Hi Teri

 

I used to have that problem myself (and still do, when I whistle), I don't seem to hear myself correctly. I've been able to correct it by sticking a finger in one ear when I suspect I'm sharp. Don't know why it helps me, but it definitely does.

 

Worth a try, at least.

cheers

 

Hildigunnur from the Land Of Fire And Ice :P

Here's a related ChoralNet resource.

Teri:  Singing consistently sharp can be caused by one of two things, or a combination of them.  One is a bad ear, that tells the singer that she IS matching pitch, and that's very difficult to re-train, and in some people impossible.  The reason Hildigunnur's trick of stopping up one ear helps is that it lets you hear your pitch internally rather than in the context of the singers around you.  There are other tricks that accomplish the same thing.  If this is the problem, she does not HEAR that she is out of tune.

 

But just as singing consistently flat can be the result of lack of breath support--too many of the right muscles are NOT doing their work--singing consistently sharp can be the result of muscular tension--too many of the WRONG muscles doing things they should not be doing.  And if this seems to be the case then a variety of relaxation exercises may help.  But beware:  the singer may feel that you're asking her to give up control of her own voice, because it feels as it the muscular tension IS giving her the control.  You might have to do a sales job.

 

And by the way, don't have your lone boy singing the alto part down an octave just because he's a boy.  Make sure the part actually fits his voice!  Musically, it might work better to have him double the melody down an octave, IF that fits his voice.  And better yet would be to write a third part for him that fits his range well.

 

John

 

 

I have fought this a little in my women's chorus and with sopranos in my SATB choir. Sometimes if a singer is singing their vowels slightly brighter than the rest of the group it can pull them sharp. If you can determine that to be the cause, "covering" the tone with a slightly altered vowel may help. Kinesthetic exercises can aid in this as well. I have found that if a group is singing a passage sharp, it can help to have them hold their arm out parallel to the floor and push the wrist down (kind of like revving an imaginary motorcycle throttle) as they sing the passage. It usually works. John's comments about tension are also well worth looking at. You could incorporate those with the whole group and see if it helps the individual as well. Good luck!

Hi Teri,

 

it's not my experience that tuning problems are primarily related to hearing.  However, they are mostly related to technical problems.  In the case of singing sharp, the singer may either be too tense or building up to much air pressure, or more likely, the placement of the voice is incorrect - too bright, too nasal, too high.

  I have found the following exercises helpful with my voice students:

 

1) Calm, open " yawn breath" - a sense that the inhalation is a moment of relaxation - and then keeping this openess while singing.

2) Vocal exercises with dark vowels (such as 'oo" or "o") and consonants such as hard "g", "k', "m', "b", and singing passages in which the singer tends to go sharp with those consonant/vowel combinations.

3)  Have the singer imagine that every sound is placed on his or her chin.

4) Make sure jaw, chin and tongue are loose.

5)  Avoiding any bright consonant/vowel combinations until the problem gets corrected (in case of sharpness this will take a while).

6)  If you think that the issue is overall physical tension, try shaking out arms and legs, bending over and hanging as a "rag doll', then standing and singing; focus on low abdominal breath, no chest raising.

 

I hope this helps - good luck!

 

Christine

Here are a few assorted (sordid?) thoughts on the subject.

 

1. The individual needs vocal training and much good advice is offered above.  I suggest that a singer who is consistently sharp be taught to sing on the low edge of the pitch and a singer who sings consistently flat learn to sing on the high side of the pitch. It can be practiced as a kind of game. 

 

2. A singer who sings out of tune may be subconciously doing so to hear himself or herself better. 

 

3. I advise the "sharp singer" to sing more softly and listen for others.  The singer is thereby taught pitch control by  peers.

 

4. Try positioning the singer in front of a fairly strong, in - tune singer so that she or he is able to hear good pitch sung right into his or her ears.

 

5. One really interesting side effect that resulted from a sharp soprano in one of my groups is that she single - handedly raised the pitch of the whole section that otherwise had a tendency to sing flat.  For a while it was pretty scary having one very sharp singer in the midst of others singing significantly flat.

 

6. There was a saying in the  big bad sixties,  "not to decide, IS to decide."  So it is with pitch:  If you don't consciously decide where to place a pitch you have actually decided that its intonation will be out of your control.  Over the long haul all vocalists and players of adjustable pitched instruments must constantly evaluate and correct pitch.   It's not something you just "get" and don't have to think about anymore.

 

I have a children's choir.  Have had most success when asking a sharp singer to sing at half volume. Very light head tone. Usually my "sharpie" is pushing & over singing - which means she cannot hear anyone but herself. I seat her in the middle of my best singers & ask her to sing so softly that she can hear all the people all around her .

 

best,

Carol