PLAY IT BY VOICE
Hjørring workshop practice modules
Quick reference to exercises done in the workshop with Peder in Hjørring Jan 9-10, 2026
Click at a question mark to open a text box.
Click Tab to move to the next text box.
Click Shift+Tab to move to the previous text box.
Click on an exercise title to close the text box.
| What | How | When | Why | Source | |
| Learning system | |||||
| Play It By Voice |
Play It By Voice is a learning system,
developed by Peder Karlsson, for musical practice, creativity, and social innovation in groups of people who sing together. Play It By Voice is intended to be a learning system open to input – a framework that provides space for several different types of mutually reinforcing competence, and for adaptation to your group, its repertoire and its individuals. Play It By Voice materials include • practice module tutorials • learning principles • maps of learning processes These materials provide a starting point for learning, to be adapted by students to fit their circumstances. The practice modules are designed for a combina- tion of collective and individual practice. |
Singers acquire practical knowledge of essential
musical factors, generally speaking, through: • Learning from music itself • Learning by doing • Learning by understanding (rather than by instruction) Understanding follows from first doing something specific, and then reflecting together on what was just done. |
Feel free to begin with a few practice modules
and exercises, and then add bits and pieces according to your circumstances, preferences and priorities. |
Core purposes of Play It By Voice:
• to learn by playfulness • to become aware of the power of co-creation • to explore and learn about the creative power by exploration of the potential of the total musical intelligence of your group Why adapt learning materials to fit your circumstances? Well… when a map doesn’t match the territory anymore, then I assume that you prefer to change the map, rather than trying to change the territory. Why combine singer-centered and group-centered methodology? • Because singers make the sounds that we hear, in the moment when the actual music is made • Because there is a lack of understanding, within vocal music culture as a whole, about what singers do while singing Through singer-centered practice, you may get a fantastic sound, driven by motivation. Through group-centered practice, you may experience a sense of purpose in your music-making. Through a combination of singer-centered and group-centered practise, individual and collective motivation can be brought into alignment. |
What is the source of Play It By Voice pedagogy?
Music is my teacher. Everything I have learned about vocal music is the result of observations of musical and social interactions, combined with input from numerous people that I have made music together with. |
| Learning principles | |||||
| Experience first, theory and reflection later |
This is a general principle for the order of
activities in learning processes. |
Let the music speak for itself first.
Then you can talk, or leave it to the group to reflect on their experience of what they just did. Example questions for reflection: • What did we do? • What did we learn? • What did we know already? |
I suggest that you follow this principle each time
that you do an exercise. Sometimes you may need to frame the purpose of an exercise before doing it. In such cases, I recommend keyword communication. |
When you initiate musical activities and exercises
without first establishing any fixed ideas about purposes or intended results, then you may inspire a mindset of openness and curiosity towards musical exploration – free from presumptions or prejudice. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|
| Four modes of learning |
Inspiration, feeling, physical awareness
and logic. Inspiration and feeling are intuitive modes of learning, where knowledge is assimilated through subjective, qualitative experience. In learning based on physical awareness and logic, knowledge is assimilated through objective, quantitative experience. |
Inspiration
Having fun together is an important starting point for any group activity, and a very powerful source of motivation. Feeling Learning can be effortless and easy in an inspirational and emotionally safe space, where singers are free to express their feelings spontaneously – within limits based on mutual respect. Physical awareness Through embodied learning and physical, musical understanding, the learning process becomes a tangible reality for the singers. Logic After having established playfulness, inspiration, motivation, feeling, and embodied understanding as a foundation for your activities, logical frameworks may emerge organically: methods, guidelines and agreements that make sense, according to the purposes of your group activities. Logical and purpose-based structures may in turn provide a clear direction forward, as individuals and as a team, which feeds into inspiration and motivation – and thus the learning cycles continue. |
Logic (music theory, methodology etc) and
physical awareness (physical skills) can be practised according to a schedule and a timeline. Inspiration and feeling emerge here and now. If you try to push or coerce these learning modes into a year plan or into a rehearsal plan, then your plan is not going to work out for you in the real world. Moments of fun and feeling emerge spontaneously. There is no way for you to apply control or command over these things. But you can learn through experience how to encourage and reinforce fun and feeling in the moment. Considering all of this, it is very important to leave space in your plans to be influenced by what happens in the moment. Also known as “Swiss Cheese structure”. |
Balance between the four modes of learning
is crucial for fulfilment and satisfaction. Without inspiration, you probably will end up singing alone, sooner or later. Or not sing at all. Without feeling, there may be vibrations in the air, but there won’t be a lot of music. Without physical awareness, your music won’t be beautiful. Without logic, you probably won’t find a sense of purpose in your practice, nor find a clear direction forward for your group. |
Ancient wisdom traditions; animism, taoism, ayurveda
– just to name a few. Inspiration -> Fire Feeling -> Water Physical awareness -> Earth Logic -> Air Even we who are children of the “modern world” may understand intuitively the core meaning of the four elements through direct experience in personal, subjective processes. Pieces of advice: • Keywords may be useful for intuitive understanding of the four elements and their relevance in daily life. • You may experience a high degree of uncertainty when you attempt to bridge the gap between subjective and objective means of understanding. • Since words have different meanings in different languages, and since the meaning of words often change over time, symbolic or creative (as opposed to literal) interpretation is recommended when you read contemporary literature based on ancient wisdom traditions. |
| One focus area at a time |
There are five main focus areas:
Rhythm, Intonation, Sound & Blend, Expression and Stage presentation. RHYTHM is physical movement with a sense of pulse,and with a bodily feeling of groove. Rhythm is not an application of mathematics. INTONATION is a sequence of focused activities, with the goal to sing in tune. Singers can learn how to do this with confidence. Intonation skills is not a talent that you either have or don’t have. Different music styles require different types of SOUND. BLENDING is the combined activity of all singers to adapt their sound to the expression of others, while singing. EXPRESSION is how you approach your songs with personality, interpretation and attitude, and how the combined intentions of all singers becomes a collective musical output. STAGE PRESENTATION is about connection with each other and with the audience. It begins with preparation through focused practice. When you enter the stage, all preparation is over. |
When your focus is rhythm, for example,
then all the other focus areas are not subject to evaluation. In other words: even if the intonation may suffer, don’t pay attention to that, while the rhythm is the focus target. And vice versa, when intonation is the focus area, then rhythm is of no concern. Eventually, singers may learn how to shift attention between all the focus areas, while singing, through a continuous activity to move their target point of focused attention between different musical factors. To move the target for your musical attention is also referred to as moving your inner spotlight. |
When you want to achieve musical progress.
|
When everyone in the choir are focusing on
improvement of the same musical parameter, then improvement with that focus area will happen. For this to work out, it is important to temporarily ignore the other main focus areas. Your choir or vocal group won’t function as a very strong musical team until all singers are comfortable with each of the five main focus areas: Rhythm, Intonation, Sound & Blend, Expression and Stage performance. |
Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Sweden
/ The Real Group / RAMA Vocal Center |
| One rehearsal item at a time |
A reminder for you to practise one musical
parameter at a time, and to give feedback to one rehearsal item at a time. |
1. Choose a short musical excerpt from your
known repertoire; this excerpt is now the current rehearsal item 2. Apply the principle of a Play It By Voice practice module to the rehearsal item 3. Repeat a few times until you hear progress |
When a musical challenge requires a concrete solution
|
Progress happens when all singers focus on
the same musical parameter at the same time. |
Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Sweden
/ The Real Group |
| See, hear and touch |
A reminder for you to create exercises
that activate more than one of the senses at the same time |
Feel free to set up exercises where
change is applied to one musical parameter at a time, and where the change is referenced by visual, audiotory and tactile input. Example exercise: Pitch glide up-down –> unison |
• When you want to practice in a way
that leads to singers practical knowledge reaching a permanent state. In other words: that singers remember what they have learned. • When you want to do a fundamental reset of singers’ perception of a musical parameter |
Change of a musical parameter combined with
multiple types of sensory activation leads to deep and physical understanding of the musical parameter currently being the focus target. When multiple senses are activated, while musical change is also applied, then singers may unlock their potential for embodied knowledge, in a way that simply isn’t accessible through static types of focus. This type of practice is very efficient and leads to high levels of singers’ retaining their learning experiences after a practice session. |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Practice modules and exercises | |||||
| About practice modules |
WHAT?
A Play It By Voice practice module is a very short musical process, typically with a duration of 1-3 minutes, that focuses on a specific musical skill, usually within one of the main focus areas. |
HOW?
You can either do a Play It By Voice practice module as a stand-alone exercise, as presented in a class session or a workshop with me, as well as in the tutorial section of the Play It By Voice podcast and blog at Substack (to be launched in Sept/Oct 2025) – or you can use the principle of a Play It By Voice practice module and adapt it into a solution to a specific musical challenge with your repertoire. (See above under One rehearsal item at a time) |
WHEN?
Most Play It By Voice practice modules are set up to be used either during the warmup at the beginning of a rehearsal, or as a pre-exercise to the next song being practised during a rehearsal of known repertoire. |
Doing the practice modules develops singers’
abilities and skills; one musical factor at a time. The intention with most practice modules is to develop singers’ musical skills as well as their social skills. Over time, singers will gradually develop abilities and skills to be sufficiently prepared musically for the activities of their group. TIP: this process has no end. Musical practice is an ongoing type of activity. |
SOURCE?
Where do the practice modules come from?
A common scenario is that new methods emerge organically, when people interact musically. In such cases there is no individual creator. I have learned these practices from various people, situations and places. A person that I have learned something from may have learned it from someone else that I don’t know about. In some cases, I don’t know anything about from whom or from where a practice module originates. See respective info under Source. Some practice modules were created by myself, usually after contemplation about things that didn’t work out in a coaching session, for example. Later on, in another coaching session, I would try a new method that requires a new practice module. |
| Visualize the room |
Exercise for visual and audiotory imagery
|
1. Observe items in the room
2. Close your eyes and visualise the items in the room 3. Imagine music that has been played in this room before 4. Imagine that you are making this music with your voice and your body 5. (count off:) three-four 6. Everybody makes their sounds |
Before doing the exercise Silence – Imagine – Prepare voice – Sing!
|
Get comfortable closing your eyes
while others are also singing |
Eckhart Tolle / Peder Karlsson
|
| Silence – Imagine – Prepare voice – Sing! |
Practice module for audiotory imagery
(audiation) |
1. Imagine that you hear silence
2. Imagine a note coming in to this silence, singing with the vowel [VOWEL] 3. Imagine that you are singing this note 4. Sing it! – three, four – |
• During the warmup
• or as a pre-exercise to a song with intonation issues |
• Audiotory and physical preparation
• Internal reference to intonation • Development of intonation skills independent of what you hear from the other singers |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Walk around in the room: stop, start |
Group communication practice module
|
1. The leader explains the premise that the floor can tilt,
and therefore everyone must make sure that there is an even distribution of people on the floor. 2. Walk around 3. When the leader claps (once), then everybody stops walking 4. When the leader claps twice, then everybody starts walking again 5. A guide person stops and starts the walking 6. No leader (or everyone leads); stop and start walking again – as a collective |
• In the beginning of a rehearsal
• This is a type of exercise that can begin on time, even if a few singers haven’t yet showed up. |
• Get familiar with the room
• Establish a safe space • Practise group awareness by paying attention to everyone else at the same time |
I don’t remember from whom I learned it.
It’s probably a theatre exercise. |
| Rhythm exercises | |||||
| Step One |
Physical movement with a
pulse reference in your body |
Repeat this:
1. Right foot forward 2. Left foot on the spot 3. Right foot backward 4. Left foot on the spot |
When singers need a pulse reference in their own body
(internal pulse reference) |
Establish a physical reference to the pulse,
with which to synchronise one’s singing |
Jim Daus Hjernøe
– after observing many groups |
| Step Two |
Physical movement with a
pulse reference in your body |
Repeat this:
1. Right foot to the right 2. Left foot to the right 3. Left foot to the left 4. Right foot to the left |
When singers need a pulse reference in their own body
(internal pulse reference) |
Establish a physical reference to the pulse,
with which to synchronise one’s singing |
Jim Daus Hjernøe
– after observing many groups |
| Sense of gravity |
A practice module that brings awareness
to gravity as a reference to rhythm |
1. Do Step One with a bounce
2. Do Step One without a bounce 3. Acknowledge the difference |
When you want to establish an understanding
of gravity as a reference to rhythm, and the importance of physical movement as a reference for timing when you sing. |
Physical awareness of gravity and its relation
to rhythm is a key element of grounding. |
Åsa Simma, artistic director of
Giron Sámi Theatre in Kiruna, Sweden |
| What is rhythm? |
Song / Spoken word / Dance
|
verse 1
What is rhythm Rhythm is physical movement What is rhythm Down-up-down-up-down-up-down (right foot) verse 2 same as verse 1, except finish with left foot bridge Get your ass down (monkey step, six times) take it again, take it again, take it again-gain Get your ass down (monkey step, six times) one, two, one, two, three, four verse 3 What is rhythm Rhythm is physical movement What is rhythm Down-up-down-up-down-up-down (right foot) Get your ass down |
During the warmup
|
• Have fun
• Establish step one and step two in context • Establish downbeat and upbeat • Challenge social conformity |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Reversed pulse reference |
Rhythm practice module;
internal pulse reference |
1. Walk or clap the pulse,
while doing a rhythm with your voice 2. Do the rhythm with your feet or hands, while doing the pulse with your voice. Then repeat 1. and 2. 3. (optional) Walk the pulse and clap the upbeat, while doing a rhythm with your voice 4. Walk the pulse and do the upbeat with your voice, while clapping the rhythm Please note: it’s not important to try to be perfect when you reverse the pulse reference. What’s important is to try. The learning happens when you return to “normal”. |
• During the warmup
• As a pre-exercise to a song with rhythmical issues |
• Become physically aware of the relation
between pulse and subdivisions • Address eventual issues with unstable tempo • Develop body awareness • Develop physical flexibility – in terms of pulse reference |
André Ferrari / Jim Daus Hjernøe
|
| Variable tempo with rotated leadership |
Rhythm exercise;
external pulse reference |
Loop a short rhythmic phrase from your known repertoire,
along with Step One or Step Two. The guide makes gradual changes to the tempo, to be copied and cloned in real time by the other singers. Rotate the guide role. |
When it’s time to improve singers’ synchronization
|
When a guide singer changes the tempo,
then the value of synchronization between singers becomes obvious. |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Rhythm Exercise #1 |
A 6/8 ”poem” in five verses;
rhythm exercise. You find the score in Moodle. |
• Pre-exercise:
Clap pulse, say the poem; each verse twice 1. One-two-three-four-five-six 2. Uh – uh – uh 3. Digidage digidage digidage 4. One-and-a-two-and-a-three-and-a-four-and-a 5. One – – two – – three – – four – – • Exercise: Clap the poem, say the pulse; (reversed pulse reference) each verse twice |
• During the warmup
• or as a pre-exercise to a song with rhythm issues |
• Get comfortable with polyrhythmic patterns
• Improve your ability to instantaneously change your perception of pulse |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Intonation exercises | |||||
| Three notes, two notes, one note |
Intonation exercise module;
internal pitch reference |
1. Repeat a few times:
• Play three notes on the piano • Show the audiation sign • Singers audiate the three notes • Singers sing the three notes, on “oo” 2. Repeat a few times: • Play two notes on the piano • Show the audiation sign • Singers audiate the two notes • Singers sing the two notes, on “oo” 3. Repeat a few times: • Play one note on the piano • Show the audiation sign • Singers audiate the note • Singers sing the note, on “oo” |
• During the warmup
• or as a pre-exercise to a song with intonation issues |
• activate intonation focus
• make a distinction between audiation of harmony and audiation of separate notes, in a concrete way The latter is important because singers often are unaware of the audiation phenomenon, and therefore confuse different types of audiation. With the effect that they may be unable to differentiate between a root, a fifth and a third of a chord, for example. |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Pitch Darts |
Intonation practice module
for micro-second preparation |
1. Play a staccato note on the piano
2. Singers sing the same note; syllable: “Pa” Then repeat 1. and 2. Be mindful about the speed between notes that singers are able to accomplish. Try with larger and larger intervals between notes. |
• During the warmup
• or as a pre-exercise to a song with intonation issues |
In this exercise, it is impossible for singers
to think and evaluate, while singing, the note or phrase that they just sang. Purpose of this exercise: to develop singers’ habit to constantly have their attention directed forward, towards the next note or phrase: Aim – Sing – Forget |
Peder Karlsson
|
| Pitch glide up-down –> unison |
Intonation practice module
|
The leader sings on “mm” a note
whose pitch glides up and down between a low and a high pitch, while also showing the pitch change with the hand and the arm. All singers sing along with the leader. The leader stops singing at a sustained note sung in unison by everyone. |
• During the warmup
• or as a pre-exercise to a song with intonation issues • or as an intro to the exercise Big cluster, small cluster |
Changing the pitch activates singers’
physical awareness of pitch, especially when given simultaneous references to pitch: visual, audiotory and tactile (see, hear, and touch). |
Joakim Jennefors
|
| Big cluster, small cluster |
Intonation practice module
|
Two ways to start:
1 – start from a unison note sung by everyone. 2 – start from a big cluster, then slowly move your hands to indicate a unison note. Singers will have to negotiate which note to be sung in unison. Big cluster: one hand held high, the other hand held low. Singers pick a random note, high or low. Then you move your hands to the same level, indicate that a previously agreed target note shall be sung in unison. Small cluster: a small movement with the fingers on both hands that indicate for singers to sing slightly out of tune; sharp or flat, within a quarter note or so. Then return to both hands held flat, to indicate that the agreed target note shall be sung in unison. |
• During the warmup
• or as a pre-exercise to a song with intonation issues |
• Reinforcement of internal reference to pitch
• Reinforcement of individual responsibility for intonation • Heightened awareness and reinforced ability for precise, fine-tuned intonation To hold a reference note in your audiation (the target unison note), while singing a different note as part of a cluster, emphasises the importance of audiation and preparation as an ongoing task in the moment of music-making. |
Katarina Henryson
|
| Open doors, closed doors |
Intonation practice module that shows
what audiation is |
Sing a whole song, or a part of it,
that singers know well; unison, homophonic or polyphonic. One person indicates with their arms “open doors” or “closed doors”. When the doors are open, everyone sings their part. When the doors are closed, nobody sings – but the song continues. After having sung, ask “where does the music go when you don’t sing?” |
• The first time that you do this exercise,
the main purpose is typically to initiate awareness of audiation as an intonation tool available to each individual singer. • When singers are aware of their capacity for audiation, then this exercise module is useful to strengthen singers’ skills in terms of precise intonation, as practised through specific excerpts from your current repertoire. |
To reinforce audiotory and physical preparation,
with the goal to reach a high degree of singing in tune, and ending the song without having gone flat or sharp. |
A music teacher from Sundsvall, Sweden
|
| Sound & Blend exercises | |||||
| Floor-Roof practice |
A basic method for exploration and
embodied understanding of musical parameters |
Singers make changes of a musical parameter
between minimum and maximum values. |
Whenever you want to direct singers’ attention
to a specific musical parameter. |
Without change, there will be status quo,
which is antithetical to musical progress. Floor Roof practice ensures that singers get to experience what musical change means, in a concrete way, one parameter at a time. Learning by doing. Through exploration of specific musical parameters, singers acquire practical knowledge and musical understanding – one musical parameter after another. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|
| Guide singer practice |
A basic method for rotation of
initiative and support |
One singer is given the role of providing
musical initiative – the Guide singer – while everyone else are assigned the role of providing musical support. The role of Guide singer is rotated between the singers of the choir. Ultimately, all singers will have experienced the task of providing musical initiative. |
A common scenario is to combine
Guide singer practice with Floor-Roof practice. |
Without musical initiative, the music stops.
Someone must take initiative. Without any guidelines or methods for how to take musical initiative, chances are that very few group members will be given this role – which potentially may lead to status quo, lack of progress, and lack of inspiration. Experience has shown that rotated initiative and support has a positive effect on singers’ social skills, as well as on the unfolding of constructive group culture. When support is given by the whole group to the Guide singer, then instantaneous musical phrasing and expression is reinforced, along with the current direction given by the Guide singer. This type of practice provides a starting point for musical co-creation, which is a cornerstone of Play It By Voice pedagogy. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|
| Dynamics (quiet/loud) |
Floor-Roof practice module
|
1. Sing a short song example as quiet as you can,
either a unison melody, or a homophonic arrangement. 2. Then sing the same example as loud as you can. Before singing loud, say: “Pay attention to how it feels in your voice. If it hurts – do something else. If it doesn’t hurt – sing louder.” Say: “the guide singer is always perfect, by definition”. 3. A guide singer makes changes between quiet and loud (“floor” and “roof”) and everyone else copies the expression of the guide singer, in real time. |
When you have issues with dynamics,
blending or intonation. |
This practice makes it impossible not to
pay attention. Singers simply must listen to the guide singer and make changes with their voice. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|
| Voice timbre (dark/bright) |
Floor-Roof practice module
|
1. Sing a short song example with a very bright sound.
2. Then sing the same example with a very dark sound. 3. Then a guide singer makes changes between dark and bright (“floor” and “roof”) and everyone else copies the expression of the guide singer, in real time. |
When you have issues with sound, blend
and voice timbre. |
This is a very effective exercise for achieving
a fantastic blend. With this practice module especially, singers are likely to find themselves “outside of the box” in terms of sound & blend. Chances are that singers’ attention will be targeted on how weird it sounds, and that they won’t notice the extent to which they are adjusting the shape of their voice instruments, which often can be loaded with physical habits and a static self-image in terms of how one shapes one’s sounds. Point is: to change the shape of one’s voice instrument is a necessary skill for attainment of unique group sounds. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|
| Vowel pronunciation |
Blending practice module
|
When you hear that singers are spontaneously
matching their pronunciation of vowels with each other, then point out that they are doing this. And then ask them to match their vowels – on purpose. |
At some point when doing Dynamics,
Voice timbre, or Articulation Floor-Roof exercises. |
To syncronize pronunciation of vowels
is essential for attaining a fantastic blend. Singers must adapt the shape of their voice instruments to achieve this – which typically happens when you do Floor-Roof exercises, especially the Voice timbre or Articulation practice modules. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|
| Expression exercise | |||||
| Real time cloning |
Expression practice module
with a guide singer |
Ask the guide singer to sing with her
natural voice, and ask everyone else to copy and clone the dynamics, voice timbre and vowel pronunciation of the guide singer. |
I recommend that you don’t do this exercise
without first having done a few Floor-Roof exercises, with focus on specific parameters. Why? Because experience has shown that singers may be ready to focus on several musical parameters simultaneously only after having done a few Floor-Roof practice modules in the same rehearsal session. |
This practice module provides a concrete
and spontaneous framework for how to build a unique “library of sounds” for your choir or vocal group, based on the voices, sounds and expressions of the individual singers of your choir. |
The Real Group / Peder Karlsson
|