The Octave Repeat “No”

The Bratty “Nay” exercise is great for expanding your range and helping you sing in a mix.

But it’ll only take you so far.

After all, nobody wants to hear you singing on stage with a bratty sound.

So let’s work with another singing technique to get a more performance-ready tone.

The Octave Repeat “No” exercise keeps all the great stuff about the bratty “Nay” but sounds a bit closer to real singing.

Like the “Nay”, the “N” consonant allows the vocal folds to close.

But unlike the “Ay” vowel, the “Oh” allows the larynx (or voice box) to relax a bit.

This creates a much more relaxed sound.

And remember:

Feeling relaxed is mandatory for learning to sing in a mix.

So here’s how you do it.

1.     Begin to say the word “No” (as in the word “Note”) aloud at a comfortable volume.

2.     Now find a comfortable starting pitch (try E3 for guys and C#4 for girls) and begin to sing the “No” on this pitch.

3.     Sing the following scale.

·      The “No” exercise is far more challenging than the Bratty “Nay”. So if you’re having a hard time with this exercise, just go back to the bratty “Nay” exercise

·      You may find it helpful to incorporate a little bit of the “bratty” sound into the “No”. This can help the voice connect to the mix. But tread lightly. The whole point of the “No” exercise is to hit these high notes with a more normal sound.

·      As you’re singing to the top of the scale, avoid the temptation to spread the vowel wider than the “Oh” (like in “Note”). Just keep the “oh” vowel narrow as you sing towards the top.

Now that we’ve got our registers balanced and our tone is starting to sound more normal, let’s get even closer to the real deal of singing.