Pitch Pitch Pitch

[100jamesX]

I really do believe pitch will make or break you as a singer.. Im hoping we can all come together and discuss routines and tips so we can benefit from eachothers knowledge..

 

I've been doing alot of studying on this topic and I conclude most people are born with it and the others have relative pitch or something in between.

 

My routine so far is playing the chromatic scale and listening very closely up and down the piano then i'll go along and sing with it. I have this free program called "CANTA" which tells you exactly what note your singing so that is very helpful as well.

 

Please share your tips and routines

[davie]

If you're talking about perfect pitch, then I think perfect pitch is overrated. But relative pitch is essential and a majority of people have it to some degree. The best way to deal with pitch and the uncertainty that comes with it is to just PRACTICE. If you've sung a specific song using a specific pitch then you should know it by heart. Unless someone transposes the key on you without you knowing, then you should be okay.

 

Many times singers go out of pitch because they either have poor monitoring/acoustic listening environment or their voices are fatigued or the songs is out of their comfortable range.

 

Just watch out for these pitfalls and generally you should be okay.

[100jamesX]

Yah that makes alot of sense. I practice alot but I feel like my pitch could be more precise.

 

I just feel like only practicing on pitch right now because generally you will sound okay minus all the bells and whistles like doing vocal runs and all that other stuff. I just want to hopefully master pitch then start developing a style after that.

[davie]

If its critical to learn the pitch closely then you could try sliding/glissando between each note. Its a bit unorthodox but it may help you sense the proper pitch. Once you feel comfortable with the transition in pitch then you can take out the glissando all together.

 

I use to do this a lot, both in singing and practicing, but I think my pitch has improved.

[100jamesX]

Alright that is a great tip i will incorporate, appreciate that.

 

I think slowing down the songs then speeding up will definitely be my best bet also.

[davie]

Yes, approaching the song slowly and gradually will be helpful as well. You can break up each line and slowly practice each note and their transitions. I do this a lot and so do a lot of professionals as well.

[Jersey Jack]

Practice a melody using a single vowel sound--one that you're very comfortable with. Pay attention to the transitions between pitches as well as the pitches themselves, and pay particular attention to passing notes. I find that I land well enough on important notes, but the fleeting transitions (usually falling on prepositions, conjunctions, etc.) often go south. Once you've nailed the pitches on this vowel, try to bring in the actual song lyrics. If you can maintain the pitch with the lyrics, you're good to go.

 

I do it this way because I find that my pronunciations often interfere with pitch and tone.

[PrinceOfTheLoud]

my pitch blows. what's helped me is singing solfege do re me fa sol {censored} over triads though. i generally avoid doing exercises in major keys, because minor keys is what i mostly use anyway, and it's more fun.

 

so i'll take a minor triad sequence, go "do me sol" then "sol me do" than "me sol me do me" Starting from the 3rd (middle note) rather than the high or low is a real bitch.

[rodclement]

I think the worst enemy of pitch for a singer is not knowing the material well, so one doesn't know where to breath and how to transition between the parts. I find that the more I practice a song, and the more notes I make on it, the easier it all becomes.

 

What Jack said about pronunciation is also very important to me since I am from Brasil. Sometimes I have to be carefull just to make the words sound right, not usualy a problem but some singers like Billy Joel for example, are more challenging for me, not because or the range, but because of his phrasing, I really need to focus on it to get it down, and maintain pitch in the transitions.

 

Rod

[Masklin]

If you want to master pitch control, you first need to make sure that your ears understand completely what unison means and what it sounds like.

 

I suggest you pick up an instrument. Guitar is probably easier because you can have it next to your computer and just put it in your lap and hit some notes.

 

Playing an instrument and playing along to simple melodies by ear is great practise for your pitch perception. You NEED perception of pitch before you can recreate it.

[EightString]

Firstly, I do scales and arpeggios to reinforce my muscle memory. Arpeggios in particular are great for nailing notes that aren't right next to each other in the scale. Yeah, it's boring, but it also WORKS.

 

Secondly, as point of view, I like to mentally and physically disconnect the note values from the words. In other words, I make what I'm saying as disconnected in my mind as possible from the notes I'm singing. This means my pronunciation doesn't get in the way of "hitting" the right notes, and "hitting the right notes does not get in the way of pronunciation.

 

These things really work for me and help me maintain consistency with LESS concentration required. Sure, I can take a week off of singing and come back and sing just fine, but I have to work at it a little more on the mental side. But the more I warm up and the more I make that mental disconnect between words and notes, the less I have to focus on the basics, and the more I can focus on nuance and expression.

[grace_slick]

I get confused with this muscle memory thing...I've been singing most days for 20 years, just at home in my room, but over the years I've "gone off" singing for months at a time...from the time I was about 13 until about 20, I would have 6 months of singing every day for hours, but then I'd have the next 6 months of absolutely NO singing at all EVER.

 

And yet when I came back to singing after that 6 month period, I didn't notice any difficulty in maintaining / finding pitch or any of that...I didn't notice any difference at all. So is my muscle memory either non-existent or just not required? lol

[EightString]

You've already built up your library of "muscle memory" from years of singing. So have I.

 

However, I find that by reinforcing my already existing muscle memory with scales and arpeggios, I have more mental horsepower left over for nuance.

 

 

And if pitch is an issue for a singer? Building that muscle memory with those scales and arpeggios can be VERY helpful.

[grace_slick]

Well, there is one thing I've noticed...you know like, little trills that singers do sometimes? I don't mean silly over-singing like Mariah Carey or some "diva" types, but just...even just a simple quick and smooth / flowing run of notes? I find them more awkward these days. I'm not sure why...

[EightString]

Perhaps a voice teacher would know...

[grace_slick]

lol. I thought it's either cause since recording myself I'm always listening out for flaws and tones I don't like and so I'm more vocally tense, and it's harder to do trills if you're tense.

 

Either that or my muscle memory has failed from not doing trills over the past few years.

[rodclement]

 

Firstly, I do scales and arpeggios to reinforce my muscle memory. Arpeggios in particular are great for nailing notes that aren't right next to each other in the scale. Yeah, it's boring, but it also WORKS. Secondly, as point of view, I like to mentally and physically disconnect the note values from the words. In other words, I make what I'm saying as disconnected in my mind as possible from the notes I'm singing. This means my pronunciation doesn't get in the way of "hitting" the right notes, and "hitting the right notes does not get in the way of pronunciation. These things really work for me and help me maintain consistency with LESS concentration required. Sure, I can take a week off of singing and come back and sing just fine, but I have to work at it a little more on the mental side. But the more I warm up and the more I make that mental disconnect between words and notes, the less I have to focus on the basics, and the more I can focus on nuance and expression.

 

 

I will work on this! This is a great idea that I never considered! Since I have been playing iin bands for so long, I have been focusing mailny on learning songs and not actually on this apsect of my singing! Thanks for the wake up call!

 

Rod

[BillyJoJimBob]

 

You've already built up your library of "muscle memory" from years of singing. So have I. However, I find that by reinforcing my already existing muscle memory with scales and arpeggios, I have more mental horsepower left over for nuance. And if pitch is an issue for a singer? Building that muscle memory with those scales and arpeggios can be VERY helpful.

 

 

Do you have any recommendations on where to find this type of stuff to work on? Is there some audio reference to match your voice to so one can start working on it? Sounds like something that could be very useful.

 

Thanks

[100jamesX]

All great tips and tricks thank you all for contributing =D

 

My biggest problems is finding out notes where the singer does like a vocal run or vocal trill what ever you prefer to call it.

 

I find it very easy to sing country song rather r&b because usually the country singer doesn't do all those fancy runs and they hold there notes out longer. With r&b music the singer is running on all over the place with there notes I found it very difficult.

 

I found out even slowing down those little parts is very difficult for my ear to pick up.

[davie]

Those vocal 'runs' might be hard because your voice hasn't gained enough flexibility yet. Practicing scales might help with that. And also finding a way to lighten up your voice (without squeezing/tighten) by incorporating more head voice into the mix. It even helps to start adding head voice in your low range as well.

[grace_slick]

Vocal runs are easier when your voice is REALLY relaxed. So it just flows over the notes.

[jvardon]

It also help if you're not trying to emulate those who run too much. But really, you should try to figure out your own run. Make the performance your own a little.

[grace_slick]

Very true.

[EightString]

 

Do you have any recommendations on where to find this type of stuff to work on? Is there some audio reference to match your voice to so one can start working on it? Sounds like something that could be very useful. Thanks

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vocal+warm+ups+scales&aq=f

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vocal+warm+ups+arpeggios&aq=f

[ivanhoe]

If you "hear the right tone in your head", than you are probably able to sing it correctly, and you just need to practice. I never had problems with pitch, even when I was just 3 y.o., but sometimes I try to heunderstand how other people hear me while I sing. So, try to focus on part of your voice that really comes out your mouth while you sing. Try not to listen to your voice through your head bones, and try to listen to it like when you listen to someone else. Sometimes when you sing, the sound that you hear through bones can give you slightly wrong perception of how other people really hear you.