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focusing on the backing music helps singers stay on pitch?


jerrye

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Do you find it helps you sing on pitch, if you, while singing a phrase, you focus more on the pitch/es of the backing music and how the sung notes fit the pitch? This seems akin to focusing on the forest instead of the trees, while singing a phrase. This is opposed to, while singing the phrase, focusing on the individual notes and/or intervals between notes.

 

I understand that conventional wisdom says to preplay a phrase in your mind, but that's before singing the phrase.

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I sing more on pitch if I listen closely to the band. The thing to understand with pitch is that you don't really control it, you allow it. It's when you start to control your pitch consciously that you involve the big muscles of your throat and neck and eventually you're gonna hurt yourself. Listen to the band, let your body take care of the pitch for you.

 

... he said as if he was a vocal expert :rolleyes:

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When you drive a car are you paying attention to the steering wheel or the where the edges of the road are? Both I hope. Same thing.

 

If you're having a hard time, try practicing sliding into the pitch while you play a pure keyboard chord. Go sharp, flat, now focus in on the right pitch. Over, under, then hit it. You've got to pay attention to both. Kind of like humming along with your vaccum cleaner...

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When you drive a car are you paying attention to the steering wheel or the where the edges of the road are? Both ....

 

 

Great analogy, I think. And perhaps paying attention more to the backing music than the individual notes would be like paying more attention to the the edges of the road than the steering wheel.

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Originally posted by Outkaster

If people can sing............really sing it is not an issue.

 

 

Funny you say this, and you have hit a nerve my friend. I am guessing you are scarred from hearing people sing that you think should not and I can relate some to that. I am struggling all the time with whether I should or should not keep the job as lead singer from the amount of yay's and nay's about my singing I hear from people. I play guitar very well and I have started singing lead kind of because of all the problems I've had to deal with with people that can sing well.

 

Sometimes I think we should go around and ask a person to sing and if they sing pretty well just go ahead and shoot them because they are the most difficult people to deal with in my opinion and by your comment you may well be one of those people.

 

As I become better at singing I hope I can mend the wounds among musicians good singers usually cause.

 

End of rant.

 

 

My answer to the original poster's question is the singing, like all the instruments in the band need to all be striving to being in pitch with each other. The voice is just another instrument. This even aplies to the drums as well...

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The best thing our band ever did was to start making recordings of every gig.

I record out of the mains into a DAT unit and then I transfer to the computer and make all band members their own CD of every gig!

The mix isn't exactly perfect but I pan the 2 guitars/keys hard left & right for separation.

We have 4 part hamonies at times as well.

 

Without having to "tell" other band members that they sing flat, sharp, bad, good...the CDs tell it all to everyone!

 

It's made a big difference for our band and myself!

Vocals, timing, notes etc.

 

Now I started to do the same idea but with video as well onto DVD! "Stage presence"! Yikes!

 

:eek:

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