As we read and learn new music, there are many chances to roll and sing a first chord before singing through a section. Typically, we roll a triad and then build it from the bottom up: Root-Third-Fifth.
Try these two tips instead:
- Only play the root. If our goals include lovely in-tune choral singing and the ability to understand the music going on around us, finding all notes from the root will assist both.
- Add the third last. Instead of Root-Third-Fifth, add Root-Fifth-Third. If there are multiple fifths or roots, add them all before adding the third. Invariably, it’s easier for the part singing the third to find the sweet spot of intonation, and it’s easier for a perfect fifth to lock without the third in between.