3 Reasons You’re Singing Off Pitch

Today we’re going to be talking about a topic that’s on a lot of singers’ minds: singing off pitch. Most singers, when practicing and performing, are consistently measuring and editing their pitch. Being able to sing on pitch is a common way to measure if you’re singing ‘good’ or ‘bad’. It’s something we all struggle with and so today, I wanted to share 3 reasons you’re singing off pitch. By knowing what possible causes are impacting your performance, you can fix the issue more quickly!

#1: Your ear! 

Many singers jump to the conclusion that their ear is the reason for singing off pitch. They believe that they just can’t hear the pitches correctly or something of that nature. Sometimes this is absolutely the case! But, in all honesty – it isn’t very often the root cause of poor pitch. Many musicians who are working on singing think that they have a bad ear but when you watch or listen to them, you’ll see that they have a very good ear. So something else is usually at play when it comes to being off pitch. For those individuals who have trouble finding and holding a melody, they often jump to the conclusion that they are tone deaf. But this is rarely the case either. While I can’t think of one reason why NOT to do ear training as a singer, I think it is helpful to know that improving your ear is only one part of the equation when it comes to being in tune. Let’s look at some other root causes.

#2: Your body is tight!

This seems like a super simple reason that you’re off pitch, but it’s very likely. If your body is tight, especially the muscles around your voice (your neck, shoulders, tongue, and jaw), you need to loosen them up. When these muscles are tight, our pitch is impacted! Muscle tension truly impacts pitch, so make sure you’re nice and loose before you go to practice. If this is the case it’s very helpful to have a physical warm up to do. But there’s another very important element when it comes to this topic.

#3: Your vocal fitness!

The most common reason for singing off pitch is not having enough vocal fitness.  Many singers lack the fitness in their voice to actually get to the notes they want without having to use extra muscles or tension. The first rung of fitness that’s important to build is a strong vocal foundation. Having a strong vocal foundations means that we are able to produce high quality and high intensity sound(s) without fatiguing our voice. Vocal mechanics truly matter for a healthy voice and being able to sing on pitch.

If you’re looking to improve your intonation or pitch as a singer, dive into these three topics: improving your ear, reducing your muscle tension, and increasing your vocal fitness. Taking the time to build these skills is important to you being able to perform confidently.

See more about the reasons you’re singing off pitch in today’s video:

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