1) Cover your right nostril with one finger and breathe in through the other. When your lungs are full, close both nostrils for four or five seconds. Then release the air slowly through the other nostril. Do the same exercise covering the other nostril, and repeat as many times as you like. This exercise massages the nasal passages and keeps the nose clear.
2) Breathe in and out slowly several times. Standing, with your body upright and your head level, breathe in, filling your lungs from the bottom, near the navel. Do not raise your shoulders. As your lungs fill, they press on the diaphragm, which in turn pushes the abdominal organs down. This happens because your lungs are expanding. Do this exercise several times, trying to save air as you breathe out, releasing it slowly.
3) Other recommended exercises are the ones mentioned earlier: blow out an “SSSSSS”, feeling the resistance of the air; do the same with a silent, breathy “AAAAAA”; or even imitate a bee with “ZZZZZZ”.
Attention: the most important thing in every exercise is to improve your concentration. Remember that every musical result comes with time. Do not rush; study calmly so that each new piece of knowledge is fully absorbed. Do not force your voice; aim for good sound quality and listen to yourself. The voice should be round, clear and bright. Do the vocal exercises exactly as described. As already mentioned, the mouth is the largest resonance chamber and plays a major role in articulation and in forming speech sounds.
4) Yawning is recommended as a preparatory exercise for singing. It relaxes the face, mouth and throat, and also increases the oxygen in your blood. Yawn as many times as you like: the feeling of freedom relaxes the throat and lets the air flow out easily. The yawn is one of the oldest and most effective breathing exercises in voice study. The nostrils widen and the mouth opens wide and round. The movement starts at the tip of the nose and the lips and spreads until the teeth show and the lower jaw is pushed forward. This increases the space between the roof of the mouth, the tongue and its base, down to the pharynx and throat, reaching the larynx and the belly. The diaphragm contracts and lowers. The mouth opens completely and the person stretches.
Some sounds begin to appear that can be heard from far away, because the resonance chamber (the mouth) is fully open. In short, yawning is an excellent exercise to do every time you prepare to sing.
5) Let us practice facial resonance. With your mouth closed and without pressing your lips, imagine a stifled yawn. Breathing in slowly and normally, without taking in too much air, hold your breath for three seconds and then hum an “MMMMMM” on a low note, gradually going higher. Start with a good volume and let it fade until you run out of air. This exercise may seem a little complicated, but with calm, perseverance, concentration, relaxation and persistence you will get there. This is singing with technique: singing beautifully and correctly.
6) Sing “MMMMMMM” with the tip of your tongue resting lightly behind your upper teeth and your mouth closed, without pressing your lips or teeth together. Make this “MMMMMM” very nasal for five seconds, then open your mouth and turn it into “AAAAAA”. The “MMMMMM” stays nasal while the “AAAAAA” is oral. Do this about ten times.
7) Place two fingers, the index and middle finger, one on top of the other between your teeth, without biting them. Close your lips lightly around them. Sing the vowel “U” (“OO”), like this: “UUUUUU”, feeling the vowel right at the front of your mouth. Go up and down the scale in half steps. When you reach the high notes, add another finger to open your mouth a little more.
8) Now let us relax the muscles of the tongue. Open your mouth wide. Stick out your tongue, take a clean cloth or handkerchief, wrap the tip of your tongue and pull it gently downward, without force and very carefully so you do not hurt yourself. Then sing a soft, almost breathy “EH-EH-EH-EH”. Go up and down the scale as in the previous exercise, keeping the tongue gently held by your fingers.
When we hold the tongue, we immobilize several other muscles, including the larynx itself, leaving the vocal folds free to produce sound. Do not overdo this exercise; remember that we need quality, not quantity.
9) Now let us exercise the lower jaw. Sing “DA-EH, DA-EH, DA-EH, DA-EH”, letting the jaw drop well on “DA” and slightly on “EH”. Repeat the exercises several times, always following the instructions. Only with persistence, willpower and technique will you become a singer.