Student’s question:
I play the piano, and I’m currently using the piano to accompany my voice when I’m doing my IFR singing exercises. Is this bad? At what point does using my instrument become a crutch?
How we think about this in IFR:
Great question! The answer is NEVER. It is never, ever harmful to be in direct contact with the sounds. Your instrument is the greatest music teacher in the world. Especially if you play an instrument that allows you to sing and play at the same time, singing along with your instrument is one of the best things you can do for your long term musical growth.
Singing and playing simultaneously is one of the most complete exercises we have because it engages every aspect of your musical ability:
- thinking consciously about the tonal numbers
- visualizing the key of the music on your instrument
- hearing the correct pitches from the instrument
- listening deeply to the sounds and matching them with your voice
- experiencing each sound very intimately in your vocal cords
All of this is wonderful! So please don’t ever worry that playing your instrument along with your singing practice is a “crutch”. If your instrument is helping you to find the right pitches with your voice, then this is exactly what you should do.
My only additional advice is to just make sure you’re also getting some time to enjoy our Sing the Numbers activities without the distraction of your instrument. But it’s not because your instrument is a “crutch”. It’s more that the instrument is an additional burden to think about. And sometimes it’s helpful to let go of that responsibility so that you can focus all your attention on the sounds themselves.
