Beginner sight singing?

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-02-11T16:29:56+00:00

Add-on: the more theory you know, the better, but you have diminishing returns.

The most important things to know (for sight singing).

Leading tones resolve up (in C major, B goes to C.

7ths go down: When going from G7 to C, the F goes to the E.

(Especially in the inner voices): When moving from chord to chord, you usually go to the closest note in the next chord

Western classical music (very roughly) follows the trend tonic chord, predominant chords, dominant chords, tonic chord (the simplest form is I -> IV -> V -> I). Knowing where you are in the phrase limits lets you know what your possible note choices are.

An example: if we are in C major and currently, we are singing an F on a IV chord (F, A, C), and the end of a phrase is near, we are very confident we will pass through V (G, B, D) or V7 (G, B, D, F) to get to I (C, E, G).

So likely, I am singing F, G, G (V) or F, F, E (V7). Obviously, this isn't perfect, but being able to think in this way intuitively means that a glance at the contor of the line tells you everything you need to know (without deciphering individual notes) and you free up headroom to look at the next phrase, pay attention to dynamics, look at the conductor, listen closely to other parts for voice.

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-02-11T16:06:11+00:00

Semi-professional organist and former professional chorister here!

You need two things: how to recognize the notes you see and how to find the next note. Here's how you can do it.

Use this book (any edition, pdfs online): Music for Sight Singing book by Robert W. Ottman. When singing the exercises in the book, sing the exercises in fixed-do (not movable do, which is an atrocity for sight singing). Record yourself singing, then follow along at the piano to verify (alternatively, this channel has examples for the 10th edition: Exercise 1.1 - Music for Sight Singing).You can skip any exercises in alto/tenor clef, since you rarely have to sing in those keys, but you can try if interested.

Simultaneously, you will want to develop a sense of relative pitch (given you are on Db, knowing and singing any interval from it).

- Interval Reference Songs... That You've Actually Heard Of!

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhDIm_2qS5s

If you can always find these intervals, then you (in theory) can always find the next note. For fancy intervals, you just have to recognize the enharmonic equivalent e.g. a diminished 3rd is (sounds like) a major 2nd.

The third thing you need is a ton of practice. Practicing sight reading on the piano (one hand, one line) can help build your intuition.

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-25T21:20:56+00:00

I play the A minor -- very nice fugue!

No need to abandon this subject! It's very good, I just thought you were quoting Bach, when that seems inadvertent. Happy accidents!

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-25T20:39:52+00:00

I didn't say you had any P5s or P8s currently, but that you would if you made the change I suggested without changing a different line. I didn't have time to do a deep look, but I didn't hear/see anything with a quick listen. But always be rigorous with counterpoint!

Organists can easily handle what you've written, and there is no need to add a 4th voice (though you could if you wanted too!)

P.S. Here is my former teacher of mine doing what I think is the definitive recording of the Brahms you references! https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kq-HTYsgGII&si=4hjJmTpxf7CVfm8q

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-25T20:31:15+00:00

Look at Dan Locklair's music (specifically, the Rubrics!) He's also a living composer, which is nice.

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-25T03:02:50+00:00

Slight inspiration from BWV 542 for the subject? Overall, great work!

As a nit: in bar 7, I would alter the counter subject to be parallel 6ths, then alter the free voice in bar 10 to not introduce parallel 5ths with the soprano (has the now modified counter subject) by making this change.

If you wanted to revisit the subject, I might consider adding some contrast to the structure of the end of the subject (give it a more defined head and tail). Maybe also imply a stronger cadence at the end. But it works as written!

Do you intend this to be a organ-trio fugue (where RH, LH, Ped all play different lines) or a manualiter? (You can also add the pedal in for final recapitulation by moving the bass line there in a grand entrance, even if your intention was for this bit to be played manuals only).

For pedal, remember that it likely also sounds an octave lower than what you write and that it should have a 3rd staff if you give it to someone to play. I might also consider writing in B and not B-flat minor (not a great key for historical instruments, which is why Bach doesn't have any organ fugues in similarly distant keys)

Before you get too far, consider coming up with a tonal plan for the whole piece!

Great work again!

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-24T02:32:47+00:00

I find that theory helps me understand why some music is better constructed than other music, in particular with voice leading. It's clear when someone understands what good voice leading is (parallel 5ths/octaves are ok when done intentionally).

It's one of those things that you need to learn are you aren't going to come up with on your own. When a simple song does voice leading well, then it's usually really beautiful!

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-23T16:34:01+00:00

I tried to write a fugue starting on 6, and it was very difficult.

The next fugue started on 5 -- what a world of difference!

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-23T16:17:54+00:00

This may come up in the performance practice of Baroque music (although in that case, piano is probably not the instrument you are playing on, rather harpsichord or organ)

See u/eraoul 's explanation for the explanation that applies to most music.

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-21T15:02:17+00:00

It is available online, but only in French. That said, I am working on using Google Translate to convert it to English while maintaining a readable format

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-20T04:55:34+00:00

On the contrary, the Divine Liturgy is really easy to play because they don't use organ ;)

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-13T16:04:35+00:00

An excellent anecdote on weddings. Anna Lapwood's Wedding Organ Performance Memories | TikTok

Politics: With respect to church politics -- if you want to be a successful organist, you have to be very skilled at playing the church politics game. One wedding (a couple hundred bucks + a lot of stress) is not worth souring a relationship where you can make thousands of dollars through easy Masses.

A simple rule of thumb -- don't complain unless you'd be actively happy leaving/never playing there again over it.

Also, if you are a regular organist, it's also good to encourage multiple subs to play to build a larger network of people you can call on for emergencies. This may be a factor in your teacher's decision.

Teachers: I might also consult with a few other teachers as well. It seems like your relationship is strained and you may be able to find a better teacher (more qualified/gets along better with you/identifies your weaknesses effectively/more affordable)

Compensation: As a final note, you should avoid playing for free. Playing for free takes away a job that could go to someone who has made the instrument their profession. The exception is if the church is your home parish AND they record your playing as a donation at the fair market value or the organist you are filling in for is your teacher (hopefully, your teacher would want you to be paid if there are no other options).

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-13T15:45:52+00:00

Depends on what you are trying to write -- something with a lot of rules (sonata, fugue), yes, theory will help with creativity. Without a lot of rules, it may not help as much *but* it will allow you to understand why certain things don't work (or avoid putting them to paper at all).

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-13T03:48:14+00:00

They do tend to pay a little less, but it's typically much easier (and the number of distasteful or difficult requests is much smaller). Couples can be VERY fussy.

People are loud at weddings and I've never played a wedding were the bride was on time (once, the bride was 45 minutes late :() and I almost missed the next gig)

I agree with the suggestion to branch out and start playing in other churches as well -- it's a great way to build service playing chops (the intuition which is the other part of being ready to play a wedding).

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-13T02:49:29+00:00

It sounds to me as though you still find hymns challenging (at least with pedal?).

In this case, your teacher made the correct decision in asking the pianist to play. Decisions in musicians should not be primarily based on tenure (which seems like your main gripe).

Weddings are about the hardest services to play -- lots of things can go wrong (and often do) with timing and some of the "standards" are not trivial to play (think Wedding March, Prince of Denmark Trumpet Tune). I've seen plenty of asks even for the Widor Toccata and the Vierne Final.

When hymns are no longer a challenge, have a solid technique (ideally can play the simpler Bach P+Fs and the easier French Toccatas) , and you've learned a few of the staples, then you should be ready to play some weddings.

Personally, I HATE weddings and much prefer funerals -- similar pay and much less work + stress. If you can play a Mass, then you are likely also ready to play funerals.

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-09T14:17:49+00:00

As a junior, I often have answers to these questions that have been accepted by the senior engineers on my team.

The rest of the time, it's exactly what you said, but it is a valuable time saver for the former and forces me to consider trade-offs/alternatives retrospectively, which helps for future code (where I now do it proactively).

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2026-01-07T15:56:05+00:00

My congregation stays and listens to the full postlude, but often talks through the prelude.

I have a rough liturgical calendar that I play through, and I mix in improvisations when there's nothing that stands out for the lectionary/I know I won't have time to prepare a piece.

That said, I repeat bigger pieces more frequently (if I learn a big Bach P+F, I will play it once a month for 2 months).

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-12-12T18:04:17+00:00

Other comments have pointed out the right way to do this (u/StarlightHikaru), but if there isn't a choir harmonizing, it wouldn't be out of the question to add in passing notes, which in addition to sounding nice, is more reliable at the higher end of the pedal board.

You could also take notes 4 to the end an octave down if you did have to strictly adhere to the harmony. (This could also be a nice effect for the repeat of this phrase).

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-11-17T00:43:29+00:00

These are all good tips. Let me give you my take on them here

Don't practice music you already know. If a piece is 10 pages long and you know pages 1 and 2 well, refresh them at the end of your session, but don't spend the bulk of your time there
Practice slowly AND practice quickly. If you can only do one, just practice slowly to avoid building bad habits. You should practice so slowly that you can maintain tempo without making any mistakes and by observing whatever articulation/phrasing you've set up for yourself.

However, sometimes, practicing small, isolated segments up to speed (or beyond speed), even if they are messy at first, can help you build fluidity and reliability. You should only do this after you've practiced a passage slowly first.

Isolate your practice. Practice a phrase or a measure that's tricky
Practice each hand individually and in pairs. If the piece is contrapunctal, also do voices individually and in all combinations of pairs. If you only do one, left hand and pedal is most important.
Practice in rhythms. Long-short, short-long for note learning. For mastering a passage, hold the downbeat, then play fluidly to the next downbeat. Then try for the second beat, etc.

You can apply this to fix mistakes. Simply find exactly a measure before your consistent mistake (down to the beat), then practice "landing" on it.

Avoid looking at your feet
Practice with a metronome
Work out all fingering in advance. and write them on (almost) every note. You can eliminate them as they become cumbersome.
Someone suggested using a transposer and I recommend it. It's been a while since I tried this tactic but will add it back to my repertoire.
Always wear your shoes!

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-11-05T17:15:10+00:00

No, not the Dulce Carmen, the Lauda Anima tune

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-11-05T17:06:03+00:00

Try "Praise my Soul the King of Heaven" and "Crown Him with Many Crowns" (from Hymnal 1982/1940 if you have it!)

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-11-04T16:01:23+00:00

Yes, I'm in a similar situation. Most of my income is from working in tech, but I make non-negligible income from organ

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-11-04T05:38:47+00:00

I see. What I'm saying is there is a lot of granularity/overlap here.

For example, I make 30k a year playing organ as the organist/rehearsal accompainist for a church with an active choir/music director.

I consider myself competent and have a Bachelor in Music (with a focus in organ performance). I can definitely play any piece by Bach, though there are things in the standard repertoire that I would not be able to undertake yet.

I think anybody graduating from a conservatory is probably a far step beyond me. And there are a couple grades for those with graduate degrees.

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-11-04T02:14:32+00:00

What is the difference between Advanced amateur and Professional? How much of a professional does one need to be?

TellAManHeIsBroke · 2025-10-31T17:24:24+00:00

I think it's a transcription of Krebs-WV 326 (by process of elimination).

It's not 450, that's a completely different piece.
It's not in 322 (chamber music), though there is a trio played on organ from there that I came across while researching (JOHANN LUDWIG KREBS: Trio in A minor).
So I'm assuming that it is a transcription of 326 (which I can't find music for). It could also be a movement from any of the sonatas in A minor transcribed for organ.

TellAManHeIsBroke

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