Singing with Perfect Pitch – How to Sing In Pitch

Perfect pitch is the ability to recognize and reproduce exact pitches without the use of a reference tone.  For singers, this means being able to sing in tune in both solo and accompanied situations.  Conversely, singers who lack a strong command of pitch are likely to be off-pitch at any given time.  In other words, perfect pitch is a necessity for singers who want to have that polished, pleasing sound.

While it appears that a small number of people are born with this ability, most have to acquire it through training.  Virtually all professional musicians have put in a substantial amount of practice in order to get a handle on pitch, so clearly it can have a multitude of benefits.

The key to attaining perfect pitch is ear training.  By training the ear to understand and accurately identify specific pitches and intervals, musicians gain the ability to respond to and reproduce these pitches in any imaginable context.  Therefore, a singer who has had ear training can be totally confident of being able to perform on-pitch at all times.

Ear training for singers can involve a number of simple pitching exercises.  For example, you can play a note on a guitar or piano; listen to the note first, then, as you play it a second time, sing the note.  After, try singing the note first, then playing it on the instrument, each time making any vocal adjustment necessary so that the pitches meet as closely as possible.  You can also do the same while playing a chord, singing one of the notes within that chord, or by playing a note at one octave, and singing the same note at a different octave.  Doing ear training exercises like this, over time you’ll find that all the notes within your range can become like second nature, available for you to use at any time.

If you’re a singer, ear training is highly recommended.  There are many other benefits associated with it as well, but, most importantly, you’ll gain the ability to sing with perfect pitch, and lose the fear of being out of tune.