Sing the Phrases

The voice is basic to human culture and nearly all music has vocal qualities (excluding some styles of contemporary composition). Often when playing a melody with the fingers on the keyboard we fail to recognize the natural vocal inflections. We become preoccupied with coordinating our fingers and forget what we are doing musically.

A very simple, yet powerful way to overcome this problem is to sing the phrases as you play the piano - imitate what you do with your voice with your fingers. Don't be concerned about the quality of vocal tone production but you will find it worthwhile to sing the phrases on pitch. In order to make the melodies fit your vocal range, some adaptation of the piano music may be necessary. Practice learning the phrases by playing both parts and singing the melody. Next, try playing just the accompaniment (or harmonies) and singing the melody.

This approach will improve your phrasing as you gain insight into the melodic contours and where the melody needs to reach a climax. Your articulation will be better planned as you find the natural places to breathe. You will be surprised how much your memory and understanding of the music will improve when you know the music well enough to be able to sing the phrases.