Singing Exercises Are the Push-Ups of Voice Training

Are singing exercises really mandatory? No, they are not. They are only mandatory if you want to become a successful singer with a long and important career. Sure, some singers may never have done a scale in their lives. But then again, some people win the Lottery with the first ticket they buy. Willie Nelson probably never warbled a mee-mee-mee in his whole life. (Only guessing here; I've never asked) But few people have the charisma and sincerity that we see in Willie. He is a poet who puts tunes to his poems when he reads them.

For the rest of us, the answer to that question is a resounding "YES." Singing is an athletic endeavor. And just like any other athletic activity, in order to be most effective, a subtle combination of brain, body and voice needs to be coordinated. These elements should be awakened by singing exercises so they can work freely together.

A singer needs to sing scales and exercises in order to practice the elements of the techniques they are learning in a "pure" form. By that, I mean, without being distracted by issues like words, rhythm and interpretation. This is the time a singer gets to totally concentrate on the body, brain and voice synergy.

Singing exercises build a kind of muscle memory intended to allow the singer to forget about issues like breathing and support so they can concentrate on performance aspects when they are singing onstage or in the studio. It's too late to concentrate on breathing and support when you're standing onstage. That's when a singer must forget about the basics and perform. You have to rely on muscle memory. And the way to build that muscle memory is to do what every vocal coach hopes you will do, and that is to practice your exercises.

Exercises. That sounds like a lot of work and not much fun, doesn't it? Well, you could be right, but think of them like you would physical training. Crunches aren't much fun either, but when you don't do them, it shows in your performance and in your body.

Fabled violinist Jascha Heifetz made a good point when he said, "If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it."

For singers, I recommend warm-ups that work like building blocks, starting with the number one, all-time fundamental building block, which is effortless breathing. If you get the breathing part right, you stand a good chance of doing well with the rest of it. If you fail to establish your breathing correctly you will always be off-kilter.

The next step is to incorporate your method of support. Then focus on your resonating system and add it to the mix. I also recommend that as you go through your singing exercises, you begin with scales that are short and in a comfortable voice range for you. Build slowly by gradually lengthening the spread of the notes you sing and begin exploring the boundaries of both upper and lower registers.

There is a temptation to view singing exercises as a mindless activity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They are only worth doing if you concentrate on building a smooth working machine that incorporates body, brain, and voice. Record yourself and monitor your progress. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. To quote football coach Vincent Lombardi, "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect!"

Nashville vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams helped make stars out of many top artists: Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...

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Piano Exercises to Strengthen Your Fifth Finger

[1] Piano exercises to strengthen your 5th finger - Exercise No. 1: Play Scales

Place the right thumb on middle C. Index finger on D, middle finger on E and the rest of your fingers on the subsequent higher keys.

Now play CDEFG with your right hand using th e fingering you have prepared as I have described in the paragraph above. Next play the scale in reverse, GFEDC. Maintain the same fingering.

Place the left pinkie on the C one octave lower from the middle C. Fourth finger on D, middle finger on E and the rest of your left fingers on the subsequent keys.

Now play CDEFG with your left hand using the fingering described above.Then play them in reverse GFEDC. Use the same fingering.

Practice the exercise with your right hand, then with your left separately at first. When you are able to play smoothly try playing with both hands at the same time.

Why is this piano exercise useful?

The 5th finger - our pinkie is the weakest finger we have. When playing the piano you will notice as I did when I was a beginner that it is difficult to hit a key firmly with the pinkie. It is also the first finger that tires after playing for an extended period of time.

By practising scales we are forcing the pinkie to do work. The more work the pinkie has to do on a regular basis the stronger it gets. Practising scales often also increases the 5th finger's stamina so that it can play a longer piano piece without getting tired too soon.

[2] Piano exercises to strengthen your 5th finger - Exercise No. 2: Arpeggios

Place the right thumb on middle C. Press it. Using your index finger - play E. Then play G with the middle finger.

Move your thumb under the palm of your hand to hit the C one octave higher from the middle C. Using your index finger play E, then G with the middle finger and finally the C on the next higher octave with your pinkie.

Play them in reverse, CGECGEC. That's right, use the same fingers as when you were playing the arpeggio ascending just now.

Place the left pinkie on the C one octave lower from middle C. Play it. Using your middle finger play E then G with the fourth finger and hit the middle C with your thumb.

Swing your middle finger over your thumb to play E, followed by G with the fourth finger and finally reaching the finale by playing the C one octave higher from middle C with the pinkie. Next play it in reverse.

Practice the exercise with your right hand, then with your left separately at first. When you are able to play smoothly try playing with both hands together.

The piano exercise is called arpeggio. Why is it useful?

Soon enough you will learn that the 5th finger is one stubborn cookie. It does not really follow your commands when playing the piano. When playing a fast paced bar of semiquavers for instance it tends to attach itself to the fourth finger when you actually want it to hit the keys independently on its own.

By practising arpeggios we can train the pinkie to not cling itself to the fourth finger and enable it to play as an individual finger. Visit http://www.all-piano-online.com for more piano exercises, tips and advice to improve your piano playing techniques.

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