Dynamics and sustain · Beginner · Every style, Choir
Swell over the scale
Get louder up the scale and softer coming down. Most singers do the opposite without noticing, getting loud only because the notes are high.
How to do it
- Start soft on the bottom note.
- Grow to the top note, then shrink back to soft.
- Keep the tone the same at every volume.
Remember Loud because you choose to, not because it is high.
| Numbers | 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1 |
|---|---|
| Sargam | S R G M P M G R S |
| Solfa | do re mi fa sol fa mi re do |
| Notes | G A B C D C B A G |
| Sung on | ah – – – – – – – – |
Where it comes from
- NSM original
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..
Messa di voce
Soft, grow, soft on one note: the classic test of breath and balance from the bel canto school.
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.