Fresh Tips On Sight Reading Music For Singers

By Jose Morris


An impressive choir member is one who can pick a musical piece and begin to sing immediately. This is a fete that requires dedication, extensive practice and a lot of effort. Unfortunately, many are unable to achieve this because they lack professional input. Here are expert tips that will make sight reading music for singers effortless. Mastering the tricks will make you a jewel in whichever choir you join.

You need to think of three elements as you read your piece. There is rhythm, pitches and words. The advantage for a singer is that you only have to concentrate on one line. For an instrumentalist like pianist, you have to read all staves. The only complication for a singer is if the language is foreign.

Concentration is among the most important elements when singing. This applies even to the most experienced performers and members of the choir. While it might sound obvious and thus unimportant, this is what will enable you to be accurately and deliver the piece with ease. A singer is likely to be scanning the audience for people you know or being mesmerized by the action. Any loss of concentration will cause you to miss your notes.

Widen the chunk of music you will be reading. A strong singer or performer is confident and does not struggle with rhythms or pace. For others, it is a visible struggle that builds up to tension as they tap into every rhythm. The secret is to read a large chunk other than focus on a single note or bar at a time. Focusing on more bars fills up your mind and allows you to focus on other elements like rhythm and words.

Learn to recognize rhythms at a glance. The number of rhythms you encounter in music is very small, even when playing at the highest level. Free your mind early by identifying the rhythm at the beginning to give you a general idea of how the melody will develop. You will need to increase your encounter with musical pieces in order to be familiar with rhythms.

Train your mind to read ahead other than the notes you are currently playing. There are instances where you will encounter accidentals, stranger rhythms, fingering, etc, elements that are likely to throw you off balance. You have no time to stop and internalize before singing or playing. This will affect the flow of your melody.

Avoid being grounded by simple mistakes. If you are singing in a choir or group, the others will leave you behind as you attempt to correct it. Skip the section and catch up as fast as possible. Focusing too much on the mistake will only slow you down and give you an unnecessary guilty feeling. Even the maestros you know sometime make these mistakes.

Sight reading is tough and thus requires a great deal of practice. If you have the time, review the piece before hand, taking note of the tempo, rhythm, time signature, etc. When it is time to perform, concentrate and take it easy. In case of a mistake, skip and catch up with the others as fast as possible.




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