Sight-Singing for the Non-Musician HCNW 2014 – Sessions 1 and 6

Taught by Harry Buererhbuerer@spiritone.com

503-380-1551based on material online atwww.SingTheSpots.com

Do you wish that you could sing what's on the sheet music, but don't want to get into a lot of music theory? Then this is the class for you. We skip the things you don't need to know at this point so we can get you singing the right notes in a hurry. We also use very simple rhythms so you can focus on learning what the notes sound like.

What this class is not:This is not an information-only class; it is a skill building class. A lot of group participation will be involved.

This is not a class that focuses on reading rhythms. We use very simple rhythms throughout the class so that we can focus on learning how to sing different pitches. If you want help on rhythms, look for my other class, Reading Music – Getting the Rhythm Right or go online to SingTheSpots.com.

Introduction: Learning Music is like learning a new language. Sight-Singing is like learning to read that language out loud. What are the differences?

The Major Scale and its Pattern

The Home note: Hearing and Seeing it

Imagine the final note of a song.

In a key with multiple flats, the 2nd flat from the right. (no matter the clef)

What should we call the notes of a scale?Numbers are probably most intuitive.

3 Reasons not to use numbers:

Finding “Do” when Singing:When looking at music by yourself...

When singing with an a cappella group...

When singing with accompaniment...

The Basics of Rhythmwhole notes, half notes, quarter notes

measures and time signatures

Singing Ti and DoOne half-step down

Singing Do Re MeWhole-steps apart

(Three Blind Mice, Row3 Your Boat, Mary Had A Little Lamb)

Starting on Non-Do NotesWhich note of the scale do the following songs start on?

For He's A Jolly Good Fellow – Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley GrowYesterday – Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me – O Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – Yankee Doodle – Mary Had A Little Lamb

Singing Sol Below DoSol – Do:

Amazing Grace – Home On The Range (O give me a home)If You're Happy and You Know It – Loch Lomond (By yon bonnie banks)

My Grandfather's Clock – Sailing, SailingThe Farmer In the Dell – You Are My Sunshine

Do – Sol:Born Free – Hallelujah Chorus – Old MacDonald Had a Farm

I've Been Working On the Railroad – O My Darling ClementineFound a Peanut – 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Singing Lyrics

Sol – Mi, A Common BeginningSol – Mi:

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean – My Wild Irish RoseIt Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Mi – Sol:Over There – Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen

Sol Above Do (High 5)Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Songs starting on high 5:Bicycle Built for Two (Daisy, Daisy) – Camptown RacesHe's Got the Whole World (in His Hands) – Kookaburra

London Bridge is Falling Down – This Old ManThis Little Light of Mine – You're A Grand Old Flag

Singing Fa and La

Practice these notes by choosing a note to be Do, and skipping around the scale at random.

Sol La Ti Do Re Mi Fa Sol

The Octave – How it SoundsSol – Sol:

When You Wish Upon a Star – I'm Singin' in the RainBali Hai – Let it Snow

Do – Do:Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

The Octave on PaperThe Rule of 3 ½

Are these octaves?

Finding Do an Octave Away

Finding Do in Sharp Keys

Singing Do to Do Melodies

Practicing Big Intervals

Finding Do with One FlatThe last flat in the key signature is Fa.

Or you can memorize that with one flat, Do is F.

Key of C – No Sharps or Flats

Accidentals – Two FunctionsRaising a scale note by a half-step

Lowering a scale note by a half-step

Five different accidentals

What is the function of the following accidentals?

Raising Accidentals and The “Dip”

Naming accidentals – Raising accidentals

Naturals and Double-Sharps as Raising Accidentals

Unfinished Dips

Lowering Accidentals and Chromatic Moves

Naming Accidentals – Lowering Accidentals

Naturals and Double-Flats as Lowering

Canceling AccidentalsThe effect of an accidental lasts until the end of the measure.

If the composer does not wish for the note to stay altered, he can cancel it with another accidental.

Sometimes the notator will remind you that an accidental is no longer in force by using a “courtesy” accidental.

Enharmonic EquivalentsEvery note on the piano can have multiple names.

Sometimes composers and arrangers work at the piano and simply choose one of the names for their selected note, whether it's the correct name or not.

Many more examples of singing accidentals can be found onlineat www.SingTheSpots.com

including approaches by ascending and descending whole-steps, various sizes of thirds, tritones, and larger chromatic intervals.

Singing in Minor KeysTwo ways to think of Minor:

Parallel Minor

or Relative Minor, beginning on La of the major scale.

Modulations (Changes of Key)It's common for a song to change to a key that's a half-step higher.

Other key changesDetermine the dual funtion of the note before the key change.