teaching a choir

[gr8termuzq]

How do you teach different voiceing to a song on the piano? How do you give each group there seperate notes on the piano?

[T-Block]

Pretty much.

It also helps if you (or someone) could demonstrate by actually singing the part first then having the choir echo.

[betnich]

Say "this is the soprano part" then play the soprano part on the piano.

Say "This is the alto part" then play the alto part on the piano.

Etc.

One thing I have learned from watching other choir directors is to teach the words and rhythms to the choir first - just chanting lines like "Trouble don't last always" until they can repeat it back. This helps with memorization. Once that is done, tell the other parts to be quiet while singing, say, the Alto part and having them sing it back to you (while it is being played on the keys).

I say 'quiet' because sometimes some in the other sections will try to sing the part you are working on...

[gr8termuzq]

Okay but how do you find the different parts on the piano? Lets say the song is "We Worship You" by Isreal Houghton in the key of Eb, what notes do I give them each?

[blyempowered]

Okay but how do you find the different parts on the piano? Lets say the song is "We Worship You" by Isreal Houghton in the key of Eb, what notes do I give them each?

Good question.

Let me add a couple of things in this (and I will expound more in a separate thread):

1. I've beginning to believe that singing with the song is one big way of finding out what the notes are. Also, a lot of your choir parts are going to be chords. For example, on we worship you. I'm going to do the song in E (the original key). So you know that the first part is in unison. I'll shift to "we worship you." Like for sopranos it would be B B Ab B (we wor-ship you) C# B A Ab C# B A Ab (hall-le-lu-jah). Now let me do that for the altos. Ab Ab E F# (we wor-ship you) A Ab F# E (hall-le-lu-jah). And technically altos is the melody or what would be sung out of the blue if they were not in harmony. Now tenors. It would be E E B Eb (we wor-ship you) F# E C# B (hall-lel-lu-jah). You should see some chord patterns. EAbB EabB BEAb EbF#B (we wor-ship- you) F#AC# EAbB C#EAb BEAb (hall-le-lu-jah).

2. As I'll say in the thread I'll do later, I've consider myself the Carmelo Anthony of music ministry. I was very good in one area (playing) but not so good in teaching harmony through vocals. Traditionally I've taught parts on the keys and while we got results, since I've started singing the parts I think retention is better and certain things are being stressed that were not stressed because I'm singing (or trying to) the parts.

Try awesome and see what you get. Do it in the original key of E.

Hope this helps a little bit.

[gr8termuzq]

Yes, this is what I'm looking for. What thread will you continue this topic in?

[blyempowered]

Yes, this is what I'm looking for. What thread will you continue this topic in?

Probably in the lounge. May do it tonight or sometime tomorrow. Btw, hope not to insult your intelligence but I was talking earlier about Awesome by Charles Jenkins. I didn't make it clear enough.

[sjonathan02]

Yes, this is what I'm looking for. What thread will you continue this topic in?

So, you know the song's in Eb but can't identify each individual part? 

If that's the case, then you have to take the time to learn each part by listening, as many times as it takes, to each part.


The more you do it, the easier it'll become.  There are ear training programs/websites available...many for free.

[blyempowered]

So, you know the song's in Eb but can't identify each individual part? 

If that's the case, then you have to take the time to learn each part by listening, as many times as it takes, to each part.


The more you do it, the easier it'll become.  There are ear training programs/websites available...many for free.

Absolutely!

[gr8termuzq]

So are you saying if the chord is a Cmjr the tenor part would be C, alto E, and soprano would be G?

[sjonathan02]

So are you saying if the chord is a Cmjr the tenor part would be C, alto E, and soprano would be G?

That's one way to voice it.  It would depend on the inversion used during the song.


It very well could be the Tenors are singing 'E', the Altos are singing, 'G', and the Sopranos are singing 'C'.

[csedwards2]

So are you saying if the chord is a Cmjr the tenor part would be C, alto E, and soprano would be G?

could be....could be not.

You have to really learn the piano part first, and a lot of your choir parts will emulate the piano part, esp for your easier tunes.

[gr8termuzq]

Ok, thank you! This all helps.

[T-Block]

It's pretty much listen for a voice part, follow the voice part all the way through the song, and write down the notes they are singing. Then, get the next voice part and do the same thing. If you figure them out right, you will see that they form chords. Not necessarily the ones the piano is playing, but chords nonetheless.

Usually, Sopranos will be singing the highest voice part, Tenors will be singing the lowest voice part, and Altos are in the middle.

[blyempowered]

It's pretty much listen for a voice part, follow the voice part all the way through the song, and write down the notes they are singing. Then, get the next voice part and do the same thing. If you figure them out right, you will see that they form chords. Not necessarily the ones the piano is playing, but chords nonetheless.

Usually, Sopranos will be singing the highest voice part, Tenors will be singing the lowest voice part, and Altos are in the middle.

This is good!

In my experience, the alto note is the hardest one to 1) figure out and 2) to get (from a choir perspective).

[blyempowered]

And yet the altos make up about 50% of the choir most times, lol.

AMEN!!! I think a lot of people sing alto because it's not too high but not too low for comfort...*sigh* LOL!

[T-Block]

AMEN!!! I think a lot of people sing alto because it's not too high but not too low for comfort...*sigh* LOL!

...and/or because most of their friends are singing it, lol.