For thousands of years, cultures across the globe have passed songs on orally to the next generation. This requires much repetition as well as active listening.
However, this is no longer a dominant part of many cultures today. What is the best way to learn a song by ear?
Typically, a song leader will sing a small section of a song. The singers will then repeat it back to them. This is called call and response.
If a song has harmony parts, the song leader will sing each different harmony to the relevant group of singers for them to sing back.
Thus, the song and the harmonies will slowly build up until the whole song has been taught.
Finally, after many repetitions, the song will bed in and the singers will be singing rather than learning.
Here are some useful hints for a singer on how best to learn a song by ear:
-
pay attention when it’s your turn – be
completely focused on the person teaching.
-
listen actively – there’s a big difference
between hearing what is being sung to you and actively listening to the
rhythms, the intervals, and the lyrics. See
Always listen more loudly than you sing
and
Singing is all about listening.
-
be patient – it takes a long time for a song to
really bed in. At first, it might seem like you’ll never get it, but you
will. See
How long does it take to learn a song?
and
Take your time! Being unable to learn songs quickly doesn’t define your
singing talent.
-
ask questions if something’s not clear – if you
find a particular rhythm or an interval between notes difficult, or you’re
not sure when your part goes up or down, ask the song leader to clarify. See
Ask questions – your choir leader (probably) won’t bite!
-
know which part you’re learning – sometimes
singers will start learning whatever if being sung without realising that
it’s not their part. Or they might think they can learn all the parts at
once. Probably best to stick to the one part that you’re supposed to be
learning. You can always learn other parts later.
-
use the time well whilst others are being taught
– you can revise the lyrics, sing your part in your head, double-check that
you’ve got the rhythms right, and so on. See
Learning songs by ear: what should you do while other parts are being
taught?
And here is what not to do:
-
zone out – or chat with your mates. It’s
rude, disrespectful and makes it harder for others to hear their part
while it’s being taught.
-
sing out loud whilst others are being taught –
it might be tempting to sing your harmony against another part being taught,
but it can be off-putting. Do it silently in your head.
-
ask questions too soon – be patient and try
your part several times before you start questioning how it goes. It takes a
little while, but you’ll be surprised how soon everything falls into place.
-
think your part is boring – so you’re not
really trying. Some harmony parts may have few notes or not much of a
melody. But harmony singing is a team game, with every part being important.
Listen carefully to how your part sounds against other parts. Even if you’re
singing lots of the same notes, the feeling of singing them changes
as the chords change around you. It’s a delight!
You might also like:
How to teach (and learn) a song by ear
Chris Rowbury
Get more posts like this delivered straight to your inbox!
Click to subscribe by email.
… found this helpful?
I provide this content free of charge, because I like to be helpful. If you have found it useful, you may like to ...
... to say thank you.