Voice & Singing · Singing in English
Singing Vocabulary in English
The essential words for talking about songs and singing.
Whether you sing in a choir, take lessons or just love music, these are the words you need to talk about songs, notes and how they are sung.
Key Words
Ten essential words with their German meaning and an example sentence.
| English | German | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pitch | Tonhöhe | She has perfect pitch. |
| note | Ton, Note | Can you hold that note a bit longer? |
| key | Tonart | The song is in G major. |
| melody · tune | Melodie | It has a lovely tune. |
| harmony | Harmonie, Mehrstimmigkeit | We sing the melody, and they sing the harmony. |
| verse | Strophe | Let's sing the second verse. |
| chorus | Refrain | Everybody joins in on the chorus. |
| bridge | Bridge, Überleitung | The bridge changes key. |
| in tune · out of tune | sauber · unsauber, falsch | The piano is out of tune. |
| to hold a note | einen Ton halten | Hold the last note for four beats. |
Word Partners
Natural English depends on words that belong together. Learn these as complete phrases.
- to sing in tune
- to sing along
- to hit a high note
- to go flat
- to go sharp
- to join in
- a catchy tune
- to learn by heart
"The audience sang along to the chorus."
Useful Phrases
Sentence patterns you can use straight away.
Talking about a song
- The chorus is really catchy.
- It's quite high for me.
- Can we sing it in a lower key?
- I love the harmony in the last verse.
Talking about your singing
- I tend to go flat on long notes.
- I can't quite hit the top note.
- I sing by ear.
- I know it by heart now.
Talk About It
Answer these questions aloud, write a short paragraph, or discuss them with a partner.
- What is the first song you remember singing?
- Do you prefer singing the melody or the harmony?
- Which song always gets stuck in your head?
- Can you read music, or do you sing by ear?
Test Yourself
Click a question to see the answer.
1. What is "Strophe" in English?
A verse.
2. What do we call it when you sing slightly too low?
Going flat (singing flat).
3. What is "Tonart" in English?
Key.
Explore More
More pages in the Voice & Singing series.
Sing it in English.
Learn the words, use them in real sentences and enjoy using your voice in English.
Listen. Learn. Sing along.