Some singers find it incredibly helpful to practice with accompaniment tracks, whether they’re preparing to join an ensemble or working on a solo performance. Using accompaniment tracks to practice your singing can be the key to developing good vocal technique and improving your overall performance, but it’s not as easy as just plugging in your earbuds and belting out songs—you need to do it correctly if you want to see the benefits! These practice tips will show you how to use accompaniment tracks to improve your singing, so you can sing with confidence on stage or at auditions.
Whether you’re practicing at home or in a music studio, it can be helpful to use accompaniment tracks—these pre-recorded musical tracks will help you practice parts of your songs that may be hard to play or sing alone.
Finding accompaniment tracks is easy if you know where to look. Sites like YouTube are great for finding generic tracks, but if you’re looking for something more specific, specialized sites are a good bet. Many people use services like Spotify or Musescore, but there are alternatives out there. For example, if you want higher-quality accompaniments, sites like Spiritrax.com may be a better option. These sites often offer custom tracks that have been made by actual musicians —and they can be tailored specifically to your instrument and style preferences.
To find these sites, just search on Google for backing track along with terms describing what kind of music you play. You could also check musician forums, since many members will post links to their favorite services in their signature block. Once you find one you like, subscribe to their newsletters so that they can send you deals when new tracks are added!
Instantly download and practice to high-quality backing tracks for your favorite hymns and spiritual songs. Spiritrax accompaniments are made by musicians with performance in mind.
Browse Backing TracksTo maintain motivation when practicing, it is important that you keep track of your progress. If you are performing songs that have accompaniment tracks available, try recording yourself. You can then compare what you sound like now with how you sounded after your last practice session.
This is also an excellent way to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a singer. Are there certain parts of songs that seem hard? Are there sections where you shine? Keep tabs on how often you get stuck on certain passages so that you know which ones need more work. Always strive to improve and be better than you were in your last practice session!
Recordings provide evidence that you’re taking concrete steps towards improving your singing skills. It’s easy to become discouraged if all you hear from others is negativity; take pride in knowing that those around you can hear tangible improvements in your voice.
If there are hard parts of a song that you struggle with, start on those first when you practice. This will set a good tone for your practice session and help build confidence in your abilities.
If you're having difficulty with some parts, don't just keep repeating them until you get them right. If you do, it's more likely that they'll stay stubbornly stuck in your mind after awhile. Instead of obsessing over one part, try practicing what comes before or after it instead. When you feel like you've mastered all of these sections, try them again as a whole unit.
If your section still gives you trouble, break it down into even smaller segments and then work on each individual chunk separately. If all else fails, enlist someone else to listen to your track while you sing along; it's easier to learn something new when someone is standing beside you asking how it sounds!
Using an accompaniment track is a great way to help yourself practice. The track helps keep your pitch consistent and can be used as a guide to help you focus on techniques like phrasing, breath control, and vibrato. However, sometimes you might want to try singing without the help of a backing track.
When you do that, you’ll have two big things working against you: timing and pitch. Because a backing track can act like a crutch and hide things like tuning and technique, it's great to practice these aspects a capella. This can really help you to hone in on perfecting these aspects of your performance. When you're ready, you can then turn the accompaniment back on and gauge your improvement.
Making progress at something can be extremely satisfying—and putting time into learning music is worthwhile. You should also take care not to practice too much at once, since it can be tiring hysically and mentally. Practicing longer than an hour has been known to cause physical fatigue, which makes singing harder—and thinking about your next hour-long practice can make long sessions seem daunting too!
Strive for shorter but consistent practices at a regular time of day instead. Taking regular breaks is also important for keeping up energy throughout an entire practice session too, so try making it a habit yourself by taking five minutes every hour during your practices to stand up and stretch.
