How to read choir music (for beginners) 1.Determine which vocal part you sing.
Starting from the lowest voice, your choices are bass (men), tenor (men), alto
(women) or soprano (women).
2.Locate your vocal part on the choral
music. If it is written in two lines of music, the top line is for altos
(bottom) and sopranos (top) and the bottom line is for basses (bottom) and
tenors (top). If it is written in four lines of music, each vocal part has its
own line. Starting at the top, the lines are in the following order: soprano,
alto, tenor and bass.
3.Follow the notes. If the notes are
going up, your singing notes will sound higher. If the
notes are going down, your singing notes will sound lower. Each note has a
different hold value. Hollow notes are longer in value than darker, filled-in
notes and should be held longer when singing. Notes with flags are quicker than
filled in notes and should be held shorter.
4.Follow the words. Words are located
either between the two lines (in two-line choral music) or at the bottom of
each line (in four-line choral music). You sing the notes with the
corresponding words. If there is a line after the word, you will hold those words
until the line ends.