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Simple hook
A short, catchy chorus on four neighbouring notes of the minor pentatonic. A first step into melodic rap: few notes, and what counts is clean pitch and rhythm.
A short, catchy chorus written for the app, sung twice with no ladder. It uses four neighboring notes of the minor pentatonic: a whole step below the root, the root, the minor third and the perfect fourth. Because there are so few notes, what counts is clean pitch and steady rhythm. It's a first step into melodic rap singing, on the open syllable “nah”.
How to do it
- Listen to the piano play along in “Along with piano” mode, and hum the hook once in your head.
- Sing it on “nah”, loosely, as if humming to yourself, but land every note on pitch.
- Keep a small nod on the beat. The piano supplies the pulse, so feel it in your body.
- Watch repeated notes on the piano roll. They should stay at one height without sinking.
- Sing the hook twice. Each time, aim for evenness before speed or volume.
Coach's tip: Sing it loose, as if humming to yourself, but hit the notes. Keep repeated notes at the same pitch – they tend to sag.
What to watch out for
Repeated notes are the trap. The pitch tends to sag a little on every repeat, especially in a relaxed, speech-like sound. Aim each repeat as if it were a new note. The step up from the minor third to the fourth can go flat if you under-breathe, so keep the air moving. The ending on the low note often drops under pitch. If you're tired, rest and sing it lighter, not louder.
Who it's for
A friendly start for beginners, and for anyone who wants a simple hook to sing without complexity. Use it early in a session or as a cool-down. Warm up first with “Minor pentatonic” so the scale is familiar, then try “Flow warm-up “yo”” or move to the “Triplet hook” when this one feels easy, from the Hip-hop / melodic rap style.
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
Related exercises
- Are You Sleeping (Frère Jacques) A simple, well-known melody. A warm-up with lyrics.
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star A fifth leap at the start, then walking down the scale.
- Ode to Joy (Beethoven) The theme of the 9th Symphony. Only seconds – a step-by-step intonation test.
- Happy Birthday An octave leap in the third phrase. A classic trap.
- Flow warm-up “yo” A short rhythmic phrase on a few neighbouring notes of the minor pentatonic, like melodic rap. Warms up your voice and your sense of the beat at once.
- Minor pentatonic The minor pentatonic up to the octave and back, the basic scale of R&B and soul runs. The minor third and the seventh give it a darker color than the major pentatonic.