Onsets · Beginner · Every style, Gospel
H vowel ladder: hee hay hah hoh hoo
Each note starts on H, so the air moves first and the throat cannot clamp. The vowel changes on every step but the tone should not.
How to do it
- "Hee, hay, hah, hoh, hoo" walking up five notes.
- The same vowels back down in reverse.
- Keep a little breath in each H, then a full clear vowel.
Remember Air first, then the vowel.
| Numbers | 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | S R G M P P M G R S |
| Solfa | do re mi fa sol sol fa mi re do |
| Notes | G A B C D D C B A G |
| Sung on | hee hay hah hoh hoo hoo hoh hah hay hee |
Where it comes from
More onsets
Staccato triads on "ha"
Short notes on "ha" teach the breath to start each note.
Bip, bap, bah
Twice short, then once smooth on the same arpeggio.
Balanced onset on "oo"
A balanced onset is neither breathy (air before voice) nor glottal (voice before air).
"Yah" on every note
The Y glides into the vowel from a closed tongue position, which gives a clean, balanced start on every note without a hard edge..