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Sing along · three notes up and back

Humming warm-up

Hum on "mm" with your lips lightly closed and your teeth apart, three notes up and back, while the keyboard plays them. It is one of the gentlest ways to start singing for the day.

How to use it

  1. Pick Low, Medium or High (or Your range, after the range test) and press Start the warm-up. Listen to the first notes, then hum along softly, feeling for a buzz on your lips.
  2. Tempo, at the top, makes it slower or faster. Under More, Hear it, then sing plays each round before you sing it, and you can set the times through and how far it climbs.

Finding the buzz

Hum softly and feel for a tingle on your lips and around your nose. If you feel it in your throat instead, hum more quietly, let your jaw drop a little so your teeth part, and keep your tongue resting low.

From humming to singing

Once the hum feels easy, open it into a vowel on the same notes. The "oo" scale uses the same three notes, so it makes a good next step.

More warm-ups

Free tools by Stackapella

Your voice is warm. Now sing a harmony part.

Stackapella teaches you to sing harmony one part at a time, right in your browser.

Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up. Stackapella recording the alto part of Amazing Grace: each note is a bar with its name, and the one being sung says A little low, go up.
  • A guide sings your partHear your line over the others, slow it down, then take your turn.
  • Your notes light upEach note shows where you landed, and a hint when to go up or down.
  • Record every part yourselfStack your takes in time until you're the whole choir.
Learn a part, free Open the app How Stackapella works

Questions

Why is humming a good warm-up?

Humming is gentle: the lips are closed and the sound is soft, so the voice warms up with very little effort. You can also feel the buzz of the sound, which tells you it is easy and not pushed.

Should I hum with my mouth closed?

Close your lips, but keep your teeth apart. A loose jaw and a tongue resting low give the hum room inside your mouth.

How loud should I hum?

Softly, about as loud as quiet talking. A loud hum pushes; keep it easy, and stop if anything tightens or scratches.

Can I hum instead of doing lip trills?

Yes. If your lips won't trill, humming is just as gentle a start.

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