Singing In Tune

[voclizr]

I'm find myself having to deal with an increasingly difficult problem. I'm finding it more and more difficult to record vocals in tune.

Does this problem come with age? Is there anyway to counter it? Is there any way I can monitor when I record that will help?

My new PC setup, which is a laptop 2.1 GHZ processor Dual Core, 3 gigs RAM doesn't help with it's damned LATENCY! (and I've tried EVERYTHING with that issue).

But I've struggled with this issue of the vocal tuning before the laptop. A few years ago, I took an online test for relative pitch and only scored 85%. Same results after taking the test three times.

Can somebody give me suggestions? This is really depressing me.

Thanks.

John B.

[john]

Hey John

Are you consistently flat in pitch? From your own perspective, is the problem in your perception of pitch or one of vocal control? (ie do you think it is your ear or your voice that is at fault?

Lastly, when you record you are no doubt wearing headphones... have you tried recording with only one ear with the headphone and the other free?

[voclizr]

Hey John

Are you consistently flat in pitch? From your own perspective, is the problem in your perception of pitch or one of vocal control? (ie do you think it is your ear or your voice that is at fault?

Lastly, when you record you are no doubt wearing headphones... have you tried recording with only one ear with the headphone and the other free?

Johnny, thanks so much for your response.

I'd say most of the time I'm sharp. I think it's my ear insofar as sense of pitch. It's like I know what I'm aiming for, but it just doesn't wind up where I want it. Kinda like if you're myopic and trying to shoot at a target with a gun. You might be able to get close, but not the bullseye.

The one ear in the headphone-I might have tried that at one time not recently, but I'll try it again.

Thanks so much!

JB

Edited October 14, 2010 by voclizr

[Nick]

I'd say most of the time I'm sharp. I think it's my ear insofar as sense of pitch. It's like I know what I'm aiming for, but it just doesn't wind up where I want it. Kinda like if you're myopic and trying to shoot at a target with a gun. You might be able to get close, but not the bullseye.

The one ear in the headphone-I might have tried that at one time not recently, but I'll try it again.

Thanks so much!

JB

Strangely I know very few people who sing sharp consistently. I sing on the flat side when I am unsure of songs or words or am nervous.

I agree with the headphone thing when I've tried recording and multitracking. I haven't done that for ages though but will be doing it again soon.

I find my little Zoom recorder great and that has helped my pitch and singing in tune. It's no fuss to set up (I have recorded in the car at lunch at work) and I can listen straight back and spot the crap bits I do and try and do something about it.

The better I breathe the better I sing. My pitch wanders as I run out of puff.

Could it be performance anxiety? Recording something that you have worked on hard puts a pressure that doesn't help.

As an odd thought do you find some sounds harder to sing in tune than others - I definitely do.

But as a general thing I reckon I sing more in tune now than I did five years ago. I'm 56 and think my singing is improving not getting worse - though I may be wrong

Your latency problem is something else though. You have a hugely higher spec machine than me (slow processor 750mb RAM Windows XP Asio4all driver and Reaper and have no real problems that put me off)

Edited October 15, 2010 by Nick

[Nick]

My range

Not sure whether this is helpful but it might be. You got 85% in a pitch test which could be a different thing - I presume that you weren't 15% off on every note - if so you just need retuning and you'll be perfect.

My guess is it could be a 'singing across the breaks in your voice thing' which I could give you lots of examples of me doing.

You might want to try this but I would guess that you could sing each note by themselves in as close to pitch that it would matter not to anyone but you. Sing intervals across bits of your voice and you'll soon work out where the pitch is going wrong. Often you can just change the key you sing the song in. If you are interested I could post some examples of songs that I would rather sing in a key but don't because of dealing with those transitions. I have three at the moment. Some can have the same range but how the note are grouped make them a hugely different thing to sing.

If I could breathe AND sing equally across my range then I would be hugely better as a singer.

Listen above and notice how my pitch struggles at the bottom of my voice. It then goes flat when I run out of breath towards the end of the first octave. Notice also where it goes wrong as I cross the bit in the second octave where I go from chest voice to middle (A - E) and towards head voice. Once I get to the other bit of my voice it's consistentish though it's struggling at the top. I think I have a baritone voice which I can push down towards bass and try to extend into the range that is the tenorish and gets all the fun.

I recorded the above with a midi keyboard playing in my headphones and me keeping in thereish

The problem bit (for me and others) is singing across the breaks in my voice. It's also the bit where it sounds SO different to me in my head

You might play and write songs with ranges of notes that make it hard - or write songs where the note you need most breath on to float that note out is precisely at the moment where you can't.

Just some thoughts.

I did the thing above some while back so must try it again! I'll post another and see if it's worse. If it is then you are right about getting older

Edited October 16, 2010 by Nick

[voclizr]

Nick;

Thanks for your input. I listened to your example and you seem to have hit upon my problem. The one small part you seem to go off sounds EXACTLY what I deal with.

I'm trying to find that test, but no joy. I found a similar one where you just listen to small portions of familiar songs and got 100%. The test I took a few years ago was based on pitches that are very close to each other. So close, in fact, that it takes a very keen sense of pitch to identify higher or lower. We're talking changes in closer than half steps musically. I really wish I could find it.

JB

[JohnnyOctane]

If you can't sing the range the song is in. change the key

[voclizr]

If you can't sing the range the song is in. change the key

JO-The concern was singing in tune, not reaching the "High notes".

Anyway, it's a non-issue now. I've bought Melodyne.

JB.