Do you need an online tutor to help you sing in tune? The archive contains posts with sing-along songs.
Right now the posts in the archive focus more on sing-along singing example tracks than songs. However, many posts now contain full sing-along videos, especially in the Shape Notes and Solfege category.
The archive pulls from two main categories: Singing in Tune and Shape Notes and Solfege. The Singing in Tune category focuses on teaching how to sing, with a strong emphasis on how to harmonize in tune. I geared the posts toward singers. However, flexible pitch instrumentalists (such as violin, brass, and woodwinds) will find the posts helpful too.
The Shape Notes and Solfege category focuses on sight singing and melodic tuning. The Singing in Tune and Shape Notes and Sight Singing categories both have sing-along songs. Moreover, they serve as sound models for well-tuned harmonies and melodies in each category respectively.
I have crafted all of the examples using a special tuning system. This system is not the tuning system, SET, described in the Intonation blog category.
Rather, the system used for the post examples reflects how singers and flexible pitch instrumentalists actually tune their instruments as they perform. In other words, the examples balance the tuning needs of the melody against the tuning needs of the harmony.
This remains an important point, because melody and harmony do not tune the same way. When tuning harmony, the musician needs to focus on the three main aspects of the chord’s tone color. However, when tuning melody, they need to focus on what Ron Gorow calls span.
Nevertheless, the sing-along songs provide good sound models for both harmonic and melodic intonation.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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Have you gotten the hang of reading rhythm in 4-4 time and want to get a handle on 3-4 time too? 3-4 has a much different feel than 4-4 and expands the types of music you can perform. Read more to learn about singing rhythm syllables in 3-4 time.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you get confused about the different types of solfege? Which is better for sight singing music? Fixed or moveable Do solfege? Read “Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shapes Notes” for practical suggestions on how to sing music with lots of sharp and flats.
Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you have a hard time singing minor keys in tune? According to Hagerman and Sundberg, minor thirds are almost as hard to tune by ear as major seconds, and much harder than major thirds. However, sing-along song tracks can help! Read more to learn how to harmonize in minor keys.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Have you learned how to sightread relative minor melodies, but want to be able to sing parallel minor too? We’ve already learned about La based shape note solfege minor melodies. In this post, you’ll learn about Do based shape note solfege as well. Read more to find out about singing shape note parallel minor melodies. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Have you mastered reading basic sixteenth notes rhythmic syllables and want to be able to perform dotted eight note/sixteenth note pairs? The more complex the rhythm becomes, the more fun you’ll have with the melodies. Read more to learn about singing dotted eighth note rhythm. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you find minor harmonies harder to tune than major? Frustrated that you don’t sound as good as other singers? How well you tune impacts how good you sound, including the strength of your vocal tone. Read more to learn about singing major and minor harmonies in tune. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Have you gotten down reading the easier rhythmic syllables, but want to learn more? As you progress, you will hear that the added rhythm makes performing melodies much more fun. Read more to learn about singing sixteenth note rhythmic syllables. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Have you ever wondered what you could do to better sing in tune? Knowledge is power. Read more to find out how vibrato impacts singing in tune. (Also, the post uses a video of Bohemian Rhapsody to illustrate the main point.) Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Have you learned how to sight sing natural minor melodies, but want to be able to sing harmonic minor too? I can help. Read more to learn about singing shape note harmonic minor melodies. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Have you ever listened to a chord and couldn’t pick out the notes? Or maybe you’ve tried to hear the inner parts, but couldn’t? If you want to harmonize in tune, you need to be able to hear the parts. Read more to learn how to hear the notes when harmonizing. Estimated reading time 6 minutes.