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Unit 2 · Build the chord

Octave and fifth

Build a chord from its floor: hold the octave over a low do, then the fifth, listening for the moment the shimmer stops and it rings. Free, step by step.

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More in Build the chord

What it teaches

Build a chord from its floor: the octave, then the fifth. Where the piano puts them, they ring almost exactly.

The octave. The same note, higher: do over a low do

The fifth. So, a fifth above the low do

Listen for smooth. No shimmer when it's in

What you sing

  1. Hold do over the low do: the octave. Straight, not squeezed: medium-soft. Headphones on for this whole unit: through a speaker the mic hears the chord too.
  2. Now so, a fifth above the low do. Headphones on.

Singing safely

Sing straight, not squeezed, at a medium-soft volume. Wear headphones: ringing needs them. Stop if anything tightens or hurts, and rest when hoarse.

Free tools by Stackapella

All of these are free, and so is every course.

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.
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