Thank you to all of those who sing and bring the beauty of voice and melody to our jams. Singing familiar songs is not as simple as following the radio or reading lyrics on a page. Keep these fundamental tips in mind when learning to sing tunes for our beginner-friendly Wednesday and Saturday jams:
A. Follow charts while listening to the recording: Even if you don’t play an instrument, listen to a song while following a song chart to see how we’ll jam a song with you. To see the current library of song charts in the bSteele Music App, click here: http://www.bsteele.com/bsteeleMusicApp/index.html#/
B. Learn basic timing of melody: Learn how the melody follows the rhythm of the song. Tap it out! There may be ‘pickup notes’ that precede the first downbeat often include lyrics. Learn what word lands on the downbeat of each section.
C. Recognize syncopation: Many songs feature syncopated sections where the singer does not follow the typical accented parts of the song. For instance, singing might start on the second beat of a measure in a section. “Zombie” by The Cranberries is an example of necessary syncopation that defines the song.
D. Learn basic pitch/notes of a melody: Notice where notes of a melody go up or down and may even change octaves and keys. Listen to the instrumental sections of songs, humming along with the riffs. Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles is an example of a song that requires singing a lot of precise notes in the verses.
For more sophisticated jam experiences that often happen Mondays and Thursdays, singers should become more familiar with how they can contribute to a song through their vocal timbre, singing dynamics, and overall singing expression.