Indie Connect Magazine

© 2010 by Judy Rodman

Pitch problems can be frustrating… especially subtle ones that are not quite a half-step off. It’s best not to rely on electronic “tuning” too much for many reasons… budget (the farther from the correct pitch you are, the more time and expertise it takes to tune it correctly), sound (too much tuning and it sounds artificial… not good unless you want a purposeful effect), and confidence (that you can pull it off live without your electronic ‘life support’). Here’s help:

 In my experience with my own studio and stage singing as well as vocal coaching others, inaccurate pitch issues are most often directly related to physical tension. This unnecessary tension can act like someone tugging on the arm of a person playing a fretless instrument. There would be no way to hit the notes perfectly in tune with that kind of outside interference.

 Another source of inaccurate pitch is physical tightness in your throat channel when you sing. Your throat should open in three directions… up (soft palate and nasal membrane), down (jaw and tongue positions) and back (head balanced, tension-free, on tailbone instead of in front).

 Problem-causing physical tension can originate from what I like to call “tense thinking”… psychological anxiety, causing physical guarding, collapsing the “scaffolding” from which the voice works most accurately. Try committing: fully intend to hit the note, and fully expect to hit it. Use this mental confidence to aim correctly and you’ll be much more likely to do so.

 Pitch problems can also stem from wrong vocal technique habits, such as powering your voice from too high in the body. Move your feeling of where power comes from lower… at the pelvic floor… (squeeze your butt for power, not your neck, chest or shoulders) and get taller, lengthening your spine when you sing instead of compressing it and make sure your head is not forward.

 An action that can help get pitch right is to make sure you’ve warmed your voice up throughout your whole range. When the muscles controlling your head and chest voice are equally strong, aiming at pitch becomes much easier. Important: don’t just do vocal exercises… find out how to do them CORRECTLY!

 Another positive action is to focus your listening to an acoustic instrument in the track or band, instead of swimmy things or low instruments whose overtones tend not to be accurate and will through your pitch off.

 So… in short, here are 7 big tips to help increase your pitch accuracy:

1. POSTURE… stand or sit tall and confidently, head balanced on tailbone.
2. WARM UP… your voice correctly throughout your whole range, mixing it.
3. LISTEN …to the music, especially acoustic instruments such as piano and guitar.
4. DON’T LISTEN… to swimmy instruments or bass to get your pitch center.
5. AIM …at the pitch… intend to hit a specific note.
6. CONFIDENCE… intend and expect to hit it!

PRACTICE PERFECTLY… don’t allow yourself to be content with pitchiness. Practice hitting the note you’re aiming for, instead of allowing yourself to sing “pitchy”. You’ll train your ear to be much more accurate when you practice accuracy. And of course… it’s best to book a lesson with an insightful vocal coach who can make sure your practice IS perfect.

Judy Rodman has many years of professional experience as an award-winning recording artist, stage and television performer, multi-genre hit songwriter, studio producer and vocal consultant, and a highly sought-after voice teacher with her own breakthrough training method “Power, Path & Performance”. Click here to see some of her career milestones.

Judy’s Websites:

www.judyrodman.com   www.judyrodmanproductions.com

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