We are accustomed to seeing (and hearing) jazz pianists instinctively sing, and we’ve perhaps heard Glenn Gould‘s bizarre vocalisations, some of which are preserved in his most revered recordings. Having been shown the importance of singing everything he learned as a young boy, it seems Gould found the habit hard to break when performing. So how can singing out loud be considered a positive facet, one might ask, and should we even be discussing ways of incorporating singing when there are many other skills and techniques we need to hone?
The short answer is that the physical act of singing, or indeed humming, can help us to internalise lines of music, typically but not exclusively the melody. Doing this automatically reinforces the line in question in our mind’s ear, making it appear clearer to us, more instinctive and personal. Since any melody, countermelody or bass line is essentially a series of pitch intervals joined together
