Mr. Sight Singing - Articles
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Sight Singing - The Missing Skill in Developing Musicianship
Every budding musician is likely to follow a certain process in learning about music. First he will take piano lessons at a young age. Then, in elementary school, he is likely to take up an instrument, violin or trumpet, for example. He will learn what fingerings or keys go with which notes on the printed music, so that he will be able to sight read on his instrument. But if he's involved in choir, chances are that his notes will be demonstrated on the piano, and he'll learn his line that way.
moreIt Doesn't Take A Musician to Learn Sight Singing - 3 Shortcuts to Sight-Singing Skill
Most people would really like it if they had the ability to pick up a sheet of music and know how to sing the notes accurately without hearing them demonstrated first. But we are typically given the impression, usually by musicians, that you must be a musician in order to learn sight singing. They tell us that you need some background in music theory or playing an instrument before you can really understand sight singing.
morePlanning to Major in Music? Get a Jump on the Competition Now
Perhaps you're a high school student who plans to go on to college and major (or minor) in music. Chances are that you play piano, and maybe a wind instrument. Maybe you've also done some song writing or arranging. You think that you're entirely prepared to make the jump to a college music program. But there is one area that you may be overlooking, sight singing. If you're not in the choir, or your school doesn't offer sight-singing instruction, you may be in for a rude awakening.
moreWhy Use Solfege For Sight Singing? - 3 Reasons
When you learn sight singing, it's typical to use different words to represent different musical pitches corresponding to different notes of the scale. Some teachers and students prefer to sing the notes using numbers: 1, 2, 3. Others use solfege syllables: Do, Re, Mi... Which system is preferable? Does it even make any difference. I'd like to show 3 reasons why using solfege syllables is a better method of learning sight singing.
moreWhy Should I Bother to Learn Sight Singing?
Any new skill is going to take some amount of effort to develop. But many times the end result is worth the effort.
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Why Sight Singing Is Easier Than Reading Music
Many people consider sight singing and music reading to be synonyms. But, more specifically, music reading usually refers to being able to play music on an instrument rather than sing it. Of course this requires a certain level of understanding of music theory, so that you know which notes to play.
moreSight-Singing and Ear Training, Two Sides of the Same Musical Coin
Two skills that are needed by aspiring musicians are Sight Singing and Ear Training. But they are really two perspectives on the same skill. You can't master one without the other, and competence that you build in one is directly transferable to the other.
moreSight Singing in Minor Keys
Many people have gained a certain amount of skill in sight singing in major keys. They can recognize the sounds of the various notes of the scale in relation to the tonic. But the challenge comes when they encounter minor songs. The intervals are so different, and the tonic doesn't sound like a tonic. How do you conquer the challenge of sight singing in minor keys?
moreHow Sight Singing Benefits the Church Choir Singer
Millions of people in America (and other countries) sing in church choirs. Most of them are not trained musicians, and most of them do not possess a skill at sight-singing. They learn the music by having the part played on the piano or organ, or having the director sing their part. Imagine how much it would help each individual, as well as the whole choir, if many or all of them learned how to sight-sing!
moreFinding Your Starting Note - A Sight Singer's Guide
For many singers, and maybe for you, the biggest challenge is finding the starting note of a song. If the song is started correctly, everything falls into place. But if not, all kinds of trouble ensues. You can gain confidence that you will start on the right note if you follow these steps and develop the skills that go with them.
moreQuick Ear Training With "How Dry I Am"
Melodic ear training is the skill of listening to a musical line and recognizing the relationship of the notes to the tonal center, the key that the song is in. Does this sound like magic? We're going to cover the core of ear training in the next few minutes. After that, it's just a matter of expanding what you already know.
more5 Things You Didn't Know About Sight Singing
Whether you've been sight singing for years or are a novice in this field, there are a number of things that you probably didn't know about sight-singing. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about this skill, and we will discuss a number of them here. Chances are you'll come away knowing more about this field than you did before.
moreSight Singing for the Instrumentalist
Many teenagers and adults, perhaps including you, have developed a fair amount of skill on a musical instrument. Perhaps they took piano lessons when they were younger, or played in the school band or orchestra. Maybe they even excelled in one of these instruments and played in a top-notch group. But even though they consider themselves to be accomplished musicians, they never learned to sight sing. They can pick up a sheet of complex orchestral music and play it without breaking a sweat, but trying to sing a simple vocal score without help makes them uncomfortable. If this is you, there is good news.
moreBenefits Of Sight Singing For Barbershop Singers
Most barbershop singers think that they don't need to have any skill in sight singing. In a sense, they're right. They can survive without it. But they end up losing a lot of time, a lot of confidence, and learning less accurately than they might.
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