Grace notes
Lesson time: (2min 28sec)
Jono McNeil shows how to drop grace notes into a sung phrase - one on every beat - then practise them over a backing track.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Licks, Riffs & Runs for Pop Singers
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Applying Ornaments to Musical Phrases
So now we're going to apply these ornaments to some musical phrases. In a bit, we're going to try these with a backing track as well, to see if we can get used to them in the context of a bit of melody.
Learning the Phrase
Let me teach you this little phrase to begin with. This has a grace note for every single crotchet, or every single quarter note.
It goes like this:
1, 2, 3, 4.
Singing Practice
Sing that with me:
1, 2, 2, 3, 4.
Try that again:
1, 2, 3, 4.
Make sure every pitch is perfect because, of course, all of these things need to be really highly polished. We finish that line with H with me and O.
So let's do the two phrases together:
1, 2, 3, 4.
And again:
O.
Great!
Demonstrating with Backing Track
Now, I'm going to demonstrate that phrase with the backing track. This same backing track is available for you to download on Music Guru, so you can do this on your own at home.
Let's give this a go:
1, 2, 3, 4.
And again:
O. O.
Adding Grace Notes
So let's add a little extra grace note at the end of this phrase. It's going to go O together.
Here we go:
O. O.
And again:
O.
Great. Well done!
About the instructor
Jono McNeil has provided vocal coaching for professional singers, contemporary artists and vocalists in a range of influential positions within the entertainment industry for over 20 years. He works as a vocal coach across a variety of TV shows including The Voice Kids, The Voice UK, Little Mix The Search, The Masked Singer, Wedding Day Winners and Change Your Tune, and coaches touring acts such as JLS, New Rules and July Jones to name a few. An artist and singer in his own right, Jono has also performed with Michael Buble, Paloma Faith, Josh Groban, Nelly, Jamie Cullum, Lemar, George Ezra and Jocelyn Brown, and has several original albums available on streaming platforms. He combines his experience on stage and in the recording studio with a deep understanding of vocal function to provide effective and inspirational coaching experiences. Previously he worked as the head of vocals at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), lecturing and designing content for the degree vocal curriculum in popular music, and now continues to work as an external examiner for other academic institutions such as the Leeds Conservatoire. Passionate about the possibilities of popular music and artistry, he pursues innovative research and strategies to see this realised; his academic qualifications include a degree in Jazz and a masters in Vocal Pedagogy. In Licks, Riffs & Runs for Pop Singers, Jono shows you exactly how to add the agile runs, riffs and licks that define modern pop singing, so you can decorate a melody with confidence and make it your own. read more