How to Read Choral Music
Understanding how to read choral music is essential to any singer, no matter what genre of music. Essentially all types of choral music are arranged the same way with the exception of the number of lines on each page. Learning how to read choral music is a great way for you to follow along with the music and become a better performer.
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Instructions
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Determine which vocal part you sing. Starting from the lowest voice, your choices are bass (men), tenor (men), alto (women) or soprano (women).
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Locate your vocal part on the choral music. If it is written in two lines of music, the top line is for altos (bottom) and sopranos (top) and the bottom line is for basses (bottom) and tenors (top). If it is written in four lines of music, each vocal part has its own line. Starting at the top, the lines are in the following order: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
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Follow the notes. If the notes are going up, your singing notes will sound higher. If the notes are going down, your singing notes will sound lower. Each note has a different hold value. Hollow notes are longer in value than darker, filled-in notes and should be held longer when singing. Notes with flags are quicker than filled in notes and should be held shorter.
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Follow the words. Words are located either between the two lines (in two-line choral music) or at the bottom of each line (in four-line choral music). You sing the notes with the corresponding words. If there is a line after the word, you will hold those words until the line ends.
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Use your pencil to mark any instructions your conductor gives you. This can include pronunciation, note value, breathing spots or volume. Writing it down will help you remember what you need to do for this song the next time you sing it.
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References
- Photo Credit Singing the blues image by Andrew Brown from Fotolia.com
