For choral members, it is very useful to have to capability to sing from sight. A lot of singers are able to do this to a certain extent. But most of the singers get stuck when the jumps get bigger than a third.
If you really want to learn singing from sight, you will have to get a feeling for the different tones of the scale. Each tone has specific associations, and they will help you in hitting the tone.
The root, for instance, is the tone on which most melodies end and it’s the tone that feels most ‘stable’. This is the most important tone of the scale, providing an starting point for sight singing.
The seventh tone of the scale is the leading tone; it is the one just below the root. It is unstable and demands for a resolution going up. The fifth tone has it’s own associations. For example, this is the tone on which O Christmas tree starts. At the same time, it’s the fifth of the triad starting on the root. In bass lines this tone is often alternated with the root. In the same way, associations can be made with all different tones of the scale.
The longer you spend time to get a feeling for the different tones of the scale, the more associations you will have with each of them. If you have practiced long enough, you will be able to hit any tone. And at that point it is of no importance what tone you sang before.
Let’s have a look at an example:
A lot of singers find it hard to hit the last note, because G–C-sharp is a difficult interval. However, if you know that C-sharp is the tone direct under the root, it will get a lot easier to hit it. If you don’t succeed in singing the tone at once, you might briefly sing the D above first and go down a half step from there.
What is a good way to practice the different tones of the scale? You might do exercises like this one:
The tones are numbered 1 to 7. By singing the tones on numbers you will stay conscious of the positions in the scale.
In the exercise above you are repeating the root. Through this, you will learn to relate the tones to the root. If you master the exercise above, you might try the following:
If you don’t succeed in singing the notes at once, you might go through the scale in your mind, until you reach the right note.