How To Sing Big Interval Leaps - Once Upon A Time In The West
And what big interval jumps really demand from your voice
At first glance, this melody sounds almost innocent. Slow. Spacious. Simple.
And yet, it consistently causes voice cracks, tightening, panic, and complete loss of control — even in very experienced singers.
The theme from Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the hardest vocal lines ever written. Not because it’s fast or ornamented, but because it demands mastery of large interval jumps inside a single phrase, spanning an enormous range (roughly from D4 to G5).
If you can sing this cleanly and freely, you can sing almost any interval leap — in classical or contemporary styles.
So why does it break so many voices?
The Real Problem Isn’t the High Notes
Most singers assume the difficulty comes from pitch height. It doesn’t.
The real challenge lies in how the voice reorganizes itself as it moves upward, especially when that movement happens suddenly.
When I coach singers through these kinds of phrases, the same issues appear again and again:
the voice locks up mid-jump
the sound thins out or becomes breathy
the singer pushes harder and loses control
or the voice simply “disappears”
To understand why, we need to talk about something most singers have never been taught.
Vocal Segments: The Missing Concept
Most people are familiar with the idea of a vocal break or bridge — the point where the voice shifts from chest-dominant coordination to head-dominant coordination.
What’s less known is that this shift doesn’t happen once.
Your voice moves through multiple vocal segments, each involving small but crucial changes in:
muscle coordination
resonance strategy
vocal fold behavior
These adjustments occur roughly every four to five notes. In the melody from Once Upon a Time in the West, the singer crosses several segment changes inside a single phrase.
Each time you cross one, your voice must subtly rebalance. If it doesn’t, forcing becomes inevitable.
Why Most Singers Get Stuck at the Bridges
When singers struggle with segment transitions, it’s usually for one of two reasons:
1. Chest Voice Won’t Let Go
As pitch rises, chest voice must gradually yield so head voice can take on more responsibility.
When singers unconsciously try to “carry” chest voice too high:
the sound tightens
the throat locks
the jump becomes impossible
This isn’t a strength issue — it’s a coordination issue.
2. Head Voice Has No Support
The opposite extreme is just as problematic.
Singers who rely exclusively on head voice without chest support often sound:
thin
unstable
breathy
weak
While the pitch might be reachable, the sensation is uncomfortable and unsustainable.
A healthy voice needs both systems working together.
Strong chest voice supports a healthy head voice — and vice versa.
What Must Be Solid Before Attempting Big Intervals
This melody is not for complete beginners. But if you’re already comfortable moving through chest, head, and mix, it is achievable — provided you prepare correctly.
Before tackling the intervals themselves, two foundations must be in place.
Foundation 1: Stable Air Pressure Across Range
As pitch rises, air pressure must not increase.
A simple way to test this is by singing a five-note scale upward, gradually approaching the top note of the phrase (around G5).
The moment you feel the urge to push or press, stop.
Instead:
allow more space
slightly increase vocal fold mass
keep the sound soft and buoyant
Effort should decrease as pitch increases, not the other way around.
Foundation 2: Understanding Vocal Onsets
A vocal onset is the moment sound begins — when airflow and vocal fold closure meet.
There are three main types:
Breathy onset: air escapes before closure
Hard onset: vocal folds close before airflow (the “glottal attack”)
Coordinated onset: airflow and closure happen simultaneously
From a technical standpoint, the coordinated onset is the healthiest.
From an artistic standpoint, all three are valid choices, depending on style and context.
Technique and repertoire are not the same thing.
They can support each other — but they are trained differently.
Why These Intervals Feel Impossible
When singers fail on these jumps, the issue is rarely the leap itself.
Most often:
chest and head voice aren’t coordinating
resonance isn’t adjusting
the singer is under-supported or over-controlling
The more demanding the music, the more refined the coordination must be — not the more forceful.
This is why soprano voices, in particular, must train their low range thoroughly. High notes are built from below.
How to Train Big Interval Jumps Safely
Step 1: Choose a Helpful Vowel
Vowels must change as pitch rises.
The higher you go:
the less “oo” you sing
the more space and openness you allow
If the vowel remains fixed, tension is unavoidable.
Step 2: Practice With Glissando
Before attempting clean jumps, slide between the notes.
Glissando ensures:
continuous coordination
muscular balance
resonance adaptation
Precision comes after freedom — never before.
Step 3: Reset the Breath Between Notes
Once sliding feels easy, sing the intervals cleanly with a breath reset between pitches.
Take time to:
breathe with rounded lips
imagine the pitch before singing
allow full preparation
Speed comes later.
Step 4: Remove the Reset (or Use a Light Onset)
Finally, connect the intervals without stopping — or use a very subtle breathy onset between notes.
Interestingly, the original singer uses this tiny breath onset to aid accuracy. It’s barely audible, but extremely effective.
Some performances even lean into a lighter, breathier tone overall — another perfectly valid artistic choice.
The Bigger Picture
This melody demands mastery of:
segment transitions
chest–head coordination
vowel modification
onset control
resonance flexibility
When these elements are refined, the singer gains something far more valuable than one song:
choice.
Choice of tone.
Choice of weight.
Choice of coordination.