Day 4 Vocal Warm Up: Expand Your Range (High & Low)

Those high notes that feel out of reach, or the lows that vanish into nothing? It’s something your can train! Your range isn't set in stone. Day 4 gives you the exercises that stretch it safely, in both directions, without straining.

This is Day 4 of the 7-day vocal warm up series. Today: building toward higher and lower notes with correct technique.

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Exercise 1: Lip Trills to Explore Your Vocal Range

We're starting with a familiar exercise: the lip trill.

But today, we're making it a little more advanced!

Instead of simply doing lip trills, we're going to experiment with something called your laryngeal position.

Your larynx is your voice box, where your vocal cords are located. And here's something interesting: you can actually move it up and down.

When you swallow, you can feel your larynx rise. When you yawn, you can feel it lower.

During this exercise, we're going to alternate between two positions:

• A high larynx while doing a lip trill.

• A low larynx while doing the next lip trill.

Then we repeat!

Now, if this sounds a little complicated, don't worry. This is already a more advanced exercise.

If you're not comfortable controlling your larynx yet, just focus on the lip trills themselves. That's already a great vocal warm-up.

And if you don't get it immediately? That's normal!

Give yourself a few days to practice. The more familiar you become with the movement, the easier it can feel.

Exercise 2: Activate Your Chest Voice for Lower Notes

Next, we're moving into our chest voice.

We're going to use a simple "MA" sound with a big, open, relaxed quality.

The goal here is to activate your chest voice while gradually exploring the lower part of your range.

As you follow the exercise, pay attention to what happens when the notes get lower.

Do they become harder to sing? Does your sound change? Do certain notes feel more comfortable than others?

We're not trying to force anything.

We're simply exploring your voice and noticing how it responds.

Beautiful! Let's keep going.

Exercise 3: Discover Twang (Yes, It's Supposed to Sound Ugly!)

Now I'm introducing you to a vocal technique called Twang.

And here's the fun part: this exercise is not supposed to sound pretty!

Imagine a witch-like, exaggerated, slightly nasal-sounding voice.

That's the sound we're after.

We're going to sing a series of "NEIGH, NEIGH, NEIGH" sounds while exaggerating that twang quality.

The uglier, the better!

I know it might feel a little strange, especially if you're used to trying to make every note sound beautiful.

But this is a technique exercise, not a performance.

Twang is something I teach in more detail inside my Vocal Freedom Mastery program. For now, I want you to experience what it feels and sounds like.

So give yourself permission to sound ridiculous.

Beautiful! Well, not beautiful. Ugly.

That's exactly what we want!

Exercise 4: Use Twang to Make Low Notes More Stable

Now we're going to combine two things we've already practiced.

Remember that open "MA" exercise from earlier?

We're bringing it back, but this time we're adding a little bit of Twang on the very lowest note.

Why?

Because Twang can sometimes make lower notes feel and sound more stable.

Let me give you an example.

When I sing one of the lowest notes in my range without Twang, you can hear that I'm reaching the bottom of what my voice comfortably does.

But when I add a little bit of Twang, suddenly there's more stability in the sound.

Interesting, right?

That's exactly what I want you to explore.

Try the same exercise, adding Twang only on the bottom note.

Then ask yourself:

Did Twang make that low note easier to sing? Did it sound more stable? Or did it not make much difference?

There's no right or wrong answer here.

There's only what works for you and what doesn't.

And when you discover something that helps your voice, hold on to it!

Exercise 5: Experiment With a Low Larynx for Your Lower Range

We've explored Twang, which is associated with a higher laryngeal position in today's exercises.

Now we're going to experiment with the opposite: a low larynx.

And I want you to notice something.

Sometimes, lowering your larynx can help you access lower notes more comfortably.

To explore this, we're going to use a sliding "AH" sound.

But here's the catch: we're intentionally keeping our larynx low.

If you're unsure how to do that, think about yawning.

That yawning sensation can help you find a lower laryngeal position.

As you slide down through the notes, try to maintain that feeling.

Then notice how your voice responds.

Do the low notes sound fuller? Do they feel easier? Or do you prefer the higher larynx position with Twang?

For me, it depends on the note.

Some lower notes feel better with a high larynx and a little bit of Twang. But when I go even lower, I sometimes prefer a lower larynx.

And that's an important lesson.

Different notes may respond better to different techniques.

The goal isn't to find one technique that works for absolutely everything.

It's to understand your own voice well enough to make choices that help you sing more comfortably.

Exercise 6: Sing Higher Notes With a Low Larynx

Now we're taking that same low-larynx concept and applying it to the upper part of your range.

This is where things get interesting!

We're going to sing a "YOU" exercise, moving into higher notes while keeping our larynx in a lower position.

The goal is to notice what happens when we change the way we're approaching those higher notes.

Does the sound become easier? Do you notice a different sensation?

Try to maintain that low-larynx feeling throughout the exercise.

And remember, you can always think about that yawning sensation if you need a reminder.

Once you've completed the exercise, ask yourself:

How easy did those high notes feel compared to how they normally feel?

Maybe you noticed a difference!

That's exactly why we're experimenting with these different techniques.

We're learning what works for your voice.

Exercise 7: Connect Your Chest Voice, Mix Voice, and Head Voice

For our final exercise, we're going to bring everything together with a fun melodic pattern.

We're using the phrase "Relax, Take It Easy."

And we're going to move between different vocal registers.

Here's what happens.

We begin in our chest voice.

Then, as the melody moves higher, we transition into our mix voice or head voice, depending on where your vocal transitions happen.

Finally, we return to our chest voice.

This is a great opportunity to explore how your voice moves between registers.

Instead of thinking about your chest voice and head voice as completely separate things, we're practicing moving between them within one musical phrase.

Follow along with me and notice how those transitions feel.

And remember, we're warming up and exploring.

You don't need to get everything perfect!

Beautiful!

Virtual high five!

You've just completed today's vocal warm-up.

The Vocal Range Challenge: Rate Your Voice From 1 to 10

Now that you've finished the exercises, I have a little challenge for you.

Go sing a song!

Ideally, choose the same song you sang on day one of this warm-up series.

Why?

Because I want you to start noticing what changes when you warm up your voice consistently.

After singing, rate your voice on a scale from 1 to 10.

How good does your voice feel? How good does it sound?

Do those higher notes feel different? Are your lower notes more comfortable? Have you noticed any changes after four days of warming up?

We're on day four now, so hopefully you've already warmed up your voice four times this week.

And I'm genuinely curious about your experience.

Drop your score in the comments below and let me know what you've noticed!

Make Vocal Warm-Ups a Regular Habit

One of the biggest things I want you to take away from this series is the importance of regular practice.

It's one thing to try an exercise once.

It's another thing to repeat it consistently and start understanding how your voice responds.

And I know that sometimes life gets busy.

You might not always have time to sit down and follow a full warm-up video.

That's why I've put together a free vocal warm-up MP3 that you can download and keep on your phone.

You can warm up with me while you're on the go, even when you're in the car.

It's a little gift to help you make vocal warm-ups as easy and accessible as possible.

Click here to download your new vocal warm up routine!

What's Next? Sing With More Power!

Today, we focused on expanding your vocal range.

We explored your chest voice, experimented with Twang, played with different laryngeal positions, and practiced moving into higher notes.

Tomorrow, we're taking the next step.

Because once you've started exploring your range, it's time to let yourself be heard!

We're going to focus on singing with more power, and belting might be part of that.

I'm excited to explore that with you.

So keep warming up your voice, keep experimenting, and I'll see you tomorrow!

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