woodshedding in music meaning | TheMusicDictionary

Meaning of Woodshedding in Music

Woodshedding in music refers to the practice of intensely and diligently working on one's musical skills, typically by practicing alone in a secluded place such as a shed or a private room. The term "woodshedding" is often used to describe focused and dedicated practice sessions where musicians work on improving their technique, musicality, improvisation, or learning new repertoire. It is a way for musicians to refine their skills and deepen their understanding of music. Woodshedding can involve repetitive exercises, scales, arpeggios, playing along with recordings, transcribing solos, or exploring new musical ideas. The term originated from the practice of acoustic musicians taking their instruments to a shed or another isolated place away from distractions to practice without being overheard .

The act of rehearsing a difficult passage of a composition. This typically where a single performer rehearses the passage over and over until it can be performed flawlessly.

In singing barbershop music, this term refers to the art of harmonizing by ear (or without notated music). This means the singers will create their own harmonies around a melody in the barbershop style without notated music. Woodshedding typically starts with the lead singing the melody of a song, often a song unfamiliar to the others. This is followed by all four singers singing the melody in unison. As they sing the melody in unison, each singer needs to determine the chord progression implied by the melody. Then each of the singers will try to sing notes that would be typical harmonies based on that melody and implied chord progression. This practice goes back to the early days of barbershop music where most music was sung without notated music. Today the practice provides a great way for singers of barbershop music to hone their listening and singing skills as they improvise in the barbershop style of singing.