Welcome back! This week, I’d like to share with you my special 5-step process for learning a new song. Whether you are brand new to singing or a very experienced performer — and no matter what genre of music interests you — you can experiment with this.
Step 1: Dance to the music!
Listen to a recording or several different recordings of the song you would like to learn, and dance! Move your body, and let the music inspire you. Find a way to get the music into your body. Listen not just with your thinking brain but with the muscles of your body.
Breathe, stretch, and find the rhythm and shapes of the phrases. While you move, release any tension you may feel: in your neck, your jaw, your shoulders. Stay loose. Don’t sing the text; just move. Let the music enter your being and connect to your heart and soul, away from the thinking brain. Most importantly, have fun. Remember, this is for you! It is not a performance.
When you finish, take a moment and see how you feel. Are you breathing freely? Is your body more relaxed? Did you let go of judgment? Rest up, and do it again. Be as playful as you can be. No one is watching! Each time you do this, notice the intricacies of the rhythm, of the spaces between the sung parts. Stay relaxed, and let your body breathe as you move through the lengths of the phrases.
Step 2: Look at the lyrics while listening to the song.
Next, print out the text, and follow the written words while you listen to the song. Don’t sing yet; just listen. Hear what happens in the music between phrases, when there is a pause in the lyrics. Keep your body relaxed when you are listening. Let the song enter your listening imagination.
Step 3: Write the lyrics.
Now write out the text in your own handwriting. Use lots of paper: keep your writing larger and more open than usual. Take up space on the page. When you finish, look at your handwriting, look at the shape of the words, become aware of the vowels and the consonants.
Step 4: Mouth the words while listening to the music.
Sing the song silently. Hear it in your head, and move your mouth as if you were singing. See if you can feel the words in your mouth. Feel the shapes of the vowels moving over your tongue. Can you allow the back of your tongue to move forward? Can you keep your jaw relaxed? If you notice any tension, can you release it while you mouth the words to the rhythm of the song? Where do you need to take a breath? Can you relax your belly to let your whole torso fill with air, rather than gasp to take air into yourself?
I think it is a wonderful idea to experience the song in your body and in your mouth before you even attempt to sing it. You will want to become aware of your tension habits, either in anticipation of what is to come musically or where your tension may get in the way of your pronunciation of the text. As a bonus, this technique also helps you to memorize the piece, effortlessly.
Step 5: Sing!
Finally, sing the song. What did you learn?
