Part 1. Not Hitting the Notes

Intonation is a basic vocal skill without which it is definitely impossible to learn to sing beautifully.
It includes the ability to hit notes accurately (or almost accurately where necessary) and to reproduce the melody of a song with your voice 🎶

One of the most common mistakes teachers make is not finding out the true cause of detonation, but simply giving any intonation exercises, going for years without achieving results.

There can be two main reasons: insufficient development of musical ear and insufficient coordination by the brain of the internal muscles of the larynx, which are responsible for the pitch of the reproduced sound.

1️⃣ In the first case, you can ask the student to sing scales and intervals as much as you want, but the result will be minimal, because there is no correct musical-auditory image in the head, or simply a standard to aim for in order to properly coordinate the vocal apparatus.

Classes with such students should start not with reproduction, but with listening to various combinations and individual sounds, comparing them by pitch, and determining the descending and ascending movement of the melody.

2️⃣ The second case is when a person understands that they are off-key, but can't do anything about it: the brain does not have a correct connection with the larynx. This is the case when the idea is good, but the implementation suffers.

When working with such students, it is important to pay attention to this adjustment: slowly, without rushing, explore the entire vocal range in the mode of individual sounds, various musical modes and combinations. Polish each sound to perfection, no matter how many attempts it takes. For training, it is better to use not a piano sound, but a synthesizer generating instruments closer to the human voice - for example, viola or violin. Also, the "Harmony Tone" method works great; I will tell you more about it on the live broadcast this Saturday.

The most important thing you should explain to the student is that intonation is not an innate gift, but a skill that any healthy person can develop.

This will require a lot of attention and diligence, but the result is definitely worth it! 💪

Share in the comments if you have encountered problems with hitting notes?