Expert: Donald - 8/13/2009

Question
I've had a lot of musical training (voice and organ), but have never learned to sightsing. I would like to learn it with some sort of self-study, but can't figure out what would be the best approach.

I have a really good musical memory, and this sometimes seems to interfere with my ability to learn some skills. I worked for a couple of weeks out of an ear training/sight singing book and did over 200 exercises based on numbered scale steps, and even though I changed the key frequently when I practiced them, I still memorized all of the exercises in each key I sang them in. I don't know if this will make sense, but I ended up losing my ability to focus on the tonic and on the intervals because each exercise stuck with me like a little melody. I picked up the book again today after four months, and I could still sing all of the exercises from memory, but don't feel that I have any greater sense of relative pitch.

I obviously don't have absolute/perfect pitch, but I only have to sing a piece once or twice to memorize it and I always memorize pieces in the correct key - and can still sing them from memory in the right key without any reference pitch even many years later.  (actually, this is also true of music I listen to and pieces I play on the organ. I can usually - not always - name the key, but I can always sing the tonic note.)

I have read that absolute pitch cannot be learned in adulthood, but at this point it almost seems to me like it would be easier to attempt to learn absolute pitch. About six months ago, I worked for a week on an online "perfect pitch" course. I did well at identify individual pitches (up to four different pitches), but I got stuck on having to identify pitches in chords. Today I went back to that site and I was able to identify the four single pitches with 100% accuracy - even after six months, but still failed at the chords.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!!

Answer
Hi Mary,

You are obviously a very gifted musician! Congratulations on your great pitch recognition. This is a very good thing, and many people wish that they had this ability...

Sight singing is a wonderful skill that can be developed. It should be approached gradually and thoroughly. I prefer that solfege methodology (do-re-mi; as in "The Sound of Music"). It teaches people to hear intervals effectively (the space between two notes.) When you recognize intervals, it is easier to sight read new pieces of music. Check this method out on the internet and see if any site connects with where you are as a musician.

You are on the right track! Good luck as you pursue your musical skills...

Best regards,

Donald