3 Ways to Improve Your Musicianship

Musicians Collaborating

As a singer, it can be challenging to find time to improve both your singing technique and your
overall musicianship. The following methods will not only keep your skills sharp but also deepen your general understanding of music.

1. Analyze a Song

By breaking down a piece of music, you gain insights into its structure, harmony, melody, and lyrics. Here’s how you can do it:

Step-by-Step Song Analysis

1. Choose a Song: Start with a piece you’re familiar with. It could be a classical aria, a jazz standard, or a pop song.

2. Listen Actively: Listen to the song multiple times. Focus on different elements each time – melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and form.

3. Study the Lyrics: Analyze the lyrics to understand the story, emotions, and nuances. Pay attention to how the lyrics and melody work together to convey the song’s message.

4. Analyze the Harmony: While it will be hard to determine the actual chord changes of a song without a piano, you can still learn a lot by listening closely to the changes. How often and when do the chords change? How many repeating chord progressions are there (verse, chorus, etc.)? Can you find out how many different chords are played in the entire song? Identify any modulations or key changes.

5. Examine the Melody: Look at how the melody is constructed. Even if you can’t determine what each individual note is, try to notice the intervals, phrasing, and any notable patterns.

6. Identify the Form: Break down the song into its sections (e.g., verse, chorus, bridge). Understanding the form helps in grasping the overall structure and flow of the piece.

Benefits of Song Analysis
  • Enhanced Understanding: Analyzing songs enhances your understanding of musical composition and theory.
  • Improved Interpretation: Recognizing the relationship between lyrics and music helps you deliver a more emotional and convincing performance.
  • Creative Inspiration: Learning how songs work on a deep level can inspire your own creativity.
2. Ear Training

Ear training is crucial for developing a good musical ear, which is essential for any singer. Here are some ways you can give your ears a good workout:

Effective Ear Training Exercises

1. Sing Along: Singing along with any vocal or instrumental part helps you internalize melody, harmony, and musical feel. Try to hear the difference between the pitch you are singing and the pitch you are trying to match, and adjust as necessary. It may be harder to match than you think!

2. Sing After: Listen to a phrase, line, section, or a whole song and then try to sing it back when it is over, preserving as many details as you can. You can record yourself with your phone to see how well you did. Doing this with an entire song will help you internalize the form of the song while focusing on a tiny chunk, like a single phrase or lick, will help you appreciate all the nuances that good vocalists and instrumentalists add to their lines.

3. Drumming: You can modify the above two exercises by focusing on rhythm instead of melody. Clap, snap, tap, or drum along with the song, then try to recreate the beat yourself without listening to it. Again, record yourself to check how you did. Try to match the rhythm of a particular phrase or line, both with and without the music playing at the same time.

4. Download a Piano App: If you do want to do some melodic or harmonic dictation, you can get by with any of the multitude of piano apps available for smartphones. Pick a phrase, line, or section, and try to transcribe it note for note, using the piano app to see whether you are writing the correct notes.

5. Download an Ear Training App: There are many apps such as Earpeggio, SingTrue, or Rhythm Trainer, out there designed to help you recognize intervals, scales, chords, and many more. Try one out!

Benefits of Ear Training
  • Better Intonation: Improves your ability to sing in tune and recognize when you’re out of tune.
  • Improved Sight-Singing: Helps you anticipate the sound of notes and chords before singing them.
  • Enhanced Improvisation: A well-trained ear enables you to improvise more confidently and creatively.
3. Rhythm Practice

Rhythm is a fundamental aspect of music, and practicing it can significantly improve your overall musicality. Here are some ways to practice rhythm:

Rhythm Practice Techniques
  1. Clapping Exercises: Clap along with different rhythms. You can either make up your own or look some up online. Use a metronome to maintain a steady tempo. Start with simple patterns and gradually move to more complex ones.
  2. Tap with Your Body: Use your hands, feet, or a drum pad to tap out rhythms. This physical engagement helps in internalizing different rhythmic patterns.
  3. Subdivision Practice: Practice subdividing beats into smaller units (e.g., eighth notes, triplets, sixteenth notes). This improves your sense of timing and precision.
  4. Use Rhythm Apps: There are various apps designed to help with rhythm practice. These apps offer exercises and games to improve your timing and accuracy.
  5. Count Aloud: Count rhythms aloud while tapping or clapping. This reinforces your understanding of rhythmic values and their placement within the measure.
Benefits of Rhythm Practice
  • Improved Timing: Develops a strong sense of timing and ability to keep a steady beat.
  • Enhanced Coordination: Improves coordination between hands and feet, essential for singing complex rhythms.
  • Greater Musical Expression: A strong rhythmic foundation allows for more expressive and dynamic singing.
Conclusion

Practicing your musicianship skills might seem challenging at first, but these methods provide valuable opportunities to enhance your performance overall. Song analysis deepens your understanding of musical structure, ear training sharpens your auditory skills, and rhythm practice strengthens your sense of timing and coordination. By incorporating these practices into your routine, you’ll continue to grow as a singer with newfound insights and abilities. At Arabella’s Voice Studio, our voice teachers are always happy to provide both tips and tricks for practicing, as well as some practice tools for overall musicianship. Happy practicing!

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