quite slow and as in illustration, or the breath will not be used, and at each succeeding group of tones the lungs will become too full of air. The attack will then be explosive, and the tone too loud, if, indeed, the effort to control the breath does not contract and pinch the throat.
Eight groups are given for ascending a scale and eight for descending:
| ō | ē | ō | ō | ē | ĭ | |
| ō | ĭ | ō | ō | ē | oo | |
| ō | ah | ō | o | ah | e | |
| ō | eh | ō | ō | ah | eh | |
| ō | aw | ō | ō | ah | aw | |
| ō | ē | eh | ō | ah | ĭ | |
| ō | ē | ah | ō | ah | oo | |
| ō | ē | aw | ō | eh | ē |
It will be observed that a certain system of arrangement of the vowel-elements is followed. First, there are five groups, of which o is the first and last sound, the others being placed between. Then o is the first tone with e as the second, the other sounds in turn ending the group. Next ah is the second sound, then eh, i, oo and ah might be used as the second vowel-element, making thirty-five combinations with o as the initial sound of each group. The same number of combinations can be made with ah as the first tone, and so on with each of the seven vowel-elements.
Sixteen of these groups, changed from time to time as may be desired, can be written upon the blackboard and sung by the class in the way set forth, the teacher meanwhile keeping time for and directing the class.
It may be observed in this connection, that, as the voice ascends in pitch, there is a tendency to blend the various vowel-sounds into one sound. As the tones grow higher the sound-waves are focused at higher points upon the hard-palate, the sounding-board of the resonance cavities, and more difficulty is experienced in moulding these sound-waves into the forms characteristic of the different vowel-elements. As the parts concerned in tone-formation gain in flexibility, the result appears in the ease with which the alterations in shape of the resonance tube are made at higher pitches.
Fads and devices which divert attention from the subject and retard rather than accelerate the progress of pupils are common enough in schools, but the following simple illustrations of different vowel-forms may be found useful:
The base line represents the floor or base of the mouth-cavity, and the arch, the height and width of the mouth for each sound; the depth is not indicated. The width of the mouth from side to side is represented as greatest in ē, ĭ and eh, while the height is greater in ah and aw, o is pictured as nearly round, and oo the same, only small.