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Unit 3 · Starting on the breath

Breath into note

Hear a balanced, a breathy and a hard start, then sing six "ah"s with the breath turning straight into the note, no hold and no click. Free, step by step.

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What it teaches

Breathe in, then let the breath turn straight into the note, with no hold. Think an "h", don't sing it.

Balanced. The breath turns straight into the tone

Breathy. Air escapes before the tone. Sing softly rather than whisper: whispering can tire the voice.

Hard. A little click in the throat first: only for hearing, never practising

What you sing

  1. Listen to each start, as often as you like, then choose. A hard start is only for hearing, never for practising.
  2. Easy and medium-soft; stop if you feel dizzy, wheezy or tight. Six "ah"s, a breath before each, the breath turning straight into the note. Was each start balanced, breathy or hard? That's yours to hear: we hear the pitch.
Try one round

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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