Music Minute Monday: How to do the “Book Call” from Hocus Pocus
It’s now the Monday after the release of Hocus Pocus 2, so by now, we’ve all clearly re-watched the original in preparation, and the highly-anticipated sequel a few times, yes? Even if you’re not caught up yet, fear not! In my best Winifred Saderson voice “This post doth contain-eth nary a spoiler!”
To give you a little recap, fair reader, in the original, when Winnie and her sisters lose their precious book of spells, Winnie calls out to it using a simple, yet iconic “boooooOOOOOOOOOK!” call.
What better use of a voice teacher’s singular minute than to teach the young minds how to do it?!
The concept is simple. An octave jump from one register of the voice to the next.
The execution is also wonderfully simple!
Start at the first note (I was jumping from D4-D5 for reference) in your chest voice. Your chest voice is the most natural part of your voice since it is also the register you speak in. Find the note on the piano and sing an “ooh” on that note. If you prefer a lower or higher note for your comfort, go for it!
Then, by raising your soft palette (the soft part of the top of your mouth towards the back) slide up the scale an octave, keeping the “ooh” vowel. You will probably need to open your mouth more to create more space for the note to resonate.
That’s it!
If you’re not so sure about it, do a slow slide to help you gain confidence in hitting the upper note. Once you gain a certain comfort level, start sliding quicker until you can eventually just change to the higher note.
Your voice is a muscle. Treat it like one! (With patience and practice, it gets stronger!)
Now you’re ready for an epic Halloween season. If you want to see an example in real-time, check out the video below!