TH STUDY. Ah....]

Place yourself in a free, flexible manner on a level with the first tone.
If this is done properly, you will have secured automatically a singing
breath and all true conditions of tone. When singing this exercise move the
hands and body with the tone or voice, ascending and descending. In
ascending open freely and naturally by letting go. Do not influence the
form by attempting locally to open. Do not influence the form by locally
preventing freedom or expansion. Let go all parts of the face, mouth and
throat, and you will be surprised at the power of the tone, of the breath,
and of the breath-control on the upper tone. You will be surprised to find
that you will have secured or developed three or four times as much
sustaining breath power as you imagined you had. In descending, care must
be taken not to droop or depress, but to carry the voice by controlling the
movements of the body, and only after the last tone is finished should the
body go into a position of repose.

Sing this exercise in all degrees of power, soft, medium and loud,
maintaining the same true conditions on all. The tendency of most singers
is to relax and depress on soft tone, or to pinch and contract. Soft tone
should never be small in form, and it should always have the same vitality
and energy as the louder tone.

[Illustration: FIFTH STUDY. Ah....]

This exercise should be studied and practiced in every way suggested for
the study of the preceding exercises. Place yourself upon a level with the
first tone, in the manner before described, and thus secure the automatic
breath. Do not forget to use the hands to suggest the movement to the body.
The hands should be used until the body is thoroughly trained to flexible
action. It is always a question of "the thought before the action." Do not
allow a conscious or local breath before the movement.

Place yourself upon a level with the first tone, and allow or let the voice
start spontaneously and freely. Make no effort to hold the breath. Hold
from position. Sing down, moving with the voice, but do not let the body or
the tone droop or relax. Neither must there be stiffness or contraction. If
you find it impossible to control the voice in this way, or to prevent
depression of body and of tone, then try the following way.

Place yourself upon a level with the first tone in the proper manner, sing
down, but lift and expand with an ascending movement of the hands and body.
Open th