Day 19: Agility with Larger Skips
Up to now, our agility patterns have stayed stepwise. That’s deliberate: small intervals demand accuracy without the added challenge of jumping over pitches. You’ve built stepwise accuracy over the past four days; now we’ll test that stability when the pitches are further apart. Leaps — like 3rds and 4ths — appear in melodies across every style, and they test a different set of skills.
When you skip larger intervals, you’re not just moving further. You’re asking your ear to lock in a new pitch center instantly, without the “stepping stones” of intermediate notes. That means you need:
- Accurate pitch mapping in your ear before you sing
- Balanced breath and support to prevent overshooting
- Consistent vowel shape so the tone matches on both notes
Today’s Exercise: We’ll use a simple leap-based pattern to target these skills:
Think of it in sections:
- Leap up a 4th (Do to Fa), then step down
- Leap up a 3rd (Mi to Sol), then step down
- Leap up a 3rd (Fa to La), then step down
- Leap up a 4th (Sol to Do), then reverse direction
How to Practice:
- Start on a comfortable pitch in the middle of your range.
- Sing on a vowel of your choosing (“ah” or “eh” work well).
- Use a metronome set slower than for stepwise drills — aim for 80–100 bpm (go slower if needed, accuracy is more important).
- Audiate (think it in your head) each pitch before you sing it.
- Avoid sliding between notes.
- If a leap is off, slow the tempo and try again until it lands cleanly.
- Record and listen: did each leap land right on pitch?
Why This Matters: Leaps expose weaknesses in your internal pitch map. If you’re unsure where the next note is, you’ll either undershoot or overshoot. Building accuracy here develops the skill of instant pitch placement — crucial for styles with wide melodic ranges, and for making every leap sound intentional.
Tomorrow: We’ll shift focus to rhythmic variation, using it to test your accuracy under a new kind of pressure.
