A short practice plan for a voice that drops out partway up a glide. The first job is not a higher note. It is keeping a gentle sound connected, then slowly removing the help.
Filled cells are practice days for that exercise. Empty cells mean leave it alone that day. The rest days give the voice a quiet reset before the next block.
Numbers in filled cells are reps. “ng” means the hum at the end of “sing.” A lip trill is optional; skip it if it needs a blast of air.
Find a drinking straw. Hum through it and glide slowly from low to as high as is easy, then back down. Do it four times, staying gentle. Notice whether the sound stays connected through the spot where it usually cuts out.
Do not chase the top. If the sound disconnects twice in the same place, make the glide smaller and end lower.
What it is: a semi-occluded vocal tract exercise: the mouth is partly closed by the straw.
How: seal your lips around a regular straw. Do not bite it. Sing an easy “oo” through the straw and slide up and down.
How much: four slow glides, about three to six seconds each.
Going well: the sound feels easy and keeps going through the usual break spot.
What it is: a loose “brrr” with voice, used as another partly closed-mouth sound.
How: keep the lips loose. Lightly support the cheeks if needed. Glide only over a small range.
How much: two to four glides on assisted days, only if it starts easily.
Going well: the lips bubble without pushing air. If it takes force, use straw or hum instead.
What it is: a closed-lip hum, or “ng,” the hum at the end of “sing.”
How: for hum, lips closed and teeth apart. For “ng,” say “sing” and keep only the final sound. Glide gently.
How much: four glides on scheduled days, small range first.
Going well: you may feel vibration, but you do not have to. The useful sign is a connected, easy sound.
What it is: a bridge from a nasal sound into a vowel.
How: hold “ng” on a comfortable pitch, then open to “oo” without changing loudness or pushing the jaw forward.
How much: three repeats, then a tiny glide such as G3–A3–G3 if it stays easy.
Going well: the pitch feels like it stays in the same place while the mouth changes shape.
What it is: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 on a sound like “oo,” “mum,” or “gee.”
How: start below the break. Sing medium-soft. Connect the notes; do not punch the top note.
How much: three scales in a comfortable key, then stop or move down.
Going well: the top note arrives without a shove, and the way down stays connected.
What it is: the same glide without the straw or hum helping it.
How: use “oo.” Start G3–B3–G3. Only try A3–C4–A3 if the smaller glide stayed connected.
How much: three glides on the open-vowel days in week two.
Going well: the sound stays quiet-to-medium and connected. A drop-out tells you where to return to straw or hum.
If about four out of five attempts stay connected, make one thing harder: raise the top note by one semitone, tighten the pitch target, or use the open vowel after the assisted glide.
If fewer than half stay connected, make one thing easier: reduce the range, use straw or hum, slow the glide, or shorten the rep.
Use pitches that fit the actual voice in front of the mic. As one baritone example, Matt is comfortable around F3–A3 right now, B3 is the first transition target, and C4 is a stretch pitch. C4 is not a required daily goal.