HOW TO LISTEN TO AND SCORE A SONG.....

EFFECTIVE LISTENING AND SCORING OF SONG

Let me quickly share some tips on how tomlisten and score a song with our music lovers......

A. LISTENING TO A SONG

1. ‘’At least 3 times policy”. Never be too quick to dismiss an unfamiliar album or music. Embrace the ‘at least 3 listens policy’ when it comes to music. Allow yourself to sit with new sound for at least 3 listens before you dismiss it. You’ll probably change your mind.

2. Try something new
   It’s no doubt that everyone have their favorite artists and you listen to their music religiously. As an experiment, try something new…often. I’m constantly on the search for new, experimental music. It makes life more interesting and inspires my creativity. Particularly as a music minister, constantly challenge what is comfortable to you. You are on your way to developing when you challenge the music that is comfortable to you and strive to listen to music that is different.

3. Understand the four elements of music
   The way a piece or a song moves us is ultimately what makes music lovers (addicts, really) come back for more. But the more you understand how composers and musicians manipulate the fundamental four elements of music — rhythm, melody, harmony and color.

a. Rhythm
Does the music move quickly, or slowly, or somewhere in between? Can you hear the meter? (That is, can you easily hear the downbeat? Does the music divide neatly into, for example, one-two-three-four-five (You Are Great by Steve crown) or one-two-three (He Reigns by kirk Franklin). Do certain rhythms pop up again and again? Do stresses pop up in unexpected places? Does the composer string together rhythms in interesting ways, or layer different rhythms in different ways on top of each other? And how does a particular performer or group play with a given rhythm.

b. Melody

It is simply a collection of vocal notes repeated in a chorus. A catchy melody, is usually the key to whether or not a song catches on. A catchy melody can be the make-or-break of music — and it's not just a matter of what the most important notes are, but where they go.

c. Harmony
Harmony is the collection of notes played at any one time. How do multiple voices, instruments, and notes come together in one instant to harmonize, or sound great on top of one another.

1. Listening device.
   It is important to stress that every good music minster must endeavor to listen to music with the aid of a quality headphone or listening device. A piece of good music loses its taste when without a quality listening device.

B. HOW TO SCORE A SONG FOR REHEARSAL
For better understanding on how to score a song for choir rehearsals, I will be focusing on the concept called SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass). SATB is used in classical music while SAT is mostly seen in contemporary music.
Soprano Singer sings the highest pitch followed by Alto Singer and then Tenor Singers. The melody of some songs are taken by the soprano singers but that is not to say that the melody can’t be taken by any other part. The choice of who sings the melody depends on the person who writes or arranges the song. The melody of the song is the baseline of the song upon which every other part rests, therefore you can sing the other parts effectively you must first know the melody of the song.

Here are a few basic tips to remember when scoring
SCENARIO ONE…..If the melody of the song is taken by soprano singers
SUPRANO SINGERS: MELODY PART
ALTO SINGERS: ALTO PART
TENOR SINGERS: TENOR PART

SCENARIO 2 If the melody of the song is taken by tenor singers
ALTO SINGERS: MELODY PART
SUPRANO SINGERS: TENOR PART
TENOR SINGERS: ALTO PART

SCENARIO 3: If Tenor sings the melody
TENOR SINGERS: MELODY LINE
ALTO SINGERS: TENOR PART
SOPRANO SINGERS: ALTO PART

Having highlighted the above, to score a song properly, it is important to trace the Soprano singer to know what part they are singing. This can be easily done by locating the highest pitch of the song, try to know whether they are holding the Melody line or otherwise, then apply the scenario above to identify all the parts. Alternatively you can listen to know which of the Voice type is singing the Melody line to get other parts out. After you are sure of the parts, you need to listen to a part one at a time to score thoroughly. The use of a keyboard could help you as identify the difficult notes.