These two exercises start to extend the range of your Better Voice, by using the six-step sequence on a string of five notes. What you’re working towards is keeping the same bright, head-focused quality in your voice every time you switch it on, and in whatever part of your vocal range. 

By practising on different starting notes you will gradually be piecing together a range over which your Better Voice operates. 

You may be aware that in some places there is a noticeable break in your voice between adjacent notes. We will deal with these in Unit 3. For now, as before, do the exercises on sequences of notes that don’t involve a break. 

Here’s a reminder of the six-step sequence: 

Step 1: Hum each note 

Step 2: Hum to aah on each note 

Step 3: Friendly phrases 

Step 4: Initial hum then continuous aah 

Step 5: Continuous aah 

Step 6: Separate aah on each note 

Exercise 5: A string of next-door notes lower to higher in pitch  

• Pick a note (note 1) comfortably in the middle of your vocal range, think forward to the next-door note a little higher in pitch (note 2), the next one beyond that, and so on to note 5.  

• Using these five notes, work through steps 1 to 6 of the six-step sequence.  

• If you feel your voice in your throat, or it’s sounding woolly or unfocused, go back to the hum for a bit. 

• Repeat the exercise on different starting notes. 

Exercise 6: A string of next-door notes higher to lower in pitch 

This is a repeat of the previous exercise but with the string of notes in reverse. 

• Pick a note (note 1) comfortably in the middle of your vocal range, then the next-door note a little lower in pitch (note 2), the next one below that, and so on to note 5. 

• Using these five notes, work through steps 1 to 6 of the six-step sequence. 

• Again, don’t move on to the next step of the sequence until you’ve mastered the one you’re on. 

• Repeat the exercise on different starting notes. 

On notes that fall in pitch it’s particularly important to visualize your voice stretching out horizontally in front of your face. This helps to stop it ‘collapsing’ back into your throat and sounding dull on the lower notes. (If you’re a singer it will also help to stop you going flat when singing falling intervals or phrases.) 

Q: Which of the pitch progressions (lower to higher, higher to lower) do you find easier, and why?