Mastering Listening & Pitching Part 3 of 3 – Co-authored by Hilary Canto & Dena Murray

This is the final part of our 3-part blog on Listening & Pitching. We discussed the essential skills of listening in part 1, the use of tones and airflow in part 2, and now we will discuss matching pitch.

Pitch means to match a frequency or note…best done with the piano because this is the instrument that sounds most like the voice. You try to sing/tone/pitch the exact frequency of the note without going flat or sharp. Lead singing requires perfect pitch for the melody line. Harmony or backing vocals need to be extra good and strong on pitch…. or everyone will sound out of tune.

The scale and key is really the same thing…a singer’s key is the octave range or scale of notes that the song is being sung in and most suitable for that singer’s voice. You need to know the difference between the major and minor scales. Major scales have a bright, clear happy sound. Minor scales have a softer, sadder sound. Major and minor chords can be brought together in songs to add mood and colour etc. Once you have mastered pitch, it will be easier to move through variations in songs. Good vocal training should extend your range, making it easier to cross over into the different segmented vocal ranges and sing more in the style you like most.

Make sure you are happy with the instrument you use to help in learning how to match vocal pitch. Not everyone can match pitch easily with the piano. Some need strings, e.g., guitar, bass, or harp. The difficulty with matching the pitch of any instrument comes when the instrument is not in tune with your natural frequencies. Each person has a unique resonance and instrument tuning has been standardised into the frequency of A 440hz. This is actually higher than our natural frequencies (F being common) so we have to really listen hard to then match our voice to this pitch. If a singer has a problem with blocked sound memory, he/she won’t be able to hear the correct frequencies needed to vocally reproduce that sound. Remember, “We can only reproduce what we can hear”

Try mastering continuous octaves first, not just scales in keys from C to C. This will help you find your true voice and resonance. Most people get hung up on C to C. An octave is any 8-note scale/key. You need to have at least a good two octave range before you can start extending that range through vocal exercises and the art of breathing. Once you have at least two octaves of matching pitch, play around with intervals. Solfege is good for this exercise. E.g. do mi mi, mi so so, re fa fa, la ti ti. But also, don’t be afraid to get creative. Your own creativity and willingness to play around with exercises will help you gain dexterity, especially with regard to note distances — where matching pitch becomes an art of its own. Songs are not sung in scale-like exercises. Songs are comprised of different note intervals, which create melodies.

If you are really struggling with hitting a pitch straight off, you can slide to a note by using the higher or lower note to hit either. For example, c# to c, or, cь to c. However, it is not a good idea to do this so much that it becomes a habit. If it becomes a habit (because you are now reliant on it) it may have the opposite effect in song. You will become slightly off pitch because you will be scooping up to it.

Singing is supposed to be fun. If you over-think and intellectualize too much, you may only find yourself repeating habits that are keeping you from hitting the correct pitches. It will feel much harder than it is and leave you feeling hopeless.

There are many approaches when it comes to singing and learning how to master pitch. We’ve shared only a little in our series. Good singing requires lessons. To find the right teacher, you may have try two or three before connecting with one you understand. If seeking a teacher, it’ important to not be afraid to tell the teacher you don’t understand something. None of us are mind readers. There is no such thing as a stupid question. If you can’t get a grasp of things intellectually, ask yourself this, “How will I have that AH HA moment when it finally physically manifests?”

We hope we have helped you understand a little more about how to listen and match pitch. Every person is different, so it’s important to discuss whatever is troubling you with your instructor. If you don’t have one and want one, take a look at what VIDLA has to offer!

APPENDIX:
1) Listening – You can listen to other singers and their songs of course. However, if you have a pitch problem, this is not likely to help with your trouble hitting the pitches. A serious problem may require professional expertise such as hearing tests and/or The Tomatis Method, better vocal technique, and the art of learning how to breathe properly for song singing.

2) Hilary Canto’s “Toning for Singing Course” is available and accredited through VIDLA on Skype. For more information on how Hilary teaches go to her VIDLA page – www.vidla.org

Her TRUE VOICE COURSE® is available on mp3 to download from Box.net as a teaching guide for your voice where you can join with her and learn how to produce tones, breathe, listen, and pitch with step-by-step exercises to practise. The course includes written sheets. You can also find her videos on youtube demonstrating tones for singing.

3) Dena Murray teaches in- home and online beginners as well as professionals. She is particularly skilled at straightening out pitch problems. She has also uncovered a little known secret regarding the art of breathing for singers. This can be found in her last book of a 3-book series, “Vocal Strength and Power,” published by the Hal Leonard Corp. (2009). The other two books of the series include, “Vocal Technique: A Guide to Finding your Real Voice” (Hal Leonard Corp. 2002). This is a beginner’s book describes and teaches how it might be necessary to separate the voice in order to create properly placed head and chest registers before bridging (or blending) the voice to become one from the bottom to the top. Her second book of the series “Advanced Vocal Technique: Middle Voice, Placement & Styles” co-authored with Tita Hutchison (Hal Leonard Publishing 2007) focuses strictly on placement and a unique technical approach to bridging the passaggio.

Dena teaches her accredited course (through VIDLA) online via SKYPE
For more information go to her VIDLA profile page, or visit her website a www.denamurray.com.