Click the link below for an audio file containing the advanced voice practice or warm-up.
Download Advanced Practice MP3
Advanced Voice Practice Guide
The Structure
- Feet
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- Total contact with the ground
- Centering- front/back, left/right
- Being connected to the room, by way of the ground
- Bones
- Alignment- front, side
- Visualizing/feeling the skeletal structure
- Extending arms/fingertips to the sky, relaxing down by stages
- Spinal rolls
The Breath
- Floor relaxation (optional)
- Allowing breath to find the center
The Breath
- The touch of sound from the center
- Lip flutters with sound
- Sound forward- lip flutter -> hum -> ah
- Freeing the voice- bouncing knees, wiggling shoulders, spinal rolls
The Channel
- Shoulders
- Walking the shoulders- up/back/forward
- Rolling the shoulders- backward/forward/opposite directions
- Clasping hands behind back and raising arms toward the sky
- Entwining forearms and raising them toward the sky
- Neck
- Pivoting head to the right and left, with level/raised/lowered chin
- Stretching the right/left/back side of the neck, adding the weight of the forearm
- Neck rolls from one side to the other
- Jaw
- Massaging the sides of the skull, allowing the lower jaw to hang loosely
- Stretching jaw downward with two fingers on the chin
- Massaging the jaw downward with thumbs or heels of the hands
- Bouncing the jaw by tapping downward on the chin with clasped hands
- Clasping the chin and wiggling the lower jaw up and down
- Tongue
- Giant tongue rolls, stretching out and relaxing in
- Relaxing the tongue on the lower lip- wide, fat, flat, and still
- Breathing/sounding from the center with the tongue immobile on the lower lip
- Soft palate
- Initiating a yawn, observing/feeling the soft palate lift
- Breathing in and out on “kah” feeling the cool spot expand
- Lowering/raising the soft palate on “hung-ah!”
- The pipe
- The straight pipe- open, easy, full, direct, silent breath
- Releasing sound through the straight pipe
- Bringing the head back to neutral, keeping the corner open
- Releasing sound while straightening and bending the pipe
The Power
- Breathing power
- Side bends, opening space between the ribs
- Reaching over the giant ball, opening the right/left back ribs
- Hands on the knees, elbows out, breathing into the back ribs
- Three-stage breathing- back -> front -> sides -> exhale
- The six-sided box- front/back, left/right, top/bottom
- The power breath- exhale -> pinch nose -> expand the body -> open nose
The Resonance
- Three basic resonators
- Tilting the head back, feeling low body vibrations on “Hah”
- Head in neutral position, feeling roof-of-the-mouth vibrations on “Lay”
- Tilting the head forward, feeling front teeth vibrations on “Mee”
- Sliding smoothly from “Ah” to “Ay” to “Ee” and back again
- Middle resonators
- Massaging the cheekbones, exploring vibrations on “May”
- Lifting/releasing the bridge of the nose muscles with breath/sound
- Nasal resonators
- Sniff and “Hmmm” through the right/left/both nostrils
- Bouncing “Mee” off the bridge of the nose
- “Mee! May! Mah!” feeling nose, cheekbone and mouth vibrations
- Skull resonators
- Finding vibrations all over the skull, on falsetto “Hee”
- Falsetto call with “Kee-ee”, on ascending pitches
When I started voice and speech training with you, we set three goals for improving an area of my business. After taking the lessons and applying them fully, I’ve found it has not only helped what I initially wanted, but improved every aspect of my life. I sound and feel stronger, I’m more confident, and I see things in a different way.
Before I started with you, if someone told me voice lessons would affect far more then my voice, I would have laughed them off. How wrong I would have been!
I spoke at two different events today and came home with a clear and strong voice – a deep resonance in my chest, and no hoarseness at all. My daughter and my wife both commented on the difference in my voice. Thanks!