This game is the most important single thing that you can do to learn to play a musical instrument. It teaches you communicate your voice through the instrument, and to be able to “hear” sounds in your mind/body/soul and to have those sounds come out of the instrument. it is a wonderful feeling to be able to do this. Some people can do this at a young age with almost no training. Other people (like me) took decades to learn how to do this. I think, in some ways, it might be better to be the person for whom this learning takes a lifetime. It is that much sweeter and more lovely when you do finally attain the feeling of elated freedom because finally your instrument plays whatever comes through you.

You are going to sing a note, and touch a note on your instrument without it making any sound.

To get started, sit with your instrument.

Choose one note on your instrument and play it long and loud. Then with your voice, start humming a low bass note and gradually slide your voice up to match the note on your instrument. Slide your voice up to match your instrument a number of times. Each time, let the sound of your voice and the sound of the note on your instrument live in your ears. Let your voice match your instrument perfectly. Breathe. Let them come together. Do this for awhile, until your voice joins deeply, richly, warmly, deliciously with the note on your instrument.

Now, slide the pitch of your voice upward just a tiny bit or down a tiny bit while the note on your instrument stays the same. Let the sound of your voice and the sound of your instrument rest in your ears. Experience the spiciness of small differences.

After all of this, you might need a nap.

When you wake up from the nap, it is time to choose an additional note. Play this new note on your instrument, and slide your voice up to match it just like you did before. Repeat and breath. Do that a few times. Repeat and breath.

Now sing the note and just touch the note on your instrument. Your instrument makes no sound, but your fingers touch the instrument in the right place.

You now have two notes. Whenever you want to hear one of them, you can sing it and also silently touch it. When you touch one of the notes, sing it. When you touch the other note on your instrument, sing that one. Don’t let your instrument make any sound.

When you are uncertain, you can always play a note with your instrument in order to make sure that you are singing the same note that you are touching. If you do stop to do this, go back to the beginning and start over. Nap and all!

Sing a little song with just these two notes. Sing each note, and also silently touch it.

Over time, as you are ready, add a third note, then a fourth, …then a fifth.  Create little melodies or solos using these notes.

Also.  Once you are pretty good at this, gradually make your voice quieter and quieter until you are singing each note silently inside your heart/chest as you touch each note on your instrument. Now you are singing a silent song.

Sing a Silent Song is about playing the note that your soul really meant to play on your instrument and not just letting your fingers choose for you. This is the most important game to learn how to play a musical instrument.  Once you can do it a little bit, play Over and Over.  Once you can do it pretty well, then play Make It/Let It.