llustration: SECOND STUDY. La....]

This movement, of course, must be sung with the same action of hands and
body, starting from repose to the level of the first tone, and keeping
constantly upon a level with the voice by ascending and descending. Sing
this exercise first semi staccato, afterwards legato.

The special object of this exercise is to relax the jaw, the face, and the
throat muscles. A stiff, set jaw always means throat contraction. In this
exercise, if sung in every other respect according to directions, a stiff
jaw would defeat the whole thing, and make impossible a correct production
of every high tone.

In singing the _la_ sound, the tip of the tongue touches the roof of
the mouth, just back of the upper front teeth. Think the tone forward at
this point, and let the jaw rise and fall with the tongue. Devitalize the
jaw and the muscles of the face, move up in a free, flexible manner to the
level of every tone, and you will be surprised at the freedom and ease with
which the high tones come. The moving up in the proper way applies
strength, and secures automatic form and adjustment; develops or
strengthens the resisting or controlling muscles of the voice; in fact,
gives the voice expansion, inflation, and tonicity.

Remember that one can act in singing; and by acting I mean the movements as
here described, lifting, expanding, etc., without influencing the voice or
the tone, without applying the movements to the voice; of course such
action is simply an imitation of the real thing. Herein, however, lies the
importance of correct thinking. The thought must precede the action. The
singer must have some idea of what he wants to sing and how he wants to
sing it. A simple chance, a simple hit or miss idea, will not do. Make your
tone mean something. Arouse the singer's sensation, and you can soon tell
whether the movement is influencing the tone or not. Of course these
movements are all more easily applied on the middle and low tones than on
the higher tones, but these are the great successful movements for the
study and development of the high tones.

As we have learned in our former publications, there are but three
movements in singing,--ascending, descending, and level movements. We have
so far studied ascending and descending movements or arpeggios. We will now
study level movements on a single tone, thus:

[Illustration: THIRD STUDY. Ah.]

Place yourself in a free, flexible manner upon a level with