How to Master a New Song: Tips, Techniques & Practice Steps

Choosing the Song

As singers, it's inevitable that we'll have to learn new music at some point, but how do we choose the right song? Of course we could always just pick one and hope for the best, but there are some things we can do to help ensure we choose a song that makes the most sense.

At this point in your journey, hopefully you have some idea of what your range looks like. If so, that's great! That makes finding the right song much easier. If you haven't yet figured out your range, take a look at [RANGE SECTION OF FREE PROGRAM] which you'll find in my free program. Alternatively, feel free to book a trial lesson with me and we can work through the process together.

Picking a Song

One of the first things to consider is the genre you'd like to explore. Try to narrow it down to a maximum of 2, then you might want to choose a song or two from each. So, for example, you might want to learn a pop song, but you might also want to learn a rock song. In this case, you might choose 2 pop songs and 2 rock songs. Learning 4 songs at once seems... A little overwhelming, so now we should try to narrow it down further.

Now that you have 4 songs that fit nicely into your range, one thing you can try is listening to each one and humming along to the melody (don't worry about the lyrics right now). Humming along, even if you don't have it sully learned yet, can help you figure out if the melody suits your voice, and if it feels comfortable. If one stands out in a positive way, then consider learning that one first. If one or more feel uncomfortable or out of your range, that's your sign to put it on the back burner for now.

Learning the Song

Listen.. A lot

Now that you've chosen the song you want to learn first, the next step is an easy one; listen to it. Listen to that song over and over again until the melody feels familiar, until you can start to hear it in your head even when it's not playing.

Learn the Melody

Now that you've listened to the song 10/15/100 times, however many it takes for the melody to feel comfy and familiar, you can start singing the melody on a vowel. I prefer "Ah" or "Oo" but you can try whichever one feels the best for you: "ay-ee-ah-oh-oo"

Learn the Lyrics

Once you have the melody down, you can start moving onto learning the lyrics. Of course, by listening to it as many times as you have, you probably know some of those lyrics already, that's great! But before you move any further, it's important you pull up an accurate version of what those lyrics are, just to make sure you learn the right ones.

Put it All Together

The next (and almost final step) is to put the lyrics with the melody. You can try singing it on your own, or perhaps with a karaoke/instrumental version, if you can find one, or you can continue singing along to the original version.

Add Personality

Keep singing your chosen song until you feel confident in both the melody and the lyrics. Here is when you can start adding your own little twists, trills, and personality. Keep experimenting and find what feels and sounds good. Try recording yourself singing it a few different ways, then assess what sounds the best.

Practice

The second last step of this process is to practice. Sing the song again and again until you feel happy with it, until the whole thing is memorized and you've added your own personal touch to it. Keep singing that song until you know it so well you could fill a whole stadium with it.

The Final Step

The final step of this process is to start over. Choose the next song on your list and start from the beginning. To recap all the steps;

1. Pick a Song

2. Listen to it a Lot

3. Learn the Melody

4. Learn the Lyrics

5. Put it all Together

6. Add Personality

7. Practice

8. Repeat with a New Song

You may find that some of these steps are more effective for you than others. You may even find that some of these steps don't help you at all. If that's the case, feel free to modify the steps so they benefit you the most. Do what works for you!