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Melisma 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1
Nine notes on one vowel.
Melisma 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1 moves through the first three degrees of the major scale, root, major second and major third, up and down twice: nine eighth notes at 130 beats per minute on one vowel. That's exactly what a melisma is in singing, several notes on one syllable. The range is tiny, a major third, so the challenge is precision and evenness, not height. 'Oh' is a rounded vowel that stays stable while the pitch moves, a good model for Pop runs.
How to do it
- Listen to the piano play the nine notes; hear them as one smooth wave, not nine separate dots.
- Start 'oh' on the root and keep lips and jaw still while only the pitch moves.
- Sing through all nine notes in one breath, landing on the final root for a full beat.
- Check the roll: the third degree, the top of each wave, should be green both times.
- Each repetition begins one semitone higher than the last, until you're near the top of your range, then the pattern comes back down the same way.
Coach's tip: The vowel doesn't change – only the pitch. Jaw still.
What to watch out for
Two mistakes dominate. First, the vowel changes: 'oh' drifts toward 'ah' at the top and 'oo' at the bottom, which makes the run bumpy and lands the third degree flat. Second, the middle root gets skipped, turning nine notes into a slide. Slow it down and articulate each note mentally with a tiny 'h'. If the tempo feels impossible, sing only the first five notes until they're clean. Stop at any sign of strain.
Who it's for
Singers at an intermediate level who want tidy runs in a pop or soul style. Use it in the main block, after Fast 5-note scale or Trill 1-2-1-2-1-2-1, and before longer runs such as Pentatonic run down 8-6-5-3-2-1. It's tagged Pop and appears in the Agility and runs program.
Part of programs: Agility and runs
Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.
Related exercises
- Trill 1-2-1-2-1-2-1 A fast alternation between two notes.
- Fast octave scale A full octave in eighth notes.
- Diction on an arpeggio “pa ta ka la” Quick syllables on an arpeggio up to the octave and back. Crisp consonants, yet every note in tune.
- Enclosing a note – chromatic approach You approach the tonic, the third and the fifth from both sides: a scale step from above, a semitone from below. This is the enclosure, a chromatic figure bebop lines are built on.
- 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.
- Hum with a blue third Root, second, a minor third that slides smoothly up to the major third, second and root – with lips closed. That slide from the minor to the major third is the “blue third”, a signature sound of soul and R&B.