Singing in tune or good intonation is a quality many singers
often covet, because so many singers sing off-key, or out or tune. Do singers sing out of tune because
they just don’t have the ear training or natural ability to hear the pitch they
are attempting to sing? Or could it be
that they can not sustain the pitch with their breath support and or posture?
Strong breath support is one of the strongest factors in
singing with excellent intonation. Singing from the chest only or weak, shallow
breathing makes the pitch by the singer to waver and be very unstable.
If the singer uses a good supported resonant head voice,
this will help improve intonation problems that can spoil a singer’s impression
on the audience. Also, a slumping, hunched posture combined with tiredness and muscular
tension can induce pitch problems. An effective way to improve intonation is to
practice daily diaphragmatic breathing exercises so that the voice will have
better vocal support.
What is good intonation? How can you stop those out of tune
days? You must have good breathing habits, relaxing with the blending of your
vocal sounds. Keep in mind that flawed vocal practice doesn’t only produce an out
of tune voice---and when you improve vocal practice, it doesn’t always help
with intonation.
If you just work on controlling your breath and abdominal
breathing, this will help with pitch difficulties. Doing this while releasing
muscular strain and tightness in the head, jaw, neck, and shoulders and the voice will project much
better with finer intonation. Voices that are supported well by the breath
sound natural and musical, instead mechanically unnatural and loud.
Once you discover what works for you for improving your
intonation, keep practicing it as you will need to sing in tune every time you
perform. An out of tune singer is not pleasant to hear, and most singers want
to avoid being stereotyped as having “poor intonation.” It can be improved with
awareness and daily work.
