You always hear voice teachers say: Warm Up before you sing! But have you wondered for how long? Hours? Second? Days?
The purpose of warming up is to create flexibility in your body (Not just your vocal cords.) Think of it like any physical activity, it's always better to have a little stretch in the morning when you get out of bed. Or maybe you want to stretch your hamstrings before you start that extra long run.
As far as warm ups are concerned, I like to do what's best for my performance. If I'm only warming up that day without much singing, I might do 20 minutes to give myself a full workout.
If I have a performance, I might do 10 minutes of stretches and sirens and then warm up by singing the parts of the song that require the most attention in the performance.
Working on riffs? You might want to warm up everyday for 20 minutes on certain riffs so you can create muscle memory with the placement, pitches and anatomy.
What's my point? Warming up should always compliment your vocal goals for the day. Ask if you are trying to expand your vocal strength or if you have a show (you might even warm up 3 times a day to keep the voice awake with breaks between performances.)
If you like to get a nice warm up routine catered to your voice, be sure to hit me up! I teach online and in-person in Los Angeles!