Why String Players Should Learn to Sing

Some have said that the violin is the closest instrument to the human voice. That is a matter of debate, but I don't get involved in those arguments. One thing that I think is true is that string players should learn to sing. Singing carries many benefits that go beyond improving a string player's playing.

The up bow and down bow reflect inhaling and exhaling respectively. The difference between playing strings and singing is that the bow continues making sound in spite of a change in direction, but a singer only makes sound on the exhalation. Because of this, a singer is forced to plan out musical phrases--starts, stops, high points, low points. Singers have the further difficulty that human lungs are not that big, so one cannot blow too much air at once. Compensating with more breaths makes hyperventilation a real possibility. Too many string players don't plan their bow use, because they can still sound OK despite bad bow allocation. Just like a singer running out of air, a string player running out of bow (in either direction) gets a constricted, gritty sound that sounds suffocated.

Singers must also consider how much time they have for a breath. If you need a complete lungfull for phrase #2 and you don't have enough time right before to tank up completely, you'd better not blow all your air on phrase #1. String players are wise to consider how much bow they need to use, and where their destination is for the next stroke. If you need a long down bow (or exhalation), you should find a good way within the musical phrase to get to the frog, instead of making a fast and frantic up bow (or inhalation) that sounds like a hiccup.

Singing introduces the bonus of words and sentences to music. While singing, the musician must connect these words into understandable words and comprehensible sentences. That requires connection between all the syllables, and also proper inflection. String players too often treat their music as a shooting gallery of notes, just hitting one target after the next with no connection between them.

If you sing this way, you will definitely sound like a robot with no inflection and no feeling. String players can be remarkably bad at playing through each note and connecting it to the next in a well-shaped phrase. I am not asserting that everything should played in a gooey legato. Even detached notes can have direction that cannot be achieved by "shooting gallery" playing. Ask yourself whether each note is leading towards a high point in the phrase, or going to a low point.

Many people (myself included) get their singing start in a choir. Choirs can provide a place for string players to network with other musicians, and actually get string performance opportunities. A significant portion of the choral repertory includes parts for string instruments, and many choir directors like to recruit these players from within. People of all ages should not have much trouble finding a choir in which to sing. Adults can join a local choral society. Most high schools and colleges have good choir offerings for their students. Elementary and middle schools also usually have choirs. In addition, church choirs are always looking to recruit. Home educated students can find choral opportunities through either a school or college, a community choral society, or a local church.

Singing has many musical benefits, but perhaps the most important is that it can be a barometer for the overall health of a person. DISCLAIMER: I'm no doctor, so please don't take this as medical advice! When singing, your body is your instrument, and an instrument in disrepair doesn't work well. Having to keep your voice in top shape is good incentive to live a healthy lifestyle.

Musical and personal benefits aside, singing is the one of few ways to make music without buying or renting an expensive, high maintenance instrument, so why not sing?