Hi all,

I sing in a ladies chorus and I've volunteered to help with the warm-up (once a month. 10 - 15 mins). The majority of the chorus can't read music and don't know many technical terms so I'm intending to mainly do the same stuff as the MD does, especially as I don't want to look stupid as the chorus knows I've got a degree in music and that academically at least, I'm the most qualified member of the chorus (including the MD). Practically, there are several members of the chorus who have been doing this much longer than me.

As I said, I'm mainly going to be doing the same stuff the MD does, but I was hoping that some of the teachers on here may be able to suggest 1 really good idea that is new to me and the chorus, (nothing difficult).

So does anyone have any suggestions for rounds or exercises or anything that may be of use?

Hi leahdon. I'm in a very similar position in that I'm helping out with a choir and although I have a music degree that I got centuries ago, I have very little experience of choral leading. One idea that an experienced choir director has given me (although I haven't tried it yet) is playing the 3 notes of the tonic triad and getting each person to hear and sing any one note of the 3, and then change to another note of the triad. The idea is to get them to understand how chords are formed and be able to hear and identify the notes in them. When they have got used to this with the tonic, he moves them on to the subdominant and dominants triads. He says it helps them greatly with pitching and harmonising.

Sorry to offer an idea that I haven't actually tried yet, but it sounded good to me!

Liz

A nice warm up to get the breath under control is to sing the alphabet steadily, without taking a breath. Tell them to fill their lungs well, but correctly and SILENTLY, ( you do not want a mass sigh from them!) and then to sing through the letters clearly and gently. Some may only manage about a half, others will sing it through twice or more. You could also do the faithful old "Fluffy floppy puppy" exercise up and down the scale. Remember to include some singing of minor chords as well as major ones. You could practise crescendi and diminuendi too, either on chords or again up and down scales. If you want to really get them to work try a crescendo in a descending scale. Have lots of fun. My favourite warmimg up round is "Whose pigs". Don't know if you know that one?

Our assistant choir-master sometimes gets us to sing a contrary motion harmonic minor scale.
(ie one side of choir up and the other down - then we swap over).

Really makes you think about tuning.

That sounds like a possibility, thanks for that Lizzie.



Ooh, another good one - we've been trying to work on breath control, but some of the exercises have been a bit and i like the idea of cres/dims up and down the scales.

But what is Fluffy floppy puppy and Whose pigs?

That may have to wait a few weeks/months. We do now do contrary motion major scales, but to do harmonic minor ones would require a lot of explanations, and we don't use pianos at all.

I probably should 'fess up and admit that the chorus is a ladies Barbershop Chorus, hence the lack of pianos and musical knowledge. I'm not saying that as a negative about barbershop (otherwise why am I doing it), but just wanted to explain why. There are many barbershop choruses (male and female) who do have good musical knowledge, but at this moment in time, the MD has decided it will cause more problems that it would solve (and I think I agree with him, knowing the ladies in question).

I will bear this suggestion in mind for the future though...

Our assistant choir-master sometimes gets us to sing a contrary motion harmonic minor scale.
(ie one side of choir up and the other down - then we swap over).

Really makes you think about tuning.


That may have to wait a few weeks/months. We do now do contrary motion major scales, but to do harmonic minor ones would require a lot of explanations, and we don't use pianos at all.

Store ideas up by all means - sounds a good idea in fact. Contrary majors are good too.

Best of luck - hope it's great fun

That But what is Fluffy floppy puppy and Whose pigs?
[/quote]
Fluffy floppy puppy is a tongue twister that makes a good warm up for the lips. You just sing it in quavers on each note of the major scale. You will end up with a very giggly group after this, but it is good fun and a good exercise. "Whose Pigs are these" is a simple round. I do not know if you can find a copy on the net but if not I will write it out and send you a copy.

When I was taking a junior girls' choir years ago we sang from tonic to dominant and back down again using syllables like "ree" "moo" "maw" all as a single syllable in a single breath, plus a warm-up using the arpeggio to the name "Rita" (ree tah) to stretch the voice gently - I've overheard the singing teacher at school using totally different ones which sound a lot more fun though but I can't remember them off-hand.....I could find out in September though.........

I am possibly being a bit stupid here, but FFP has 6 syllables, as opposed to a scale which has 8 notes in one direction, or 16 in both? Or do you sing the whole phrase on each note? If so, that sounds fun. I'm going to do "Pop-pa ket-ta" with them as a tongue twister, but FFP will be a good follow-on.



That would be good if you don't mind.

chocolatedog then suggested:


Ooh, yes please... assuming I get asked to do it again after tomorrow!

I probably did not explain FFP well. On each degree of the scale you sing the words "Fluffy floppy puppy" in even notes, probably quavers. So on the tonic you sing FFP then on the supertonic FFP and so on. I will write out Whose Pigs and send a copy. Petrat

Hello all. I wondered if any of you choristers could give me some tips please. One of my piano students performs in her local singing group. She says she manages very well until she can hear somebody singing the wrong notes. She then sings the wrong notes with them and is unable to correct herself

She has said that the whole group can then go haywire and sounds awful. This appeals to my warped sense of humour ( ) but I would be grateful (as would the audience!) for any advice I could pass on.

Thank you

A couple of "warm-ups" I've used with choirs are:

On a single note, ascending through the scale (single note at a time) with the words, "What noisy noise annoys a noisy oyster" - try singing that one quickly and defy them not to sing "noyster" on the last word....

Also, one I've done with kids (but adults get in real mess with sometimes) is giving the notes of a major scale their number and then singing up and down by numbers, so:

121 12321 1234321 etc

saying the number as you go. Even better if you can do it in French, German, Spanish etc....

There are also several books of "warm-ups" for choirs published notably, I think, one by Mike Brewer (I think it's published by Faber) who has a number of brilliant ideas up his sleeve. There are others too.....

Best of luck

"Pasta, pasta and lasagna" to a descending scale.
"Bella signora" to ascending arpeggio then back to the starting note.
"Come sing for joy" to an ascending arpeggio and then a slurred descending scale on "joy" (ryhthm: crotchet, three quavers, six semiquavers, crotchet)

Try them starting on different notes, or with different dynamics. Make sure they open their mouths!