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Unit 3 · Starting on the breath

Short and bouncy

Sing short, light "ha"s on do, mi and so with a small bounce low in the belly, like a little laugh, while the throat stays open. Free, in a short sung lesson.

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More in Starting on the breath

Short and bouncy

Short notes start with a small bounce low in the belly. The throat stays open.

A small bounce. Low in the belly, like a little laugh

"Ha". Short and light

Throat open. The bounce does the work

What you sing

  1. "Ha" on each note, short and bouncy: listen, then echo. Do, mi, so, mi, do. Did the bounce come from low in the belly, the throat open? That's yours to feel.

Challenge: Ah, vous dirai-je

The French tune known in English as Twinkle, Twinkle: each note on the breath, the last one held.

Then and now. An easy eight seconds first

Detached "dah"s. Each one on the breath

Hold the last. Three beats, steady to its end

What you sing

  1. Then and now: hold "oo" as long as is easy, up to eight seconds. Your first hold is marked.
  2. With the guide: short "dah"s, a breath at the halfway, the last note held.
  3. On your own now. Each note on the breath, and hold the last one steady.

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 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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