A Note About Pitch...

Have you ever been heard an album, thought the singer was good, and then, upon seeing them live, thought...what happened??

In a time of extreme technology, there are many reasons why a singer may sound completely different from record to stage. And, singers...BEWARE!

As I have said before, talent comes first. There should be no scrimping on how hard one works to be good at their craft. And, pitch is certainly at the top of thelist of musical basics.

If pitch is a sore point for you in an acoustic setting, then it is definitely going to be a hurdle all the way around. So, make it a top priority in your lesson and practice. For those of you who have pitch issues, the key is not necessarily repetitive singing..nope... actually, the secret is repetitive listening. Pitch is not determined by the vocal chords. Pitch is determined by the brain first! Think about it now... what organ is the master of all others? Yep...the BRAIN!! And, it has quite a list of things to do when a performer is performing a song. Pitch is just one of the hundred or so tasks the brain has to complete in a nano-second. So, if you are having trouble with pitch, slow down. Listen. Really listen. Let your mind hear it. Your brain has to have time to process, duplicate and THEN send the message down to your vocal chords. Now, try to actually produce sound. It's a more meticulous process, but for those with pitch issues, it will help!

Once things are moving smoothly acoustically, usually the studio will follow suit pretty well. But, equipment and isolation from instrumentation can throw a singer off. Singer beware, again! You could fall victim to your own equipment! Now, there are some studio situations where you will record in full formation with yourself and band in the same room. However, traditional recording technique calls for tracks to be laid separately. This requires that the singer, at a separate time from his/her band, go into an isolation booth and record the vocals..most likely with headphones on. It feels like singing in your living room with....well... with headphones on! You don't feel the music in the room, it's not the all in encompassing, engulfing band sound you are used to practicing with. You are expected to have the same energy and volume that you would on stage, except, you are standing in a closet with a window with headphones on in front of this big butt mic that you can't touch!! It's weird and nothing sounds or feels the same. It's a little hard to get loose. All of these factors can add up to some pitch issues. In turn, it can lead to some auto-tune being used by your engineer! The tip, listen to your producer and engineer. If you feel your energy or pitch is waning, think a high, smile a little... it helps keep the pitch up. Try to get familiar with the space and relax in it. Use imagery to put yourself on stage or in your rehearsal space where you are comfortable, so that you can provide a vocal performance that has the energy and volume equivalent to your norm. And, have fun!

So, you make it to stage and maybe that's where your pitch issues seems to start. There's a lot going on up there in regard to equipment if you have a band. If you are fine acoustically and even in the studio, but something seems to go array on the stage. My first hunch is going to point to equipment, equipment placement, and ability to listen. Whether you perform with wedge monitors, in ear monitors, or just the house monitors, a singer has got to be able to hear what they are doing to monitor how it is being delivered. Honestly, it is a personal preference concerning what kind of band monitors are used. Of course, not many people recommend working off of the house monitors unless you are in a room the size of your garage. Balancing your output on that equipment is important..not only for what your audience to hear, but for what you hear. If you have a wedge monitor, Mr. Singer, make sure that you can hear in it what will be important for you to hear... that means, YOU! No one else can fix your tone, pitch, vibrato..or whatever, but you. So, if you have your sound guy turn up the lead guitar in your monitor so far that you can't hear yourself, you are sunk for fixing your flaws during the show...all you're gonna hear if Lead Guitar Guy to your left. You know that Lead Guitar Guy will have himself turned up the loudest in his own monitor because he wants to make sure his licks sound really awesome. Some singers don't like hearing themselves sing...well, get over it! It's not about you at this point.... it's about your audience! So, turn yourself up in your monitor and monitor yourself!! Listen and fix any pitch issues you hear along the way!

Just a note about pitch!
Keep on singing!