Fun with the Hum!

Okay, okay, I already know what you are thinking… “How in the world can I actually have any fun with humming?”

Well, if that’s all you ever did it could get kind of boring. But if you understood why it is one of THE best and simplest ways to get your voice sounding smooth and silky, ironing out the cracks and wobbles to experience wonderful resonance and effortless singing, then you might change your mind!

Let’s look at a few reasons why gentle humming is so brilliant for the voice:

• Humming does not strain your vocal cords. It is the quickest and easiest way to ‘wake up’ your voice, and you can do it anywhere, anytime!
• It allows you to remove 'gunk' from your vocal cords (for example, phlegm). The vibrations created by humming loosens mucus and other secretions in your sinuses, throat, nose, and chest. It's like you are 'flossing' them away!
• The inner vibrations - resonance - of humming is said to have other health benefits e.g. stimulates the vagus nerve, reduces stress, helps with breath control, removes congestion, and improves your mood.
• It helps you to slowly navigate between your vocal registers (passaggio - transitional areas between your chest voice, middle voice, and head voice).
• Humming through phrases, difficult sections, or whole songs can also help you memorise the notes – it’s multi-tasking made easy!

While we do not want to overthink something as simple as humming, approaching it in a more intentional, focused way will eventually give you better results when practicing songs.

Like everything in singing (and life!) once you understand the basics of humming it becomes part of your muscle memory and you will want to do it everywhere.

Some fundamentals of a humming exercise follow:

• You don’t need an instrument to do it – YOU are the instrument! Just hum on any note(s), pattern, or passage of music. If you have an instrument or a recording of musical scales it can help, but it is not essential.
• Seal your lips but do not press or purse them together too tightly - you don’t want to create any tension.
• You can inhale via the nose or the mouth in between the notes you are humming – try one way and then the other.
• Always hum gently, slowly, and evenly - never force your way through it. Stay relaxed.
• Keep your face up – you can think of this as keeping a mischievous, secret inner smile. Each note should feel light in your upper face – remember, no pushing!
• Articulate the ‘M’ very clearly as you hum. There should be no air, for example, no ‘H’ at the beginning – not ‘Hmm’ but ‘Mmm’. If you notice any breathiness creeping in, spend time enunciating a clear, quick, crisp ‘M’ sound before humming, and without forcing it.
• You can use your hands in a flowing, legato (smooth and connected), horizontal motion, as if you are drawing a straight line in front of you. Being kinaesthetic – incorporating physical movement - helps.
• Keep the dynamics the same – don’t hum louder for higher notes and softer for lower notes; keep the volume consistently level throughout.
• Hum up to a comfortable note around your mid to high range – you don’t want to go too high, but only to where you can still feel gentle resonance. Avoid any strain.
• You should feel a buzzing sensation as a tickling and almost metallic vibration under your nose, around your mouth, up your face, or in your forehead. This indicates that you are doing the exercise correctly. You want to always keep that consistent buzz in your face.

Okay, now with all of the above in mind, let’s get humming!

1. Think of any note(s), musical pattern, or the first note in a song section or phrase. You can play or use a recording of simple scales on a piano or other instrument.
2. Choose a starting low note or the lowest note you can hum and work your way up. As you hum each successive note, first place your hand on your chest, then your neck/throat, and finally on your face to feel the vibrations in your body.
3. You can hum up and down scale patterns, slide up and down between a low note and a high note, choose short sections of songs you find challenging, hum simple nursery rhymes, hum and hold a single note, pick random notes – whatever you like!
4. Once you are comfortable with humming, try to gently challenge yourself. For example, you can hum some notes legato (smooth, steady, flowing, connected) and others staccato (short and choppy - not connected).
5. After your humming exercise(s), before launching into singing full songs with lyrics, sing words or phrases beginning with the letter ‘M’, incorporating vowels and vowel sounds. You can even make up your own words beginning with ‘M’. For example, sing this phrase on one breath and notice what you feel:
   
   "My Mother Makes Me Mash My Mini M’n’Ms on a Monday Morning"

So, did you have fun with the hum? If you want a visual guide to the humming exercise take a look at my Fun with the Hum! video.

Whether you are an adult beginner singer or have singing experience, now is also a great time to set yourself some singing goals for 2025.

If you have an appetite for more singing bites and advice or other lessons, why not get in touch with me? I would love to support you on your vocal journey.

If you are also interested in singing right away then come and join my Pop-Up Themed Singing Group – registrations are open now!

I would love to meet you!

Be Free To Sing,

Yvonne