Karaoke Forums

I am curious what approach you may have when you are learning a new song from scratch. Im working on a new song and am having difficulty learning it so I was wondering if anyone can offer any suggestions.

I don't know if this will help or not, but this is what I do. I down load the original song on the pc and print the lyrics out. Then I open it in a music program that let's me stop and start the song easily where needed. I have more trouble learning timing than anything, especially on blues songs. I basically sing with the original until I feel comfortable enough to try it on my own. A lot of start and stopping especially on the tricky parts.

I know some people can hear a song on the radio a few times and know it well enough to sing it at karaoke. Not me, I'm not that lucky.

I know my advice is pretty basic - I'm hoping I helped a little

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Just listen to it.

I do the samee thing Babs does Sing with the original until I feel comfortabel trying it on ,my own I WISH I could just listen to a song & automatically know how to sing it after that ! Pfft !! That aint happenin !! !

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]

To learn a song I listen to it over and over and sing along until I am sure I have it...And then it messes me up when I sing it on Karaoke for the first time cause they always change a few of the words.....

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Most of the discs I buy have a vocal version (multiplex) so I learn the song from listening to the vocal version.  On the others, if it's a song released in the last ten years or so someone has usually posted the music video for it on Youtube so I can listen to that.  In that case I usually find the lyrics online and print them out so I can follow along as I'm listening.

When I feel like I basically know the song I'll sing along to the vocal version, so if I don't have it *quite* right I can just shut up and hear what it's supposed to sound like when I'm not sure.  When I get confident enough I switch over to the non-vocal version to make sure I know the melody well enough to sing without any help.

By that point I can usually tell if I can do it well enough to sing it in public.  On a few occasions I have been proven disastrously wrong.

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Reward: nine yen in drawer.

First I get a recording of the song, and I download the lyrics online and print them out on paper.

I listen to the song over and over until I can sing a long a bit while looking at the words. I make little marks on the paper over the words to remind me when the tune goes up, down, is held longer, etc. I also mark where the phrases are so I know to breathe there, or any places where I notice it gets much softer or louder.  I start singing with it over and over until I feel it is at the place where I am confident that I know the song.  

Then if I have it on karaoke, I sing a long with it a few times and then try recordin git to see how it sounds.  Listening to myself sing with it gives me ideas about how to improve, then I work on it some more. I do that until it is "perfect" (or at least as near as I can before I'm sick of it).  Sometimes I will go away for a few days or weeks and then come back to it to get a fresh perspective.

I record it on my karoake machine, onto tape. Then I will record it from there to my PC and add more echo and other effects.

Then I will upload it here or I will put it on my ipod.  Then I will try it in "live" karaoke.  Sometimes I will try a song in karaoke that I have known for years and feel pretty comfortable with, even though I have not gone through this whole process...but I have to be pretty confident about it to do that.

Hope that helps!

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~Suzanne Lanoue~

Use the personal karaoke player if I have the new song, if the KJ has the new song, Ill find the lyrics and hear a downloaded version on it.

I learn songs about the same way Suzanne mentioned.  I have my own special "shorthand" that I write on lyrics sheets.  For example if a word is broken up into three notes I underline to word __ __ __  or if the note goes up or down in pitch I'll use arrows.   If the word is loud, I underline it a few times or write over the word to make it bold.  

I also use muliplex versions to learn songs.  On some songs I sing I've never heard the original and only used the mulitplex version to learn it.

For CDG's without multiplex versions, I often borrow original CD's out of the library.  What I do is take the original put it in my CD player and put the karaoke CDG version in the karaoke player.  Then I synch both of them together with the sound coming from the original but only the lyrics of the CDG showing on my TV.  Sometimes I have to pause one or the other quickly to get them back in synch.  This has always been a great way to learn tthe song and also find mistakes  on the CDG's lyrics.

For me, it depends on the song. For the most part, I can hear a song once or twice on the radio and sing it almost immediately. I usually download the original song and lyrics, then just keep listening and listening until I get it down.  Best of luck to you. - Tonya

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Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Psalm 100:1

Another way I learn is to play it on the piano.  Most of the songs I sing I've played on the piano before.  I'm curious if any other singers here play an instrument as well.  I know of several that do but have not run into any pianists.  My next project is to make a recording accompanying myself if I ever get around to buying that extension cable for the mic!

Good question Michael...personally, I play guitar, bass, and drums....I also have experience with keyboard and saxophone.....when it comes to singing and playing an instrument simultaneously, I feel most comfortable/natural with the bass guitar....having knowledge in so many instruments isn't always a good thing tho...many times when I hear a new song on the radio, I tend to piece out and listen to each individual instrument instead of listening to the collaborative blend of instruments which makes up the true song (does that make sense, )....of course that goes away after hearing the song a few times

I usually listen over and over... then sing through with the original at least a few times. Then I throw myself in and hope for the best . I have been known to learn songs after 3 listens to the original, it depends how fast the melody sinks into me.

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Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure. (I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear.)

I usually will download a song to learn it if I don't already have it but most of the time I just wing it the first time.  Sometimes it works out well, sometimes not so much.  I'm pretty good at bluffing my way through a song I don't know now.  As long as I stay on key and follow the music I'm usually ok.  Of course this does not work if the words are off.

I used to listen to a cd of the songs I want to learn to sing in the car but my car doesn't have a cd player right now.  But I got an mp3 player and have found it to be an awsome tool to learn new songs or refresh on old ones.

Gingers

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[scroll] Deep thoughts lead to head pain, so do yourself a favor and give up now! [/scroll]