Whether it’s Barbra Streisand’s goosebump-raising 19-second note in “A Piece of the Sky,” or Bill Withers’ iconic 18-second one in “Lovely Day,” the ability to hold a note requires a singer to ...

In shape-note music, the notes are the same as in conventional music, except that instead of an oval, notes have different shapes — a triangle, circle, square or diamond — which correspond to one of ...