Songbird
The Singing Game
T H I S W A S M A D E F O R F U N
SONGBIRD was developed based on my own method of learning to sing. There isn't some grand story, it was just a little thing I came up with once upon a time. I was young, probably around 13, when I decided to try to sing the wrong lyrics for a tune I knew well with the notes of a song I was trying to learn. It was difficult!
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And then my graduation from the University of Washington was on the line, and I needed a project. I was goofing around and singing the week before it was due, and I had nothing but this method of learning a song on the top of my mind. That in mind, I don't know if it'll be useful to everyone, but it should be fun for all!
That's the working theory, at least!
To play this game to learn notes, just try singing the lyrics to the song you find in step 5 with the notes of your chosen song!
This is a game for anyone who wants to try to learn to sing, or learn song lyrics so they can sing along.
Step One
Pick a song you like, and try to sing it! Don't worry about hitting everything perfectly, and don't go out of your comfort zone vocally. If you want to push yourself, by all means, but singing should never hurt.
Step Two
Now that you've got the song in your head and mouth a bit, try singing it as monotonically as possible while holding words for as long as they're actually held. Just choose a note and stay with it.
Step Three
Grab yourself a glass of water or tea to try avoid hurting your throat, which can happen if you sing improperly or push yourself too much.
Step Four: Try the song with the notes again, but this one's just for fun and to remind yourself how it goes.
Step Five
Find a different song and try singing the lyrics of the song you want to learn with the notes of the one you just found. It's a fun and challenging exercise!
Step Six
Now try singing the original song again! In theory, you've gotten better with remembering the lyrics!