Please read these notes from Karen  BEFORE you follow the warm up:

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Here is my 5….er…ish min warm-up. There are a few things I want you to know when watching:

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•  This is a VERY quick run through all of a very basic warm-up. If you are warming up for specific genres, such as gaming, monster voicing, animation or ADR, you will probably need a more detailed and customised warm-up. However, this little one will do you just fine for most days and serve as a handy reminder.

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• Be careful with stretches. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions/trauma/recent surgery affecting the areas involved with stretches, please take it very easy and consult your doctor if you are unsure.

 

• You should not be in pain or feeling worse after this warm up-if this is the case, see your doctor for advice.

 

• That said, most of us who haven’t stretched certain muscles for a while will feel it. It is normal to feel more aware of discomfort or a bit achy when beginning these warm-ups.

 

• This is a QUICK run-through of techniques. Spend a little longer on each section, if you feel it is necessary.

 

• On the SOVT section, just go with what you feel is possible and most comfortable, Straw phonation is essentially a therapeutic technique but can be very useful for regular release of tension and resonance focus. We do need to move away from the straw as we move towards the Booth, though, but maintain the vocal “posture” or position the straw has helped us achieve. If you work with straws, try to practice with ‘invisible’ straws ultimately (see video!)

 

• Tongue twisters are great for an articulatory work-out but tend to increase frustration (and heart rate!) as we struggle to master the pronunciation. When you are warming up, the aims are to release tension, connect breathing and phonation (voice), focus resonance and wake up the articulators. You can achieve the latter by over-articulating a familiar speech (e.g., nursery rhyme).

 

• Finish off (and regularly use, whenever needed) with sniff-blow-shoulder low (lowers heart rate, reduces tension, focuses on expiratory (outward) airflow), which is how your voice travels.

 

• Carry out warm-ups before each session, to reset yourself when in a long-haul recording, after a heavy session to “warm-down” or whenever you need a pick-me-up!

If you have any problems with your voice when practising this warm up video, please get in touch: karenespositovo@gmail.com

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