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image credit: Helen Austin’s Blog |
Some singers who do not understand what it means to score a song thinks it mean listen to the song and learn the lyrics. No no no.
Firstly Scoring a song greatly depends on your level in music, listening fast and technicality of the song.
You don’t score a song anyhow; it needs ATTENTION and CONCENTRATION.
For the fact that you are enjoying the song and singing along does not mean you have scored it. Now the Big Question is:
(1) WHAT IS SCORING OF A SONG?
(2) HOW CAN I SCORE A SONG?
If you can answer the first question, then you have 70% idea on how to answer the second.
SCORING A SONG
It is the tenacity and ability of literally knowing how a song was written, structured, and recorded. You inversely become the owner and producer of that song. This means that, you have to know the lyrics, the harmony, melody, rhythm etc. (I will break it down, relax)
How To Score a song
The HOW-TO of Scoring a song entails the above and what am about to write now.
1. JUST LISTEN:
Get your phone or mp3 player listen to the song, enjoy the melody. Don’t start learning it. Feel the weight and sweetness of the song. You can do this once or twice.
2. KNOW THE STRUCTURE OF THE SONG:
Know how it started either from the intro to the chorus, from chorus to verse or vice versa. This will help you achieve alot at the long run. This is the first stage of scoring a song.
3. WRITE THE LYRICS:
Getting the lyrics down on a notebook will help you when learning the lyrics. I want to warn you. Write down the song by yourself, I don’t advice you to go to internet and copy and paste. It is good to check it online, but listen to it if it tallies to what you are hearing, abeg o. You maybe hearing VISION and seeing MISSION online. Be careful about that.
4. LEARN ALL VOCAL PARTS, BREAKS E.T.C.:
This is where I sometime begin to have problem with my choir. Some will be saying I’m an alto singer so l scored only d alto part Ahhh. My dear you are a SINGER NOT ALTO SINGER. Learn all the parts. Beside Singers should know how to swap parts. Know when each part comes in, when the sing MELODIOUSLY OR HARMONIOUSLY.
5. BE THE LEAD SINGER AND THE BACK UP SINGERS:
Try as much as possible to handle the lead vocal part and the back up. This helps you to correct others even the lead singer when he or she flops. Learn everything both d ad-libs. Everything, Everything.
6. LEARN THE INSTRUMENTATION SOUND:
Don’t say you don’t know how to play, my dear learn the sound oo. The keyboardist may not get d melody or solo part. You will tell him, see! It’s not like that play pi ni ra ra ni. (Lol). Knowing the sound arrangement will help you when singing.
7. SING ALONG:
You sing alongside with the music even if you have not or have perfected the song. Try to sing the same thing you hear in the song. I know voice texture differs but try do it with your own voice texture. You might be scoring Tamela Mann Song while your voice texture is like Don Jazzy or Eben. Do it. But don’t go off.
8. TRY TO SING WITHOUT LISTENING OR PLAYING THE SONG:
This where you know whether you have been joking since you started scoring. Most of us tend to sing well with musical instrument but remove the beat, They sound Wack. My dear, sing the song without playing it. Where you make mistake play the song and correct yourself.
9. OWN THE SONG:
I stated earlier that scoring a song means you are now the owner, music producer singer etc. If you can make the song yours. Then you can take it to any level.
With these Few tips, you can score a song without any difficulty.
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Thank you so much for this.
Thank you
Thanks for the tips.
Awesome piece… Very helpful. Thanks a lot.
So helpful
Wow! So helpful
Thank you for the amazing teaching and it has changed my mindset about scoring a song. Now I know better. God bless you good.
Thank you
Lovely!
It’s really helpful, thank you.
Omo you try o jare I like as you analyse it I just joined a choir and I have no idea of all these things you just helped me out um can You give me tips on how to pitch up