Singing in tune means two things: landing on the right note, and staying on it while you hold it. When you sing with others, it also means fitting with them, so the chord sounds settled rather than rough. Nearly everyone can get better at it, and most of the fixes are simple.
Sharp and flat
When a note is a little too high, it's sharp. When it's a little too low, it's flat. Often it's only a tiny amount, not a whole wrong note, but in harmony you can hear it: the parts stop blending, and the chord sounds sour.
Most singers have a habit one way or the other. Some drift flat on long notes or at the end of a phrase. Others go sharp when they get excited or loud. Knowing your own habit is half the fix.
Common reasons notes go off
- You can't hear yourself. In a loud room, or with music playing over you, you lose track of your own voice and guess. This is one of the most common causes.
- You haven't heard the note clearly. If you aren't sure where the note is before you sing it, you'll land near it rather than on it.
- Tension. Tight shoulders, a clenched jaw or pushing for a high note can pull the pitch around. A relaxed, easy sound is easier to keep steady.
- Running out of breath. As the air runs low at the end of a phrase, many singers sag flat.
- Tiredness. A tired voice and a tired brain both find tuning harder. It's better to stop and come back than to keep going.
- Big jumps. Leaping to a high or low note makes it easy to undershoot or overshoot.
Hear yourself clearly
The single best thing you can do is hear your own voice and the music at the same time.
- Wear headphones for the backing, so it doesn't drown you out. Keep one ear partly uncovered if you like, or keep the volume moderate, so you can still hear yourself.
- Sing a little more quietly. A softer voice is often easier to tune, and you can hear the other parts around it.
- Record yourself and listen back. What you hear while singing and what you hear on a recording can be quite different. The recording is what others hear.
Give your ear something to check against
Feedback helps you notice drifting while it happens, not afterwards.
- Sing with a chord underneath. A held chord gives you something to lock onto. When you're in tune, the sound settles. When you're off, you hear it rub.
- Watch as well as listen. A visual sign that you've hit the note, like a note lighting up, helps you learn what "in tune" feels like.
Slow down
Speed hides tuning problems. When you slow a phrase down, you have time to hear each note before you sing it, and to notice when you've slipped. Get it right slowly, then bring the speed back up bit by bit.
Little and often
Tuning improves with regular, short practice. Ten focused minutes beats an hour of tired singing. If you're working hard and it's getting worse, that's a sign to rest, not to push.
Try it in Stackapella
Simple Gifts has a gentle tune that stays within an octave and moves mostly by small steps, so you can put all your attention on landing each note.
- Put on headphones, then Listen to your part with its guide voice, a phrase at a time.
- Sing along and watch your notes light up as you hit them. A note that doesn't light up is worth another listen.
- Turn on Chords underneath for a soft backing to tune to. It's never recorded.
- Loop a phrase that keeps going off, and slow it to 85% or 70%. When it's steady, go back to full speed.
- Record your part at full speed, listen back with the others, and record again if you'd like.