Anyone use rock band to help with pitch correction

[nomadh]

I'm a beginning singer and I noticed when playing some rock band it might make a good vocal correction and training tool. The beatles ver even might work for harmony training. It lets you pick the harmony, switch between them or allow 2 or 3 people to sing all the harmonies. Any down side to this or limitation I should look out for?

[kool98769]

I've noticed ears work best for pitch correction.

[ido1957]

Whatever works - I'm not familiar with that game but it sounds okay.

[DukeOfBoom]

could work, but why not just record yourself singing and listen back to the recording? you can listen to tone, etc then too

[YeahDoIt]

I never did Rock Band, does it have a graph or lights that show if you are singing sharp or flat?

[grace_slick]

I think it does. I've never done it either, but it either does some sort of annoying noise to let you know you're off, or it shows a graph, and/or at the end it gives you a score or something.

 

I'd be curious to see how I did if I sang along with this sort of thing. If I didn't get a good score at the end, I'd be SO competitive with it. I can see myself being up till 3am or something singing the same damn song over and over till it was perfect according to the game's score. lol

[Bajazz]

I've been posting a lot on this forum about this. Short version: Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Singstar is great for pitch. And other things.

[Bajazz]

 

I've noticed ears work best for pitch correction.

Unexperienced singers often have a hard time hearing if they are off, this makes those games good as they visually give you a guide. Later when you are on level "Advanced, hard, or expert" it can be hard to fine tune, thus making the visual guide nice.

 

There are many who don't believe me when I say those games are good for vocal development. Personally I've seen it work wonders for me, hope it helps you too!! :-D

[JohnBenussi]

 

I'm a beginning singer and I noticed when playing some rock band it might make a good vocal correction and training tool. The beatles ver even might work for harmony training. It lets you pick the harmony, switch between them or allow 2 or 3 people to sing all the harmonies. Any down side to this or limitation I should look out for?

 

 

Sure, that could work.

I feel that the more you listen to music in general the more

adept you'll be to knowing pitch and having perfect pitch or close

to it, you know?

 

I don't see it as a bad thing.

I would use whatever helps you.

[grace_slick]

Bajazz, I agree with you there. Games like that can be good. It's kinda like biofeedback, in a way, you know? You do something and you get instant visual (or whatever) feedback, so you can self correct as you go. You learn, simultaneously, what it FEELS like to be singing the correct notes, right then, instantly.

 

I think this used in conjunction with recording yourself singing and then playing it back, can REALLY help people learn to sing in tune.

[nomadh]

Yes it shows a graph and as you sing it shows where your pitch is compared to it. It can be limiting if you want to change the melody but if you play it straight it grades you very well.

As a side note. Sometimes I find I'm having a hard time on some songs. I'm split between going to the upper or lower octave. When that happens I find I can correct my pitch much faster in the higher octave than the lower one. Is it normal to have more control on average at the higher register even when your natural voice tends to be much lower?

[grace_slick]

Well, if you're a beginner and "need" to receive constant visual feedback to best stay in tune, it's best NOT to be changing the melody around just yet. lol

 

As to your question about octaves and control, um...I have to say I've got no idea! I find pitch control the same in any octave really. Obviously if you're right at the very end (high or low) of your usable range, it's harder to be right in tune, but otherwise, I'd assume it should be much the same...

 

I'd wonder if the WAY you sing when you sing higher is making it easier for you to correct quicker...maybe you use falsetto or head voice or something...as opposed to lower notes when you might use chest voice...or something. Ask someone who actually knows what they're talking about to explain those concepts if you don't know! lol I'm kinda blabbing out of my ass at the moment.

 

Maybe in higher notes you concentrate more cause you don't usually use your voice up there (when you talk or sing more relaxedly)...

 

Or maybe it's easier for your ear to hear higher tones than lower ones so it's just more obvious when you're off and you can correct it quicker.

 

When you say you're split between going to the higher or lower octaves, what do you mean exactly? Like it's awkward singing in both cause you can sing in both ok, but neither feels exactly right or something?

[nomadh]

Yes i think it is falsetto vs chest voice. And it seems like its easier to correct the small muscles in my throat as compared to changing things around in my chest. I would have thought the lower note would be more natural to me consequently easier for me to control but it doesn't work out that way. A lot of the problem is I'd like to sing like chris cornell so maybe I'm more practiced in the higher register. I should probably try and sing like Paul Rodgers but that sound just doesn't get me to want to sing.

When I pick going high or low its a choice of going high but straining my voice or maybe going to a few of the notes that just don't come out or going low where its comfortable and all the notes are there but my control and my ability to correct or even recognize to correct is much worse. Thanks so much for the feedback. You gave me some ideas to think about. Now I need to figure out how to apply them. I should just post some samples. MAybe then you can all hear it and go "Oh, thats whats wrong"