Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Does anyone here sing and play at the same time?

Does anyone here sing and play at the same time? I find that singing together with playing(especially new pieces) helps you to play the note and forces you to react faster which really seems to help me a lot, do you think this is allowed during sight reading in exams?

When im playing at the same time singing the piece i cant feel the piece

I find, when I'm working on a piece, singing outloud the melody helps me bring it out when I'm playing.

Sometimes it helps me to articulate the melody.

I practice without singing.

My teacher suggested I sing one part of a fugue while I play the other two. It was like patting my head and rubbing my tummy at the same time - really awkward.

All the time. When I have a student who plays a piece mechanically, in a non-musical way, having them vocalize by singing or humming it always changes that to music. And it keeps the time like counting, only more interestingly. It works like magic, in my experience.

I like to sing one of the voices when learning polyphonic music.
I find that I then also have the tendency to sit extra low on my bench and make curmudgeonly remarks to those around me.

Glenn Gould, he is not here though...

I do it at times, only while practicing

my 10 year old daughter does a bit of sing and play together (self learned). On classical style, she is in grade 6 (ABRSM) level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzqrojFMWP4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruEyhLqt_Us

I can't even walk and chew gum at the same time. I guess that's why I never chew gum!

nope....i've tried, and the singing always ends up distracting me and my playing becomes sloppy. I'm not much for focusing away from the piano, but at the piano, no distractions for me!

Singing one thing while playing another is one of the first things I teach beginners. All my beginner pieces are written to be sung. Seems to help avoid some problems later. The voice is a very very useful tool in teaching - I teach spoken rhythm as well.

Not sure if you would be "allowed" to sing during your SR in an exam. I do at home and in my lessons - when I can't find a note I sing it

I love chewing gum, but anyhow...

I don't sing when I'm playing 'classical music' works, but I surely sing when I play songs and the such... I also do that in front of other people and I'm not ashamed to admit that they seem to like it, if they've had too much alcohol before!

I sing and play at the same time when I play around with things like Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, and other "rock" music.

I do not sing when playing Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, etc.

And I'm not sure you can seriously call what I do singing.

No. My first love is Chopin... and since I'm not a soprano I could never hope to sing most of his melodies. However, I do imagine in my "mind's ear" that the melody is being sung as I play.

Clayton -

I sometimes sing while accompanying myself in Schubert Lieder - though only possible if there aren't too many notes in either part. Multitasking is for the female population.....

I do it with pop song covers...

Not at the same time, but it really helps if you go away from the piano (or just don't play at the moment) and sing phrases and such. Very helpful!

I accompany (did accompany) .. and always sing along.

i also sing a long to Bach (mostly) or whomever.. whatever voice I'd like to hear or focus on..

(of course never in public or when anyone listens).