Melody
When you sing the notes of a song, what you are singing is called a melody. Melody is made up of two elements – pitch and rhythm. Pitch means how high or low the sound is, e.g. most men’s voices sound lower and most women’s voices sound higher.
A bass sounds low and a recorder sounds high. Melodies are made up of notes of various pitches. Rhythm means how long the notes sound for and the timing pattern they create when they are put together. Try singing the melody of any song you already know, even if it is very short.
As you sing, listen to the sounds you are making and notice that some notes are higher and some are lower. Also notice any repeating rhythm patterns in the timing of the melody. You can work out the rhythm of a melody by clapping it.
Listen to this example to hear the difference between higher and lower sounds played by musical instruments. The first sound is high and the second one is low. After that, listen to the sounds and say out loud whether each new note is higher or lower than the one before.
Aiming Your Voice
When you sing it is important to aim your voice straight ahead of you, so that your voice comes out with a clear, open sound. The easiest way to do this is to imagine you are speaking to someone the same height as yourself. It is important to stay relaxed and keep looking and singing straight ahead regardless of whether the notes go higher or lower.
