Segment One -- Stretch Exercise -- Bubble Lips
- This exercise stretches out the vocal cords, allowing the inner muscles to work in a coordinated fashion with a low and flexible larynx so that you can sing higher pitches without strain. It helps bridge the voice from the chest voice (lowest notes in your range) through the superhead voice (notes past high C) without thinking by bypassing neuromuscular systems. Don’t think so much about pitch; just blow air. The more you do the exercises, the higher you will be able to sing. It’s like stretching before an exercise, making the muscles more flexible, in order to make other exercises easier.
Application -- Bubble Lips (Octave and a Half)
To do the bubble lips exercise, barely put your lips together and blow air through them. If you find it difficult to get your lips to vibrate, place both index fingers at the bottom of the jaw and pull up the skin to where most dimples are found in the cheek, then blow.
If the notes become too high, bend at the waist as you ascend in pitch, and return to an upright position as you descend. This technique will help to trick your larynx into staying down, because you’re thinking “down” as you go up in pitch.
If you find it hard to get your lips to bubble, then use a tongue trill on this exercise, which is like rolling your “r”s in Spanish.
If you still can’t do the exercise with the bubble lips or a tongue trill, do a raspberry, which is blowing air with your tongue out.
Review
Practice and incorporate correct posture and breathing with the following:
- Build up the “Huke" Exercise to 100 times in one setting
- Practice Stretch Exercise “Bubble Lips”
- Practice Resonance/Lip Formation Exercise - "Mee May Mah Moh Moo"
- Practice Speech Centered Exercise - "Me Me"
- Practice Resonance/Lip Formation Exercise - "La Be Da"
Let's Sing
- Practice Speaking on Pitch with your chosen songs from Introduction B and Module 3
- Establish low and flexible larynx
- Stabilize larynx by pointing to floor while singing; first in staccato fashion while pointing at every syllable, then in legato fashion, keeping the index finger pointed at the object while completing each phrase
- Place hand in front of the face and flick wrist while singing on "Ah" sound
- Place hand in front of the face and flick wrist while singing words in staccato fashion
- Move hand across the body while singing in legato fashion
- Sing song again all the way through
Application
Repeat the Review section, including Bubble Lips, three times on your practice days (morning, afternoon, and evening). If you need to do more practice sessions, feel free to do so.