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How to Sing: How to Stay in Tune When Singing

When we listen to a song sometimes we don’t realize that the singer has to be perfectly in tune on each note; what we generally first notice is the timbre of the voice and its strength or potency.

Staying in tune is one of the most important and necessary elements in singing, even more than the vocal range. Sometimes a person can sing along with a CD and not even notice that they are singing out of tune since they are not paying attention to what they sound like. Some people do not even notice that they are singing out of tune even when they are singing without any music.

If the person has a decently good ear, they will notice that they are not in tune and will look for a way to get themselves in tune. At least knowing that you are not singing in tune is the first step.

You can get significantly better with staying in tune with certain training exercises and methods. We will look at several tips for improving this skill.

When you are singing along with a song, lower the volume so that your voice is louder than the music. This will help you notice the errors that you make. When you see that you go out of tune, keep repeating that exact part of the song however many times it takes until you are able to stay in tune perfectly.

It is very important that you have some type of musical instrument, or use the virtual piano on this website. Start off by practicing scales like: do re me fa so la ti, repeating this several times. Afterwards, practice the scale do re mi fa so la ti do, do ti la so fa mi re do. Do this slowly and try to imitate each note as precisely as possible. Practice these scales until you have them completely memorized.

Next, practice singing arpeggios, which are notes that form a chord, such as the C chord, sing C, E, and then G. Another common way to sing an arpeggio is: C, E, G, E, C. Practice singing all of the arpeggios in the major chords.

Here is a list of the major chords and their notes:

C= C  E G

D= D F# A

E= E G# B

F= F A C

G= G B D

A= A C# E

B= B D# F#

Play the arpeggios and sing them at the same time. Afterward, sing them without playing the notes on an instrument, one by one. You can also practice the scales in the same way.

Record yourself singing these arpeggios and scales while you are practicing. When you have finished recording yourself, listen to what you recorded very carefully. It is much easier to notice the errors that you are making when you are not singing. Often times someone who is listening to a song can notice when the singer goes out of tune more than the singer notices himself.

Repeat these exercises but change the order of the notes. For example, in the chord C, sing C E G, E G C, C G E, G C E, etc.

Listening to what you have recorded will help you keep record of how you have improved. Record yourself each time you do the exercises and you will see that the notes will come out more in tune each time.

It is always recommended for any singer, or person who wants to be a singer, to know a little bit about music such as general musical theory. It is good to know scales and chords and also to know how to play basic things on a musical instrument. Singing along with an instrument will help you stay in tune much better.

 

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Learn How to Sing Better: Sustain and Breathing

How to Sing BetterIt’s quite possible that you have heard many singers who have the strength or potency to maintain a note for a long time. It is even more amazing when the note they are singing is high.

This technique is called sustain and is one of the most common elements used during a good singing performance.

The beauty of sustaining a note that is perfectly in tune for several seconds is that the satisfaction it produces for the singer when reaching the climax of the song is priceless.

There is no real trick behind this apparent extraordinary execution while singing, we just have to use the appropriate respiratory control to do it and practice some sustain exercises.

Exercise for improving air control and for helping prolong the duration of a note

The following exercise is a very simple but effective breathing exercise:

Try inhaling completely into the diaphragm area while expanding your abdomen.

Start by exhaling a very little bit of air constantly, but do not open your mouth too much. Make the sound of the letters t and s together, like tsssss.

Try to make the air come out slowly, control your breathing so that all of the air does not come out too quickly.

Measure the amount of time this takes you and record your results so you will see your progress as you get better. It doesn’t matter if at the beginning you just last for 10 or 15 seconds. Little by little you will make yourself last longer.

If you feel fatigued or dizzy at first, take breaks but try to last as long as you can without feeling dizzy.

This exercise will help you control your breathing better which will then in turn help you to achieve a longer sustain duration.

Now practice singing a note that is easy for you that is within your vocal register and which isn’t at the very high end or the very low end of your vocal range so as not to exert yourself too much.

Start with the syllable maa, using the same breathing technique and at the same time measure the length of time that you maintain the note.

When you are able to last a bit longer, change the note and start to sing higher notes each time. When you reach the highest notes use the sounds aah or ooh.

Always guide yourself with some sort of musical instrument. If you don’t have one, use the virtual piano on this website.

When you feel that the air is starting to run out in a specific note, stop the sound completely and abruptly without trying to use your very last breath. The note should end clearly without being lower in intensity. The note should always come out clear without altering the tune or volume.

As you go to higher notes it will be more difficult to sustain the note for a longer period of time. Try to concentrate on the different resonators in your body while you are practicing breath control.

You should notice that when you are singing a note, your abdomen should start deflating little by little. This will indicate whether or not you are utilizing the correct breathing technique.

Another variation of this exercise is to sing the scale of do re mi fa so la ti, accompanied by an instrument. If you still have enough breath left after the final note, continue on to the next octave.

This exercise is very simple yet very effective for improving your sustain technique. Remember that you should always record the time and the note you are singing, this will help you see that you have progressed.

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How to Sing High Notes

One of the goals that all people who sing or who are learning how to sing have is to be able to reach high notes.

If we want to be able to sing high notes, the first thing we need to do is learn the correct way to breathe. The quality of our voice, the duration of the note that we produce, and how high or how low the note is, all depend on us using the proper breathing techniques. We know that we always emphasize the importance of proper breathing, but it is the main foundation for any vocal technique.

You will be able to understand the right way to breathe when you yawn. Try to yawn while saying the sound “ahhh” for 10 seconds; make the note as high as possible. You can start out on a note that is comfortable for you and then try to raise it little by little until your reach the highest note at the end of your yawn.

Keep your mouth well opened while you are singing, especially on the high notes. Always try to pronounce the lyrics of the song as clear as you can. This will help you to reach the full potential and brightness in the different vocal resonators.

Begin singing open sounds like ahh or ohh, with your mouth wide open. These are the easiest sounds to sing when you are trying to reach higher notes. Generally, the sounds eee and u (like you) are the hardest to sing when you are trying to reach high notes in your vocal register.

It is recommended to drink water right before you sing and take little sips between each vocal workout.

An Easy Exercise for How to Sing High Notes

Among the most common exercises, we can find some to practice scales and arpeggios like: do re mi fa so la ti do. We can find these notes easily on the piano by playing one octave on the white keys. Continue going up the keyboard one half step each note on the scale.

We can start singing these notes with the ahh sound first and then repeating the exercise with the ohh sound. Remember to open your mouth wider as you start to reach the higher notes.

Use different areas of resonation; make the lower notes, which are easier to sing, resonate in your chest area. Concentrate on this resonator.

The sound of the intermediate notes in your vocal range should be sent to your mouth area.

The next set of notes, which are higher, should be sent between your palate and your nose. Focus on bringing the sound to this area which will help you reach the notes and make them sound better.

Concentrate on sending the highest notes to the head area, on the top in the center. Try to make this area the place where the highest notes resonate. Breathe with your diaphragm and bring the sound upwards, as high as it can travel.

Don’t strain your vocal cords. Make sure that the sound is clean and clear.

Now try to repeat the same exercise, but this time sing the notes of the scale: do re mi fa so la ti.

You will notice that the first few days will be quite hard when you try to reach the highest notes, but in a few weeks or maybe less, you will see that it will get easier to reach these notes. To stay in shape, try to practice these workouts frequently, especially if you have an upcoming vocal presentation.