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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.
A long phrase on the minor pentatonic that ends with a small riff, all on one breath. It climbs from the root to the fourth and fifth, reaches the minor seventh, and falls back with held notes. The ending is a riff: fourth, minor third, root, a whole step below the root, and a long root. It teaches you to save air so the ornament and last note still sound steady.
How to do it
- Take a calm breath, then sing along on “oh”. The piano plays with you.
- Sing the opening notes softly and unhurried. You'll need the air later.
- Keep the middle of the phrase even and spread out, with no push on the minor seventh.
- Make the riff small and light. Check the dip below the root on the roll.
- Hold the last root for three beats. Each repetition starts a whole step higher, then the pattern comes back down.
Coach's tip: Don’t spend your air at the start – sing the first notes calmly and softer. Keep the riff light and softer than the phrase, the last note steady to the end.
What to watch out for
Spending air early is the main problem. By the riff, the voice thins out or the last note wavers. Sing the first notes quieter than feels natural. The note below the root is easy to under-sing, so make it a clear whole step down and return exactly to the root. Don't push the riff. If you run short of breath, slow the tempo. Stop if you feel light-headed.
Who it's for
Level 3, for singers who can already sustain a long note and want to combine breath control with a soulful ending. Use it in the main block. Do Long phrase on one breath (12 s) first, then Riff at the end of a phrase for the ornament alone. It's tagged R&B / soul, so choosing that style makes it come up more often in the daily training.
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Related exercises
- Long note 15 s Fifteen seconds. The level of a big ballad chorus.
- 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).
- 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.
- Major pentatonic Five notes that almost all pop runs are built from.