How to Teach Singers to Sing in Tune and in Key

Methodology on Ear Training the Student With Voice Pitch and Tuning

Sep 8, 2009

Singing out of tune is a common problem for hopeful vocalists. A few exercises will often help.

Within most crowded rooms, there are likely to be two or three people who will never sing in the company of others. This may be a confidence issue, but often this may stem from the belief that they cannot sing in tune. Even trained signers have experienced this difficulty, if transiently.

Common Causes for Tone Deafness in Singing

The teacher must try to eliminate common causes for insensitivity to pitch before finding a solution. The most straightforward ones are:

Simply experiencing silence for a while to rest the ears and become more sensitive to sound will aid with ear training, a useful exercise on voice tuning.

Learning to Listen to the Background Music During Vocal Performance

Some singers are naturally more able to sing in tune than others, but in most cases, students will show improvement with ear training. This means learning to listen. According to Carrie Grant, voice coach to Charlotte Church and the Spice Girls, some singers are so preoccupied with the sound of their own voices that they forget to listen to the sound of the backing music and the rhythm. This may cause the singer to sing out of key or to sing out of sinc with the backing track.

How to Train the Ear for Singing

Some singers sing just above the note (sharp) or just below the note (flat), or to sing out of time with the backing music. Vocal coach Seth Riggs who developed the Speech Level Singing Method criticises the “vocal cheerleading” method of vocal instruction where the teacher merely bangs out a tune whilst the student follows along in the hope that practice will make the problem go away.

Contrary to this method, the student must learn to listen in order to heighten sensitivity to pitch. Such an exercise may entail playing a given note followed by another and assessing whether the second note is higher or lower. As a progressive exercise, the two notes may become more similar to one another and therefore more difficult to distinguish. This exercise can also apply to rhythm. This entails playing a piece of music and to request the student to match the beat by tapping the edge of a hard surface. Simple rhythms must be practiced prior to complex ones.

Avoiding Singing Flat or Sharp or Out of Rhythm

The student’s self-awareness of singing out of key is a big step. Only then can the student make improvements. When the teacher is satisfied that the student has shown sensitivity to ear pitch and to rhythm, the student may progress to singing the note after the teacher has played a key. The student must self assess his accuracy, whether the note is sharp, flat or out of time. Playing back a recording of the student’s performance will help with self-assessment and enable measurable improvement.

Improving Pitch and Rhythm in Vocal Training

Differentiation can be explored by increasing the number of notes played and sung back. The objective of the exercise is to sing the notes back as precisely as possible. Notes outside of the singer’s range must be avoided at this stage as the exercise is not about increasing the voice range, power or breathing technique, but about exercising ear training and the student’s ability to judge pitch and to emulate it vocally.

How to Sing in Tune and in Time

With training, most singers will show improvement with pitch, even those who believe they cannot sing. The most common causes for tone deafness must be eliminated first with a possible visit to the GP. The singing teacher can then devise clear, precise and easily assessed exercises to heighten the student’s awareness of key and rhythm of the backing music. This entails ear training. Listening to pitch and rhythm and to emulate it vocally will enable the student to make a self-assessment of their performance and to reveal areas that require further development.

The copyright of the article How to Teach Singers to Sing in Tune and in Key in Music Education is owned by Rachel Wills. Permission to republish How to Teach Singers to Sing in Tune and in Key in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.