Why almost every warm-up
starts on a /w/
You have been doing it since day one. Here is what it is actually doing.
A narrow opening changes what your vocal folds have to do
When you sing through a small opening — lips nearly closed on a /w/ — the air backs up slightly above the vocal folds. That back-pressure does two useful things at once.
It lowers the pressure needed to start a note, so the folds begin vibrating with less push from below. And it stretches and decompresses the folds rather than pressing them together, which is what leaves a voice tired after a long day.
This is why the warm-ups, the cool-downs and the active rest days all use it. It is the cheapest way to get a voice working, and the safest way to put one away.
How to do it right now, with nothing
- 1Round your lips as if for a "w" — almost closed, a small opening left.
- 2Sing an easy note through it. It should feel buzzy on the lips, not tight in the throat.
- 3Keep the airflow steady. If the sound stutters or the lips flap, ease off the air.
- 4Slide gently up and down. Stop the moment anything stings or scratches.
That is the whole technique. It works with lips alone, and it always has.
Where the VoicePipe comes in
Lips are an unreliable opening. They tire, they leak, and the size changes as you move through your range — which is exactly when you want it to stay the same.
The VoicePipe holds the opening fixed. Same resistance on every note, high or low, for as long as you keep going. Daniel designed it while researching this effect, and it is the reason the programme can lean on the /w/ as heavily as it does.
You do not need one to train here. It makes the part you are already doing steadier.
A physical tool, sold separately at zanggervoicepipe.com — nothing to do with your subscription here.
How and when to use it
Daniel demonstrates, in five minutes.