How to Sing in Tune and Improve Your Intonation
LikeDo you ever find yourself struggling to catch the melody of a song, no matter how many times you listen to it? Or perhaps you're already a skilled vocalist but want to take your intonation to the next level? Today, we're diving into that topic!
How to Sing in Tune
Singing in tune is one of the core elements of being a vocalist. It's a musical aspect that most people can easily recognise and comment on. Therefore, we need to get it right! In this blog, I will be giving you five tips to help you sing in tune:
Sing with the Original Singer:
A common mistake many makes is jumping straight into singing with just the instrumental track. Instead, start by singing along with the original artist. This helps you become familiar with the melody and provides a strong foundation for solo practice. Go through the song line by line, and repeat any challenging sections until they feel natural.
Include Scale Warm-Ups:
Enhance your warm-up routine by incorporating various scales and modes. From the basic major and minor scales to the more complex mixolydian and pentatonic scales, each exercise refines your understanding of pitch. By preparing both your voice and mind in this way, you'll be ready for a productive practice session, ready to tackle any melody with confidence.
Sing to a Drone:
Challenge your ear and deepen your grasp of melody by singing alongside a drone set to the tonic of the piece. This exercise removes chord support, forcing you to rely solely on your knowledge of the melody. While it may feel daunting at first, singing to a drone sharpens your intonation skills significantly, leading to notable improvements in your musical accuracy.
Record and Reflect:
Capture your singing on record to gain valuable insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. Listening back allows you to identify where you might be straying off pitch, guiding focused practice sessions. Moreover, having a record of your progress serves as a source of motivation, encouraging you to persist in refining your craft.
Recognise Intervals:
The final tip for singing in tune is to practice your intervals. An interval is the way we measure the distance between two pitches. A great way to improve your singing is by recognizing the intervals from very simple songs like nursery rhymes. For example, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" begins with a perfect fifth, therefore when you come across this interval again in other pieces, you will confidently sing it in tune.
A common interval singers struggle to sing accurately is the major 2nd. This is just one step up from a note but singers often over or underestimate the distance. I recommend practising this interval by playing two white notes that have black note in between on the piano and repeatedly sing the interval. You may feel super confident with this interval, but this is just one example! Find out which intervals you often sing inaccurately and use this exercise to practise them.
I hope you found these tips helpful and enjoyable to read! If you would like to learn more and accelerate your progress, don't hesitate to book a private lesson.