Vocal Pitch
Before I define this for y’all, I have to give you a simple understanding of sound frequency…in case you haven’t heard this before.
Sound Frequency
Sound frequency refers to the number of times sound waves vibrate, thus creating pitch. Slower vibrations produce low notes. (Hence the rumble of deep, dark, low notes). Faster vibrating produces high notes.
In fact, you can literally see the vibrations of the low strings on an acoustic guitar, far more clearly than the high strings. The higher pitch creates shorter, faster waves or vibrations.
Vocal Pitch
Vocal pitch refers to the perceived frequency of a person’s voice when they are singing or speaking. It plays a crucial role in music and is often categorized into different vocal ranges such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Understanding vocal pitch and its relationship to the vocal range is essential for singers to affectively express themselves and hit the right notes.
Understanding Vocal Pitch for Singers
Vocal pitch also refers to the perceived highness or lowness of a person’s voice when singing. It is determined by the frequency of vibrations produced by the vocal cords.
In singing, vocal pitch is influenced by various factors, including:
- The length and tension of the vocal cords.
- The precise muscle control used to manipulate the vocal cords and produce different pitches.
- The health of the vocal folds (cords).
- The amount of air pressure flowing through the cords.
A singer’s ability to accurately control vocal pitch is essential for delivering a captivating and melodious performance. This means also learning how to sing in the right key consistently.
However, a singer’s inability to hit the right pitch or note will draw the criticism that: you lack the ability of singing on key consistently, or that you are tone deaf. This leads to my next point…
Tone Deafness is a Myth
If you listen carefully to the greatest singers on earth singing live, you’ll notice that most of them don’t always sing perfectly, although they typically sing on key. However, most singers cannot sing in perfect pitch all the time.
Whether you’re singing flat or singing sharp, hitting the correct notes can be a daunting challenge—especially if your vocal folds (also called vocal cords) are swollen, strained or fatigued.
But, the biggest reason no one is tone deaf, is because we all enjoy music with one thing in common: we all hear music the same way in that we can hear the melody going up and coming back down. No one mistakes Barry White’s bass voice for Ariana Grande’s high whistle note.
The only way you could be tone deaf is to be deaf. A better concept is…
Pitch Accuracy
Pitch accuracy has to do with a singer or musician’s ability to match the pitch with the note expected to be sung. This is a developed skill, whether you’re a guitarist, pianist, or vocalist. It’s just coordinated muscle memory.
Can People LEARN Pitch Accuracy?
I first began teaching singing exercises to my friends when I was in college and many of my ‘starving students’/musician friends could not afford voice teachers. This was around 1988. I wasn’t trying to be a voice teacher/vocal coach. I just knew that my own voice had gone through valleys and flown to mountains—as the male voice often experiences.
By 1991, at age 25, I was a full time teacher….. after working over 50 different jobs, staring in middle school, I’ve never looked back.
One shocking realization I had right away (I’ve also discussed in an earlier blog titled, “Can Anyone Sing?”) is that most people think that if you can’t sing on key or the right pitch, you’ll never be a singer. While it’s true that many singers must learn slowly in order to get better, I’ve done a ton of ear training and I can tell nearly everyone can hear the difference between a major scale and a minor scale, and can tell a great singer who can sing the correct pitch, staying in the right key and overall, sound good, verses singers who sound flat—which is the most common problem.
How Long Does it Take to Sing in Key Consistently?
When we learn to sing in tune, we find that it’s the simplest of ear training. Interval training, singing in the right key for your voice type (and possibly learning guitar and piano), and working with a qualified, certified, proven voice coach, who teaches a proven, reputable method, is the best way to sing on key consistently.
You can sing a simple exercise containing just 5 notes, like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. Having a coach with you to listen and help correct notes that are off key means much more if you have someone showing the difference between…..
Right and Almost Right
Often, singers can get confused and not hear how ‘off key’ they sound because they aren’t discerning between right and almost right. If you can practice singing just one note on piano, and lock in precisely, this will help tremendously. And, singing exercises with a course that teaches you to sing intervals that aren’t too challenging will also help.
It’s important that you learn vocal qualities such as chest voice, head voice and the elusive ‘mixed voice’ so that you can coordinate a lower pitch and ascend your vocal range without straining.
*Important note: Almost nobody has perfect pitch. In fact, it’s around 1 in 10,000. And, while you can get better at identifying notes in your range, realize that to perfectly sing on key, with perfect pitch, is not realistic.
Studio Singing Struggles
Another revelation I’ve had through the years, is that a singer may think his or her voice sounds amazing and that their tone is pleasing, when in fact, it isn’t.
When you get in the studio, there’s no wiggle room. The voice types have to match the music production, the engineer and producer/coach should have some common industry tricks to help you improve pitch while recording.
Sometimes, they might have you sing one great exercise (singing like a robot is one crazy exercise that occasionally helps a singer to sing in key) to help you sing confidently. Or, sing the phrase once and then put auto tune on your voice, so you can hear a perfect version of yourself and practice on the spot.
The studio is a place to discover your sound, but this takes practice. You have to sing in the studio many times before you enjoy singing under this intense scrutiny. For me, I’ve always let the singer enjoy the process and dialed back critiques.
Once a singer hears their voice ‘tuned’ digitally, they can hear, feel and perceive what it’s like to sing on key and hear their voice with perfect pitch. This is a great training method to prepare singers for the live experience.
VS.
Live Singing Struggles
As we’ve said, to achieve perfect pitch means you’re a rare bird. But, just like someone who plays the piano with no soul, sometimes a song can sound pretty boring.
Do you ever listen to a live record and think, “This song is not the same song as the recording?” That’s often because the singer is out there flying by faith. The home note, or first note of the song, can sometimes be totally elusive.
Also, the sounds of the live venue, the sounds of adoring or not so happy fans, can make or break a song. The music is often played more loosely live. Learning how to sing on key live is totally different from the studio experience. It’s unforgiving. But a gifted coach can help you to sing in key, pick the perfect key, help you with your breath control, (thus better controlling your pitch and your nerves), teach you to find the money notes in your range, listen to weaknesses and turn them into strengths, and give you notes that other singers may not possess. And, while singing isn’t necessarily a contest, having extraordinary range, boosts confidence.
Vocal Range Exploration
Vocal range refers to the span of pitches that a singer is capable of producing with their voice. It is an essential aspect of singing as it determines the variety and versatility of notes that a singer can comfortably perform.
Different vocal ranges include soprano, which encompasses higher pitches typically associated with female voices, alto, which covers lower female voices, tenor, which represents higher male voices, and bass, which represents lower male voices. Exploring and understanding one’s vocal range is crucial for singers to select appropriate songs and showcase their vocal abilities effectively.
Featured below is the great diva, Mariah Carey. She is known to have a 4 1/2 range, which makes her one of the most exciting singers of all time.
A wide vocal range isn’t crucial. The U.S. National Anthem only has 1 1/2 octaves, and many singers struggle to sing the high notes. Amazing Grace is the most recorded and performed song in human history, and only has one octave.
With the right training, you can completely unlock several new notes in your vocal range. Often, even lower notes can be increased by more than an octave.
If you haven’t found these notes, and you’re worried about whether you can sing in tune, you can change the key of the song to fit your current range.
Developing a Strong Singing Voice
A strong singing voice requires more than just natural talent. It relies heavily on proper vocal technique and training. By learning and implementing correct vocal techniques, singers can enhance their vocal abilities, expand their vocal range, and improve overall vocal control. A strengthened voice is often a far more coordinated voice. This is good for those who may struggle to sing in key.
*Reminder: If you have a weak ear, or have an untrained ear, it’s going to be harder to sing in key. But, its’s still possible to feel the resonance of of the correct note, especially if you have someone with a good ear listening and analyzing your voice.
Taking singing lessons is an effective way to receive professional guidance and instruction tailored to individual needs. Singing lessons provide structured training, vocal exercises, and valuable feedback from experienced instructors. Through regular practice and guidance, singers can develop their vocal strength, tone, and expression, ultimately enhancing their overall singing performance.
But remember this…. not all techniques work for all singers. A reputable coach and/or system, is necessary to sing in tune and to sing safely.
The Role of Vocal Cords
The vocal folds, or vocal cords control pitch by vibrating to produce sound. The vocal cord tension, stretching, thinning and thickening, make it possible to create pitch variation.
The importance of vocal cord health for singers is crucial. If you struggle with allergies, chronic sore throat, sinus infections, bronchitis, reflux or overall inflammation issues, you’ll find yourself singing flat and the folds may become damaged. This is a good reason to have a quality ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialist, who can check on your vocal health.
Techniques for Improving Vocal Pitch and Range
Through the years, I’ve often had people ask me to teach them to sing, by writing out exercises. But, actually, it would be easier to learn karate via reading. This is an auditory activity that relies on your ear, not your sight.
For tons of free tips that will get you started, please feel free to visit our Singing Success social media channels and our Youtube channel…. @singingsuccess
In the meantime, think about being at a crowded basketball game. The entire fan base are all singing “We will Rock You”…. and most everyone is on key. Singing in groups of people, can give you a sense of fearless confidence, because it takes the pressure off. But, a proven coach or great system will work much faster!
Considering Singing Lessons
Next time you’re in your car jamming to your favorite singer and perhaps wondering, “Why them, and not me?” Just remember, MOST professionals, musicians, athletes, artists and actors, have had 100’s and sometimes 1,000’s of hours of coaching.
To be sure, I’ve often coached many worship-leaders, cantors, choir singers, choir directors and karaoke singers, who (get ready for it now) could out sing many singers on the radio.
So, the point is to get better and entertain for friends, family members and fans. The level you take it all depends on your motives. But, it’s extremely satisfying to know you’ve given a great performance.
Professional guidance can help singers develop awe-inspiring technique, dramatically expand their vocal range, and develop concise, admirable, vocal control. Singing ok isn’t hard. To be impressive, you need to have a coach!
Step up to the mic! Deliver with confidence!
Conclusion
Years ago, in 1991, I had my 4th or 5th paying student come to me because he’d given up. He simply wanted to be in a musical at the local University. He would’ve been happy to just be in the chorus, but his voice wasn’t enjoyable to hear and he could not sing in tune…at all! He was told his singing voice was an irritant!! OUCH!!!!
They were right.
BUT WAIT! He immediately found just a couple of notes that he could sing in tune and discovered his ear was better than he thought. He booked 2 to 3 times a week and about a year later, (this almost choked me up) his voice was unrecognizable! He landed a small role in a professional music production and even sang a few solo lines! With confidence!!! Heroic!
Whether it’s a singer/songwriter night in a local venue/coffee shop, a musical, karaoke, church, or you want to release a record and sing to the whole world, WE WANNA HEAR YOU SING!
Call us at….
615-866-1099
or email us at
support@singingsuccess.com
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Get immediate, online, streaming access to our incredibly effective courses, by clicking the link below.
See you soon,
Brett Manning
[please imbed this video]
The power of a group class…2019 in China.
