There is a multitude of reasons why pianists should sing. Some of them you might know, to sound and look cool and some are less obvious.
Pianists should learn to sing because other than providing them with a better understanding of how music works it deepens their knowledge about how harmony, rhythm, and melody play off of each other. Additionally, it’s a boon to have if you plan to learn how to compose and produce music.
It’s almost unfair what benefits a pianist can reap from just learning how to sing. No skill can stand by itself in music and in this article I will try to show you how beautifully you can start doing so much better just by learning how to sing.
An Addition of a Skill = Better Musicianship
Learning a skill that aids you to understand music on a better level is always going to be beneficial. I think pianists who can sing are the ones who reap the most rewards. The rewards are almost as equal to guitarists who can sing but pianists have an edge over guitarists.
For example, pianists enjoy being able to use DAWs more effectively because the whole MIDI game is based on the piano roll. Which allows them to just connect their digital piano to the computer and start recording.
Whether it’s recording yourself directly or if it’s just simple editing. So, knowing how to play the piano has a significant advantage if you ever take up music production software.
Adding on to that, being able to sing adds to your skills to become a better musician overall. Which in my opinion is the way to go rather than striving for one skill and becoming the world’s best.
It’s more fun to be able to sing and play and then have the ability to record yourself than it is to be able to do one thing, and one thing alone and just be good at that.
What it Allows You to Do
The way that singing allows you to become a better musician is by allowing you to grow not only in your performing capabilities but also in every other area of music. Which, for beginners who don’t is, being able to produce and compose music.
In many ways, that’s the end game. Being able to compose but to make your compositions sound professional and acceptable one must be able to produce.
In order to produce by themselves, one must be able to perform and that’s how the circle is complete.
Makes You a Better Producer
Pianists have the natural advantage of being able to use their instruments in a DAW (digital audio workstation) from day one by just connecting their digital keyboard/piano to their computers.
With being able to sing, you can now with your piano skills record your playing, record another virtual instrument and then sing on top of it. That actually in turn completes the whole need for a band.
You can even control the drums.
The limitless possibilities of being able to produce yourself are huge. You can mix and master your own songs and then move on to promoting yourself on YouTube to releasing a track through one of the digital distributors like DistroKid.
Makes You a Better Composer
It goes without saying that the added ability to sing while you play the piano allows you to become a better composer. There are tens of thousands of songs written on the piano and that could help you to understand how lyrics and chord progressions go.
This is amplified when you already have your own compositions to write. After you have practiced making covers you can copy their chord progressions and write your own melodies over them.
Even though I write with a guitar in my hand, I have sat in my college’s practice room composing a few songs on the piano. It starts to become natural after a while. I will definitely be adding it to my home studio once I have a more permanent place to put it.
The Number of Songs You Can Learn
When you’re first starting out I believe this is much better to start learning. There are easy, medium, and extremely difficult songs to learn. That allows you to pick and choose your difficulty and enjoy seeing yourself getting better.
There is something for everyone to learn. At all times.
Learning to Sing from Online Courses
There is this article I wrote talking about exactly how and why learning to sing online is better in every way. For a fraction of a private session with your local teacher, you can get everything you might need to start and finish learning to sing. You can read it here.
Here is the link to a page I’ve written just about all the courses that you can put your money and time in and become a really good singer.
It Impresses a Lot of People
There is some otherworldly quality when you’re playing the keys and starting to sing. There have been halls and world-renowned venues which have hosted a single-player singing along with their piano.
It’s also a little expected of you to do this but as you’d find that’s for good reason. People want to be entertained, whether it’s through a TV show or watching a musician play live.
It allows you to show people what you’ve been practicing and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying reaping rewards off of something that you have worked hard for. The only time you can enjoy this is when your work is being portrayed.
That can really happen in two ways. Either online or in person. The medium may differ but even if it’s digital you have to practice in order to show what you’re capable of.
I hope you learn more and more and enjoy music more than before!