Clef Notes

I have a friend who loves to sing (as do I). We can’t help revisiting familiar songs and musicals together, sometimes with karaoke tracks so we can sing along with abandon. Recently, we were following the yellow brick road and “If I Only Had a Brain?” began to play. I started singing along and realized that I knew very few lyrics. When we got to the Lion’s part, I could not budge my lips to shape the word “noive,” nor could I see any of the other words (which were wandering around the room with my friend).

So I started to sing warmup syllables. Ha, hee, ho, la, ma, mee, etc. (If I were truly brave, I would post a demonstration of myself singing all of this silliness, but I want your sensibilities to remain intact.) There’s so much range in this song; a lot of quick note changes up and down and then some nice holds on higher  notes. Try the song a few times changing your vowels and initial consonants and see if you aren’t warmed up. And because the song is familiar, it’s helpful in a pinch.

Here are two YouTube karaoke backing tracks that can be used as accompaniment. The second track is in a slightly higher key than the first. I suggest you ignore the lyrics for warmup purposes. Have fun!