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Unit 1 · One easy breath

A long line

Breathe low before the line and spend the air slowly, so the long note at its end stays steady, on Swing Low, Sweet Chariot over its chords. Free to sing.

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More in One easy breath

A long line

In many songs, the long notes come at the ends of lines. Plan the air so the end stays steady.

Breathe before the line. Low and easy

Spend it slowly. Not all on the first word

Hold "home". Steady to its end

What you sing

  1. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, slowly, with the guide. Breathe before "Coming".
  2. Now on your own, over its chords. Keep "home" steady to its end.

Challenge: The easy hold

A little longer than your first hold, still ending on purpose.

Breathe low. And easy, not huge

Your goal. Two seconds past your first hold

End on purpose. Stop while it's steady

What you sing

  1. Hold "oo" over the drone to your new goal. Your first hold is marked.

Singing safely

Don't lock your stomach. Stop if you feel dizzy, wheezy or tight, and sit for long holds. With asthma, another lung or heart condition, or if pregnant, keep holds short and easy. Skip it when hoarse or ill.

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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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