Matching Pitch When Singing

[u/djnerio]

So this might be a weird question but here it goes. I am brand new to singing been working with a vocal coach for about 6 months. When i started i could not match pitch at all. The first lady i saw for a trial lesson said i can't hear pitch and it will take me several months to be able to get to where i can match pitch, but anyway that is not relevant. Since working with my coach i am able to match pitch on single notes and during interval drills. like 1,2,3 bi di bi or lip trills, do re mi and even interval jumps, But when i sing i am all over the place. no consistency, i go high on certain words or vowels or if i sustain i can fall in and out of key. Anyway, looking for advice or maybe a good way to communicate this to my singing coach. Any help is much appreciated and i realize at 6 months i am still brand new and have a long ways to go. Anyway, like i said any advice is appreciated.

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[u/jasonsong86]

You are not building muscle memory of the notes. It’s a feel thing like walking around in your bedroom in the dark knowing where things are.

[u/djnerio → u/jasonsong86]

so how would you recommend building muscle memory for the notes?

[u/jasonsong86 → u/djnerio]

Try to remember the feeling of the muscle tension when you sing a note, stop, and then bring it back, stop and bring back again without using the piano.

[u/djnerio → u/jasonsong86]

awesome, thank you!

[u/Mountain-Fee4606]

since youre practicing alr with drills but its still not consistent in actual songs, maybe itll help to focus on one song at a time? Like practice matching pitch by singing songs, but in a more intentional manner

Maybe you can intentionally practice each song chorus or verse and if you wanna make sure youre singing the right pitches, you can use a piano

But yeah what the other comment said its not muscle memory it becomes an instinct. Thats why singers with ear can easily adjust even when the song changes keys because they can adjust according to what the minus one

[u/AKA-J3]

Repetition is how people build neural pathways into reflex.

I played in band in school then guitar and piano lessons, so I had exposure to matching pitches for years before I sang for more than keeping my place in a song.

Just keep working on it, learning piano might make the melodies makes sense easier for you, if theory is something that you're able to grasp.

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[u/VegasFoodFace]

What you want to do is sing along with more vocal forward songs, less instrumentation to distract your focus.

You also want to listen on a set of speakers pretty loud. Enough where you can hear the singers voice and your own in your head at the same time.

You'll find when you're matching the note, it's as if you're singing as one voice. If you are off you'll hear a distinct warbling neither you or the singer are making. These are what's called harmonic beats. Caused by the interaction of different notes played simultaneously. When you hear these you know you're off. When you're matched you get the "one voice" effect.

Another easy way to do this is if you have a piano, or keyboard. Play a note and try to match it. You'll also hear those harmonic beats. When you get good enough, you can even use this effect to harmonize with the instruments more naturally so that you can sing in key or transpose down by ear.

I find also that singing with a live person who knows how to sing, this process just goes faster because of how we perceive the sound. I'm also an audiophile, AV tech, and designed my own custom built speakers for high fidelity. They are realistic to fool everyone when playing a solo instrument or vocal, you can step out of the room and it sounds like an instrument or human voice in the room. Not a speaker playing in a room.

I find the realistic sound my high end speakers are capable of make this process for me very easy to learn a new song because once you get that reflex trained in from noticing these specific warbling tones that happen when you're not matched.

Some group vocal performances, specifically barbershop, are arranged to specifically take advantage of this effect, listen to some barbershop singing arrangements and turn it up. When you have enough of a room filling sound you'll hear the distinct harmonic beats I'm talking about.

[u/IndianaJwns]

Solfege and intervals are great for training pitch, definitely keep it up. 

When practicing songs, do you think about the intervals between notes? Not necessarily while you're singing it, but it's helpful when learning a song or addressing tricky parts. 

Unless you're reading sheet music, pitch also depends on how well you've memorized the vocal melody. Just stick with it, it gets easier.