If you ever wake up with a “morning voice” that feels groggy, unbalanced, or strained, you’re not alone! Many of us, especially night owls like me, find our voices are not at their best early in the day. Whether you need to sing, teach, attend meetings, or simply speak confidently, a quick warm-up can make all the difference.

Morning Voice Warm-Up: Quick Exercises to Get Your Voice Ready for the Day

Why Warm Up Your Morning Voice?

Morning voice often feels raspy or weak because your vocal cords and supporting muscles have been resting all night. A gentle warm-up brings balance and flexibility back to your voice, making it ready for singing, speaking, or any vocal activity.

This routine is great if you:

• Need to sing or record in the morning.

• Speak frequently for work (meetings, calls, presentations).

• Want a quick solution to refresh your voice. 

Step 1: Stretching Your Breathing Muscles

To start, we’ll focus on simple stretches that open up your breathing muscles. This helps you use your voice efficiently. Here’s how:

1. Sit comfortably on a chair. Raise one arm overhead, rotating your palm upward.

2. Lean your upper body to the opposite side while keeping your hip pressed down into the chair.

3. Let your head fall naturally with gravity as you take slow, deep breaths.

4. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, then switch sides. Be sure to keep your pelvis stable to achieve a nice stretch in your ribs and neck.

These stretches will help release tension and prepare your body for vocal work.

Step 2: Humming Technique

Humming is a gentle way to activate your voice without straining it. For this exercise:

1. Keep your teeth slightly apart and press your lips together. Inside your mouth, imagine you’re singing an “uh” sound.

2. Start on one tone, then smoothly move up, back down, and up again. It should sound like this: hmmmmm.

3. Focus on smooth transitions without pushing your voice.

This exercise awakens your vocal resonators and muscles, preparing them for more intensive use. For a guided version, watch the video and hum along with the audio!

Step 3: Slides for Flexibility

Slides are excellent for bringing your voice back into balance and increasing flexibility. Here’s what to do:

1. Start with a low pitch, slide up to a higher pitch, and then return to the starting note.

2. Use semi-occluded vocal tract exercises like lip trills, tongue trills, or even a straw phonation technique for this. If you’re new to these, lip trills might be easiest.

3. Keep the sound smooth and light. Avoid pushing or forcing your voice.

For example, with a lip trill, it might sound like this: brrrrrr.

These gentle slides are particularly effective if your voice feels stiff or tired.

Bonus: Explore More Vocal Techniques

If you enjoyed this warm-up, you’ll love the full-length classes in my Functional Singer program. These sessions include more semi-occluded vocal tract exercises and other techniques to strengthen and balance your voice. 

Ready to Start Your Day with Confidence?

I hope this warm-up helps you feel more at ease with your morning voice. Let me know in the comments if there are other vocal topics you’d like me to cover. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel, The Functional Singer, for more tips and techniques. See you in the next post!

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