Need help wading through an endless sea of sixteenth notes? Here’s a strategy to get started with runs, so they can feel more organized and manageable.
How to get started with runs:
- Identify the building blocks of the run – look for repeating patterns and find the small unit (usually 4-8 notes) that repeats over and over.
- Identify HOW the pattern repeats. So, if you have a four note grouping, does it repeat one step lower each time? Jump up a step and then down a third?
- Now, sing just the first note of each grouping or building block. You’ll be singing the run, just leaving out all the notes except the first of each group. Work you way up to performance tempo like this. If your building block is fairly large, you can now try adding in another note (in the video example, my building block is 8 notes, so I start by singing just the first, but then add another so I’m singing the first of every four notes).
- Now, look at just the first building block and figure out the pitches for the whole block, keeping in mind that the first of the group is most important. Practice that one single block, working out any technical issues as you work you way to performance tempo on just one block.
- You can now repeat the process of filling in the extra notes on the remaining blocks, but since you already know the pattern and where each block begins, you’ll find your way through much more easily. I still recommend working each block individually, since the shifting pitch levels will create different technical challenges throughout, and you can actually address them if you catch them in their individual blocks.
Easy peasy? It will still take work, but if you have a sense of the run’s structure, your ability to “keep up” with the tempo and line up with the bass line and other parts will improve dramatically.
If you’d like another video on technical tips for moving the voice fast during runs, let me know in the comments – runs really can be fun.
Good luck! And thanks for practicing.
