Dynamics and sustain · Intermediate · Classical, Every style
Messa di voce
Soft, grow, soft on one note: the classic test of breath and balance from the bel canto school. The note must not wobble, go sharp or change colour as it grows.
How to do it
- Start almost a whisper, but a clean tone.
- Grow for four beats, shrink for four.
- Same vowel and same pitch all the way through; it tends to go sharp as it gets louder.
Remember Only the volume changes.
| Numbers | 5 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | P |
| Solfa | sol |
| Notes | D |
| Sung on | ah |
Where it comes from
More dynamics and sustain
Vibrato trigger
Swinging between two notes a semitone apart, faster and faster, until the swing becomes a natural vibrato on the long note..
Swell over the scale
Get louder up the scale and softer coming down.
Long note, fading
Fading a long note without losing pitch or tone is harder than getting louder.
Garcia: sustained tones, half step by half step
Manuel Garcia's first study: single long notes of equal strength, moving up a half step at a time, so every note of the range gets the same care.