How to Practice Sightsinging

Sightsinging is an invaluable skill for vocalists. It will help you read music more easily and learn pieces more quickly so you can focus more time on other facets of your performance. It is more difficult than sightreading for an instrument, however, because you do not have fingerings or other visual cues to help you, but must rely entirely on your ear. If you follow these tips when you practice, you can easily train your eyes and ears to recognize intervals so you can become a better sightsinger.

1. Start with a scale. Practice singing a C scale, up and down, with solfege syllables (do, re, mi, and so on). Using solfege syllables will give you more mental cues to remember intervals so you do not have to rely solely on the sound of each pitch to remember it.

2. Now try skipping around. Start slowly. First sing up to an interval by step and then back down: do, re, mi, re, do. Now skip to that note: do, mi, do. Try this with every note of the scale. If you make a mistake, start over. Moving slowly step by step will help you familiarize yourself with the sound and feel of each note and interval.

3. Find mnemonic devices to help you remember intervals. For example, the opening interval of "Here Comes the Bride" is a fourth, the opening interval of the Superman theme is a fifth, and the opening interval from the song "Maria" from West Side Story is a tritone. If you get stuck, these mnemonic devices will help you find your place and remember difficult intervals.

4. Practice recognizing intervals by sight. For this it helps to have a music theory or sightsinging workbook, or a friend to help you put worksheets together.

5. Practice longer passages. Use solfege syllables, with do fixed on C. Don't worry about always getting the solfege correct, especially when there are accidentals; it is just a guideline to help you keep your focus and remember your basic intervals. Start with short passages, four or five notes long. Pay attention to which intervals give you the most trouble so you can go back and practice them again.

6. Practice at least twice a week. If you don't use your skills, they will get rusty very quickly. Practice on your own, or join a choir that sightsings through some of its music.

Once you feel more confident in your sightsinging abilities, you can try singing through longer pieces on your own. This will be difficult and time-consuming at first, but if you keep it up you will soon be able to read and learn music faster than ever. With good sightsinging skills, you will be on your way to becoming an excellent musician.