clearsing
English
Open app
  1. Home
  2. All exercises
  3. Melodies
  4. Major-General’s Song

Major-General’s Song

The patter song from Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera The Pirates of Penzance (1879): one syllable on every quick eighth note. The notes are simple – the challenge is clear diction at speed.

…
One repetition of the pattern. In the app it is transposed to your vocal range and scored note by note.

“I am the very model of a modern Major-General” comes from The Pirates of Penzance (1879), with words by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. You sing the first four lines, up to “in order categorical.” Every note is an eighth, about 0.25 seconds, one syllable per note, at 120 beats per minute. The line rocks between neighboring notes, then falls down an arpeggio.

How to do it

  1. Wait for the two count-in clicks. The piano plays the opening phrase alone, then plays along with you.
  2. Sing one syllable per note, evenly, with crisp consonants.
  3. Rock between the fifth and sixth, then the fourth and fifth. Land each pair cleanly.
  4. End each line with the quick fall down the arpeggio: “Ma-jor-Gen-er-al.”
  5. On line four, lift to the raised fourth, then lean to the fifth.

Coach's tip: Keep the jaw loose and the consonants short and crisp – let the tongue and lips do the work. If the words blur, slow the tempo with the slider and speed up later.

What to watch out for

The pitches are simple, but diction at speed is the challenge. Mumbled consonants make the pitch smear, and a single late syllable throws the next three off. Learn the words slowly first, with the tempo slider turned down, then raise it. The fall at the end of each line tends to go flat, so aim a little high. Don't clench your jaw to speed up. Stop if you strain.

Who it's for

Level 3, for singers who are ready for patter and fast diction. Warm up with Diction on an arpeggio “pa ta ka la” and Fast diction “ta ka di mi”. Afterward try Show tune phrase. No program lists it. The daily training brings it up more often with the Musical theatre style.

Practice this exercise

Opens the app in your browser. Free to start, no account needed. Put on headphones first.

Related exercises