Question, How Do I Get Better at Sight Singing?

“How do I get better at sight singing?” You have a three-part process to mastering sight singing. You need to be able to:

• Recognize the notes
• Sing them in time
• Sing them in tune

J.S. Bach said, “All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself.” Bach’s statement catches the essence of performing music. Much of music reading revolves around singing the right notes at the right time.

Rhythm is the secret to sight reading, but for someone to sing the right rhythm, they must find the right notes.

1. Shape notes can help you identify the notes. First used in church hymns in the late 18th century, shape notes have specially shaped noteheads that represent the solfege syllables. They visually represent each note, making it easy for vocalists to sing the music. For more information on shape note sight singing (using sing-along soundtracks so you can learn how to produce accurate melodies) see:

• • • Shape Note Sight Singing Success

2. Kolday rhythm syllables will help you accurately perform the rhythm. Developed by Zoltán Kodály, the method uses special syllables to work on the music’s timing. Each duration gets its own syllable, making performing music a fun and easy process. To learn how to sing rhythm syllables see:

• • • Singing with the Kodaly Rhythmic Syllables

3. Performing the notes correctly means singing them in tune. Therefore, you need specialized ear training so you can hear what in-tune harmonies should sound like. I have many ear training exercises using sing-along soundtracks that you can use to learn how to harmonize in tune. You can find them here:

• • • The Intonation Flight Simulator

You need all three aspects of sight singing if you want to read effectively.