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
Is There a Difference in Difficulty for Singing Specific Vowels?
Is there a difference in difficulty in singing specific vowels? Yes, some vowels will be easier to sing in tune, and others will be easier to sing with a strong tone. Click to understand why there is a difference in difficulty for singing specific vowels, and how to do something about it. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
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Flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s Theory
Can Supplemented Equal Temperament help you coordinate your guitar and synth tunings so they sound good? A wide range of Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) charts and preexisting EDOs (equal-division-of-the-octave tunings) can fit under the umbrella of SET. This gives you a lot of control over how you tune your guitars, ukuleles, banjos, and synths. This in turn will allow your whole ensemble to sound better in tune. Read more to learn about the flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s theory. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
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The 7 Best Iconic Riffs That Make People Want to Play Guitar
Do you want to play guitar? According to “The Talent Code,” an important aspect of learning an instrument is called “ignition.” What’s ignition? It’s a crystalizing experience where a person hears a song or sees someone playing and says, “I want to do that!” There are many great riffs out there, but I have selected seven of the best, most iconic, riffs spanning five decades. I hope one of them inspires you to play guitar. To learn more, keep reading “The 7 Best Iconic Riffs That Make People Want to Play Guitar.” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Singing Rhythm Syllables in 12-8 Time
Does 12-8 time signature make your eyes cross? Confused about how rhythm syllables work in compound meters? The sing-along soundtrack below will help! Read more to learn about singing rhythm syllables in 12-8 time. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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