singing process is the most important. It has little to do with first impressions and everything to do with getting a good start to the phrase.

 

Coordinated Onset: The hardest to achieve and most important to develop is the coordinated onset. The vocal cords close with the initial sound producing a quiet onset as in the vowel, “ah.” This onset is somewhere between the glottal attack where the vocal cords close before starting the sound and the breathy onset where the vocal cords close after initiating sound.  The name “coordinated,” appropriately refers to the need to synchronize and prepare all aspects of initial sound in order to achieve the best tone, including breath, vocal cords, and resonant chambers.

 

Sing this exercise on any vowel. You may want to try the exercise first with a voiced consonant at the beginning (v,z,m,n). When the onsets are more balanced, you can sing the exercise exclusively on vowels. Where indicated, take a complete, small, silent inhalation. This helps you prepare for the next vocal onset with minimal muscular involvement.

1’, 1-2-3’, 3-4-5’, 5-6-7’, 7-8-9’, 9-8-7’, 7-6-5’, 5-4-3’, 3-2-1 Start on C4

 

Ascend chromatically 7 half steps shifting through all five basic vowels.