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- Interval: major sixth
Interval: major sixth
You sing a note, leap 9 semitones up and come back.
Root, major sixth, root: a leap of nine semitones and back, root held two beats. The sixth is the first interval in this series that's big enough to need a change of gear; it often crosses from a comfortable middle into a lighter top. It also sounds warm and open, a favorite for melodic hooks. Three notes at a slow tempo on 'lah'. Five repetitions, each a semitone higher.
How to do it
- Listen to the piano leap a sixth and come back.
- Sing the root full, then the sixth lighter, on 'lah', without sliding up to it.
- Watch the top bar on the roll; it's nine rows up and should read green.
- Five repetitions, each a semitone higher.
Coach's tip: Sing the top note lighter than the bottom one. Big intervals need a “gear change”.
What to watch out for
Singers often carry the weight of the root into the top note and end up flat and pushed. Lighten the top. Landing on a fifth or a major seventh instead of the sixth is common when the ear isn't sure; hear it first. The return root often goes heavy. If the leap starts to feel like a strain, that's the passaggio talking; sing softer or lower the range.
Who it's for
Intermediate singers who are secure on fifths and want to extend upward. Use it in the main block after Interval: perfect fifth, and before Interval: major seventh. Broken thirds ends its climb on a major sixth, so this helps there too. It isn't part of a preset program; work through the Intervals category in order.
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