Hi All,
I'm just getting back into my singing again now, but i'm finding i'm having trouble with octave jumps (G to the G an octave above etc in pieces of music). I feel like the first note is too 'heavy' (for want of a better word) and it makes the second note an octave higher difficult to get. The first note sounds so stable it makes the jump sound odd. (I'm not sure i'm making this too clear ) Do I need to make the first note 'lighter' somehow? This is especially annoying when the piece demands a 'floating'-sounding top note. Any ideas for exercises I can get on with until I manage to get to see my singing teacher?

If it feels to heavy, it probably is!

Any given note is a balance of vocal chord length and depth of closure - if you're trying to use too much depth of closure for the length, then the note may feel heavy or cumbersome and jumps after it will be out of line.

The best way to fix this is with very gentle, whimpery sirening on the sound 'NG'. Say 'sing' in a slightly whimpery voice and a very low volume, then practise gliding up and down an octave. Once you can do that without it cutting out, start to open up on the top to the sound 'ee' (or [i:] if you read phonetics) and gliding back down - make the shift gradual from NG to [i:], only the tongue should move - nothing in the throat should change and make sure the airflow doesn't increase. Once you can do the exercise going up in NG and coming down in [i:], repeat the thing with just the vowel - by then your weight issues will have vanished and you should be easily able to leap around again.

Welcome back to singing!

What about an exercise where you work up to it?
1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8
8 7 8 6 8 5 8 4 8 3 8 2 8 1

You can either do them equal length or lilt it a bit. You could start lower down, say D to D then work your way up. Hopefully that should encourage a more uniform sound over the range.

I would endorse this method. calling it sirening. I use is with all my pupils and it is a regular part of my warm up routine indeed I siren on NG on intervals way in excess of an octave.

It does many things, it sorts out placing, and evens out passagi. Once you are happy doing this, then why not look at some of the Vaccai studies covering larger intervals. Start with the minor 6th and work up to the Octave. Not only are these good exercises, but they are tuneful too.