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A Plus course · 15 lessons

Steady to the end.

A long note isn't about big lungs. It's letting the air out slowly and stopping while it's still easy. You learn to breathe low and wide, end a note on purpose, start one on the breath, and catch quick breaths without going flat.

  • 15 lessons, about 3 minutes each
  • Goals capped at 15 seconds
  • No reading music

Try the first lesson free See the lessons

Bearings

By the end, you can

  1. Breathe low and wide, and keep your ribs from closing too fast.

  2. Hold a long note steady to the end, and stop it on purpose.

  3. Start a note on the breath, with no hold and no hard catch.

  4. Plan your breaths, and catch quick ones without going flat.

Coming in

A long note is about its ending

As the air runs low, a held note slides flat: pitch rises and falls with the air pressure under your vocal folds. So the skill isn't holding longer. It's ending on purpose.

Running out Held until the air is gone: the end sags and cracks.
Ending on purpose Stopped while it's still steady: a clean finish, and air left for the next line.

The course measures your steady seconds and how your note ended. Holding longer than your own goal earns nothing more.

Fair weather

Easy, never gasping

Breathe low and wide, never gasp, and stop while it's still easy. Never squeeze out the last drop.

  • Never hold your breath before you sing, and never lock your stomach.
  • At least three easy breaths between holds, and at most three long holds in a row.
  • With asthma, a lung or heart condition, or in pregnancy, keep holds short and easy.
  • A cough, wheeze, tight chest or feeling lightheaded means stop. Sit for long holds if you've ever felt lightheaded.

The voyage

Four legs, one breath at a time

4 units, 15 lessons

  1. Stage 1Leg 1

    One easy breath

    A long note that ends on purpose, wide ribs, a long line and an easy hold.

    1. The long note Free
    2. Keep the ribs wide
    3. A long line
    4. The easy hold

  2. Stage 2Leg 2

    The slow stream

    An even stream of air: a buzz, a trill up the hill, a planned ending, and a chord of your own.

    1. The buzz
    2. Trill the hill
    3. End on purpose
    4. Your own chord

  3. Stage 3Leg 3

    Starting on the breath

    Notes that start on the breath, short bouncy ones, and Ah, vous dirai-je.

    1. Breath into note
    2. Short and bouncy
    3. Ah, vous dirai-je

  4. Stage 4Leg 4

    Catch breaths

    Quick breaths, planned breaths, breathing in turns, and Simple Gifts' first verse.

    1. The quick breath
    2. Plan your breaths
    3. Breathe in turns
    4. The long phrase

Cast off

The long note

Sit or stand tall and easy. Stop if you feel lightheaded.

  1. Start here. Hum a few easy slides, low to high and back, to warm up.

  2. Breathe in low and wide, without lifting your shoulders.

  3. Sing a comfortable note on "oo", soft and steady, and count the seconds in your head.

  4. Stop while it's still steady, before the air runs out. Next time, aim for one more steady second, still ending on purpose.

Lesson 1 holds your note over a drone, draws your steady seconds as a bar, and tells you how your note ended.

What the app listens for

The app hears your steady seconds, whether a note stays steady to its end, and when you stop and come back after a breath. Ribs and shoulders are yours to check.

Up to three stars and XP for how your hold ended, how steady it was and reaching your own goal. Holding longer than that earns nothing more.The same hold shows the plain measure, such as "Steady to the end: 9.4 steady seconds", with no stars or rewards.

Breath and stamina's first lesson, The long note: a breathing flower, and why a long note is about letting the air out slowly. Breath and stamina's first lesson, The long note: a breathing flower, and why a long note is about letting the air out slowly.
A first hold of "oo": a bar showing 2.9 steady seconds, and Hear yourself saying it stayed steady and stopped while it was easy. A first hold of "oo": a bar showing 2.9 steady seconds, and Hear yourself saying it stayed steady and stopped while it was easy.

Ship's log

About breathing

  1. Entry 1

    Appoggio comes from the Italian appoggiare, to lean: your breathing muscles lean against each other, so the ribs stay wide while you sing.

    Rider University, The Breathing Mechanism for Singing

  2. Entry 2

    Voice clinics use lip trills and straw singing: partly closing the mouth sends some air pressure back toward the vocal folds, helping them vibrate easily.

    Titze, J. Speech Lang. Hear. Res. (2006)

  3. Entry 3

    Pitch rises and falls with the air pressure under your vocal folds, so as the air runs low, a held note slides flat.

    Titze, JASA (1989)

Crew list

Before you sail

Who it's for

  • Singers who run out of air at the end of a line, or go flat on long notes.
  • Choir singers who want to breathe without breaking the phrase.
  • Anyone who gasps or lifts their shoulders to breathe.

What you need

  • A quiet spot, and a chair if you'd like to sit for long holds.
  • A few minutes a day: the lessons keep holds short and rests between them.
  • No reading music: you see your steady seconds as a bar.

The songs

  • Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Spiritual, public domain
  • Ah! vous dirai-je, maman French tune (1761), public domain
  • Simple Gifts Public domain (1848)

Questions

Questions

How long does it take?

15 lessons of about 3 minutes. Breath grows over days, so a lesson a day suits it.

Is it safe for my voice?

Yes, the course's way: breathe low and easy, stop while it's still easy, and never hold your breath first. With asthma, a lung or heart condition, or in pregnancy, keep holds short, and stop for a cough, wheeze or lightheadedness.

Do I need to read music?

No. You hear each exercise from a guide and see your note drawn as you sing.

Will it make my lungs bigger?

No. It's about letting the air out slowly and evenly, and ending on purpose.

What does it cost?

Lesson 1 is free, with no account needed. The rest is part of Plus; saving your progress takes a free account.

Set sail

Take a breath.

Lesson 1 takes about three minutes: one long note over a drone, as long as it's easy, then again with your first hold to beat.

No account needed to try it. Saving your progress takes a free account.

Try the first lesson free See Plus

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