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Long note 15 s
Fifteen seconds. The level of a big ballad chorus.
Long note 15 s is the top of the long-note ladder: one note held fifteen seconds, each repetition a minor third higher than the last, until you're near the top of your range, then it comes back down the same way. This is the stamina a big ballad chorus asks for, where the last word hangs on and on. Nothing changes but the length, and that changes everything about how you start. The rounded “oh” keeps the lips slightly closed, which slows the airflow and makes the note easier to sustain than an open “ah”.
How to do it
- Hear the cue note. Breathe low and slow; take an extra second to fill up.
- Begin the “oh” softly, lips gently rounded. Save your air.
- Watch the line: flat and green for all fifteen seconds, not a slow slope down.
- Keep the ribs open and the chest lifted to the end.
- Rest for a breath or two, then repeat a minor third higher, until you're near the top of your range; then the pattern comes back down the same way.
Coach's tip: The chest stays lifted to the end – only the belly works.
What to watch out for
At fifteen seconds every small leak shows. The usual failure is a slow fade into a flat, breathy tail; stop the note at twelve seconds instead of forcing it. Pitch tends to creep up as you tighten to save air; keep the throat open and the volume modest. Don't gulp a huge breath with the shoulders; it locks the chest. If you feel lightheaded, sit down and rest. How many repetitions you get follows your range and the time cap, not a fixed target, because this is tiring work.
Who it's for
A level 3 exercise for singers who can hold Long note 10 s steadily every time. Use it once in the main block, not at the start or end of a session. Timed “sss” hiss beforehand primes the breath, and Messa di voce (soft → loud → soft) adds dynamics to the same skill. Not part of a program.
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
Related exercises
- Long phrase on one breath (12 s) Eleven legato notes on one breath. Phrases in pop ballads are sometimes longer.
- Vibrato on a long note Start straight, after a second let a natural wave in. We measure rate (goal 5–7 Hz) and depth.
- Vibrato only at the end of a note A long note: straight for most of it (about 60%), with vibrato only at the end – the way a jazz ballad ends a phrase. We measure both: the straight start and the waver at the end (goal 5–7 Hz).
- Soul phrase on one breath A long phrase on the minor pentatonic ending with a short riff, all on one breath. It teaches you to spread the air so there is still enough for the ornament and the last long note.
- Twang on “nyah” A bright, narrow “nyah” on the first five scale degrees, holding the fifth. Twang is the safe base of rock edge – the voice sounds sharp while the throat stays loose.
- Major pentatonic Five notes that almost all pop runs are built from.