correlation between piano and singing?

[chopincat]

Recently I've noticed that most of the better singers in my choir are the ones who also happen to be pianists. Obviously having a musical background would help you a lot with singing and choral music, but it seems to be the pianists more than any other instrumentalists who really know what they're doing. Is there a reason for this?

[j_menz]

Good singers who happen to also be other instrumentalists have the advantage of a broader exposure to music, and most other disciplines have a greater focus on musical structure than singing teaching which, as I understand it, tends to focus more heavily on the voice  - control, volume and tonal qualities.  Piano has the added advantage of being good at getting people to understand harmonic accompaniment and at a more advanced level listening to and reacting to other voices.

That said, you need the good voice and vocal training more, and it is quite  possible to be a reasonably decent pianist without being able to sing in any way that would encourage people to want to hear it. I speak from experience.

[amytsuda]

Really? I find most classical pianists are bad at singing. And vice versa, I haven't met a great singer who plays classical piano music well (I know great singers who can play jazz or improvise, though). And all those pianists singing while playing, starting from Glenn Gould? Really bad singing! My piano teacher sometimes sing trying to help me play better, and I get the point, but.... Most pianists can sing in tune, but the ability to vocalize seems to be a completely different talent, which motor coordination happens in somewhere else in the brain. 

[timothy42b]

Recently I've noticed that most of the better singers in my choir are the ones who also happen to be pianists.

I think piano helps a little; certainly it should teach recognition of rhythm.

In my experience it doesn't do much for the ability to sightsing intervals.  The better singers in every choir I've ever been in have been those who play an instrument (other than piano), especially if it's one in the same clef they usually sing in.  I have yet to meet a really confident sightsinger who does not have an instrumental background, though I'm sure there are some out there. 

I think there are two reasons for this.  Most band instruments don't simply produce the right pitch without some player input - a trumpet player for example must buzz the right pitch with his lips, not just press the right key.  Second, most instrumentalists play in ensembles where the beat keeps going with or without them, and they are forced to stay connected to time.

[gyzzzmo]

I think piano helps a little; certainly it should teach recognition of rhythm.

In my experience it doesn't do much for the ability to sightsing intervals.  The better singers in every choir I've ever been in have been those who play an instrument (other than piano), especially if it's one in the same clef they usually sing in.  I have yet to meet a really confident sightsinger who does not have an instrumental background, though I'm sure there are some out there. 

I think there are two reasons for this.  Most band instruments don't simply produce the right pitch without some player input - a trumpet player for example must buzz the right pitch with his lips, not just press the right key.  Second, most instrumentalists play in ensembles where the beat keeps going with or without them, and they are forced to stay connected to time.

And dont forget that people with an instrumental background have probably spent alot more time staring at notes than people without that background. The ability to quickly rocognise notes and play them on their instrument in their heads, helps alot at 'sightsinging'.

[hardy_practice]

Recently I've noticed that most of the better singers in my choir are the ones who also happen to be pianists. Obviously having a musical background would help you a lot with singing and choral music, but it seems to be the pianists more than any other instrumentalists who really know what they're doing. Is there a reason for this?

It's waaay the other way round.  You can't play the piano unless you can sing!

[timothy42b]

And dont forget that people with an instrumental background have probably spent alot more time staring at notes than people without that background.

That's a good point.

There are people in my church choir who I'm sure just read the text and have not noticed there are shapes floating above the words that might be associated.

You couldn't do that with an instrument.

[faa2010]

I am in a course where the teacher says that you are not a musician if you don't sing. Singing is the key to sight reading, play, rhythm and breathing.

[timothy42b]

. Singing is the key to sight reading, play, rhythm and breathing.

Maybe for monotonic wind instruments. 

Piano and organ are more about chords, textures, tension and release, etc., not limited by breath or range or fatigue the way singing is. 

Sightreading in particular is not very related to singing. 

[chopincat]

Sightreading in particular is not very related to singing. 

I completely disagree. For me sightsinging and sightreading are very similar processes. But that might just be because I have absolute pitch, so I often hear notes before I play them in terms of sightreading.