Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you ever ask yourself, “How can I tell when I’m singing in key?” or “How do I know if I’m singing in tune?” If you happen to be one of those people who has an innate sense of pitch, count yourself lucky. For everybody else, take heart! Performing in tune is a skill that you can learn, and the sing-along soundtracks below will help. Read more to learn what you need to listen for to be able to sing in key.
This website uses technical musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
How Can I Tell When I’m Singing in Key? By Learning How Your Ear Works!
Melodic Sound Model:
How you can tell when you’re singing in key (i.e., in tune) depends on if you tune melodically or harmonically.
- Our ears hear melody and harmony in profoundly different ways.
- When you tune up a melody, you need to listen to the distance between the notes.
What determines if the pitch will be in tune or out of tune?
- The melodies in your culture shape you perception of which pitches will be okay, and which won’t.
- Sing along with the specially tuned song track above while listening to the distances between the notes.
- Can you hear when the notes get farther apart, and when they get closer together?
When tuning harmonically, you need to listen for the buzz between the notes.
- Sing along with the song track below while listening to the buzz between your voice and the organ’s chords.
- The synth vocal line will help you keep on key.
- In addition to listening for the buzz in the harmonies, you also have beats and fusion that you can use as harmonic tuning cues.
For more info on buzz, beats, and fusion see, Harmony Is Tone Color.
Harmonic Sound Model:
How Can I Tell When I’m Singing in Key? By Training with The Intonation Flight Simulator!
You ask, “How can I tell when I’m singing in key?” You learn how to by taking advantage of the rest of the vocal tuning resources on this website:
The Intonation Flight Simulator:
- This link has all the posts with sing-along song tracks.
- The soundtracks’ special tuning system helps you learn how to hear and sing in key.
- Best of all, it costs nothing to use them.
Sing in Tune Like a Rock Star:
- This post helps you learn how to mimic vocal tone and nuance.
10 Elements that Impact Vocal Tuning:
- This link examines the key elements that shape vocal intonation.
Concluding Thoughts to “How Can I Tell When I’m Singing in Key?”
Singing melodic distances in tune often takes longer to master than harmonizing in tune. Therefore, I suggest you focus on harmonic vocal exercises at the start of your training.
The more you practice with the sing-along song tracks, the quicker you’ll be able to tell when you’re singing in key. Also, The Intonation Flight Simulator posts have a lot of good vocal performance tips. Have fun!
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
The Successful Music Student Blog is Changing the Post Time
Success Music Studio announces that The Successful Music Student Blog is changing the post time. It will now post on Mondays at 7:00 am EST. Estimated reading time 1 minute.
Read More
How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score: Part 3
Do your students get confused by space note D at the bottom of the treble staff? Or do they have a problem with space note B on the top of the bass staff? Read more to learn how to switch from color coded notes to special mnemonics, allowing students to graduate from the color coded music score. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
How to Color the Music Score to Successfully Focus Special Needs and LD Students on Features of the Sheet Music
Color does not need to be limited to color-coding. Bring staccato, legato, pedal, dynamics, and accents to the foreground by using a highlighter and red pen. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Read More
Sing in Tune with Synth Settings
Does your choir have pitch issues? Retune your synth to make examples of good sounding chords. After years of hearing pianos tuned to equal temperament, many singers cannot sing harmony accurately. The piano is a bad model for how well-tuned chords should sound. Read more to learn how to sing in tune with synth settings! Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More