Exercise I - 2: Messa di voce on a single sustained note I-2

AIM To sing a messa di voce on a single sustained note, mid voice, at correct pitch,
maintaining consistent resonance and vibrato while evenly increasing and then
decreasing volume throughout the note. To build stamina through increasing the
duration of the sustained note.

OBJECTIVES ◗ To develop management of pitch, duration and resonance (including vibrato) while
singing a messa di voce on a single note.
◗ To manage the balance of intensities over a crescendo and diminuendo of equal
duration.
◗ To build the aural and kinaesthetic memory necessary for this task.

PHYSICAL ◗ Abdominal and thoracic muscle groups to achieve breath management

INVOLVEMENT ◗ Larynx height and posture
◗ Articulators, including pharynx, velum (soft palate), tongue, lips and jaw, for
appropriate vowel formation

INSTRUCTIONS 1 Play the target note 7 Increase breath pressure in order to

2 Mentally hear this note sung on the
chosen vowel
3 Breathe the correct vowel shape
4 Position the larynx
5 Activate breath support
6 Start to sing
increase volume, while maintaining
the vowel shape
8 Ensure that vowel quality and
appropriate breath pressure are
maintained as volume decreases

PITCH DISPLAY Sing the target pitch, keeping the undulations of the blue line as regular as possible,
within the pitch area, and with regular deviations around the central yellow line in order
to maintain the timbral richness

SPECTROGRAM A well-executed messa di voce exhibits consistently undulating bands of spectral

energy, and clean onset and offset. While the resonance pattern remains the same, the
bands of spectral energy become darker and closer together with increasing intensity.

LEVEL The skill integral to this exercise is to gradually raise the volume level to maximum
METER half-way through the note and gradually decrease the volume level to minimum by the
end of the note. The volume level should be the same at the beginning and end of the note.

39