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- Mordent 1-2-1 and 1-7-1
Mordent 1-2-1 and 1-7-1
A quick “touch” of the neighboring note and back. Upper and lower mordent.
Mordent 1-2-1 and 1-7-1 practices the tiniest ornament: a quick touch of a neighboring note and an immediate return. The first half touches the major second above and comes back; after a short rest, the second half touches the minor second below, the leading tone, and returns. It spans only three semitones: precision, not range. “Dah” gives a crisp consonant for each note and an open vowel that shows the return to the main note clearly.
How to do it
- Listen to the piano play both mordents, with the short rests between them.
- Sing root, second, root on “dah”, quick and light, landing the last root exactly.
- Breathe in the rest, then sing root, leading tone, root the same way.
- Each return to the root must be its own green block at the original height.
- Each repetition starts a semitone higher, until you're near the top of your range, then the pattern comes back down the same way. Keep the ornament small.
Coach's tip: The main note must come back exactly in place – don't stay “in between”.
What to watch out for
The typical error is ending “in between”: the return sits a little sharp after the upper mordent and a little flat after the lower one, and the last block shows yellow. Think of the main note as home and the neighbor as a quick visit. The lower mordent is harder; the semitone below is often sung too low, almost a whole tone. Keep it narrow. Don't slow into a triplet; the ornament should sound like a flick. If it feels effortful, you're pushing volume.
Who it's for
A level 3 exercise for singers who can sing Turn 5-6-5-3-1 cleanly and want finer control. Use it in the main block, mid-range, when the voice is warm but not tired. Chromatic (5 notes) beforehand trains the ear for the semitone below. Not assigned to a program, so slot it into any runs session.
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Related exercises
- Blues run (minor pentatonic) A darker, R&B version of the run. Seventh and minor third.
- Long run 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 The whole scale down at a fast tempo.
- Run in groups of three The minor pentatonic going down in groups of three notes, each group starting one step lower. This is how longer R&B runs are built.
- Gospel run with turns A run from the octave down the minor pentatonic, with two turns on the way. A typical gospel and soul ornament.
- 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.