Ear Training & Harmony
Welcome to the Ear Training and Harmony section of 30 Day Singer. Here you can find guidance on popular vocal concerns, like singing in tune, ear training, and how to sing in harmony. It's important for singers to learn ear training in order to recognize pitches - or your ability to recognize a note and replicate that sound. This opens up your ability to improve your intonation and rhythmic skills, improving your musicality and making it so you can harmonize easily with other singers. This is also key to learning and performing songs.
TUTORIALS
Introduction to Harmonizing
By O&OWatch this special tutorial on harmonizing from the professional Country/American duo O&O!
Pitch & Intonation
By Jonathan EstabrooksPitch and intonation are essential to great vocal technique. Jonathan will show you how to effectively improve your pitch and intonation..
Practice Routine for Better Intonation (Singers Who Struggle with Pitch)
By Camille van NiekerkIf you struggle with pitch accuracy, this is for you! Singers of any experience level are welcome. Join me in learning a practice routine for better intonation.
HOW TO: Find the Best Key for Your Voice
By Camille van NiekerkIn this video: - What a "key" is - How to determine what key your song is in - How to decide which key is best for you - Finding your range - Analyzing the range of the melody - Transposing karaoke tracks with free tools online - Apps that can help you transpose or edit tracks
A Capella Singing & Advanced Intonation
By Camille van NiekerkAgenda: - Definition & examples of a capella singing - Should beginners practice a capella? - The unique demands of a capella singing - Staying in tune - "Blending" with other singers (tone and vowel shape) - Dynamics and phrasing in a capella music
Beat & Rhythm for Beginning Singers
By Camille van NiekerkIn this video we will be diving into: -Defining beat & identifying the beat in any song -Beat vs. rhythm -Meter (aka: time signature) -Tempo & practicing with a metronome -And MORE!
Minor keys, Scales, and Chords
By Camille van NiekerkWhat is a minor key? Minor scale pattern: WHWWHWW. Relative minor (shared key signatures). Minor chords. Vocal exercises in minor keys. Song examples in minor keys.
Ear Training for Harmony
By Camille van NiekerkToday our instructor Camille goes over some key aspects of ear training for harmony. - How to find the key of a song - Singing the pitches within a chord - Hearing + singing thirds, fourths, and fifths - Mapping out the melody - Building harmonies.
Performance Prep
By Camille van NiekerkWe'll cover: - Song selection - Accompaniment - Steps to rehearse + polish your performance - Confidence + nerves - Debriefing a good (or bad) performance + improving for next time
Easy Vocal Harmony
By Camille van NiekerkIn this video, instructor Camille van Niekerk covers: Singing a note other than the one being played or sung. Choosing a harmony that sounds good with both the melody and the chords.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some great vocal warmups for singers start with gentle humming or lip trills to relax and engage your vocal cords without straining them. Then, work through some scales to gradually increase your pitch range and get your voice fully warmed up.
For a quick 5 minutes vocal warm up, try some lip trills or gentle humming for a couple of minutes. It’s effective and quickly preps your vocal cords for singing or speaking without overdoing it.
When your voice is sick, keep singing warmups light and gentle—like humming or low, quiet scales. Also, drink lots of warm fluids and rest your voice as much as possible.
Start with some light humming, followed by a few pitch glides (from low to high sounds) to get your voice comfortable. Finish with a few tongue and lip trills to help with articulation.
Two good vocal warm ups are humming and lip trills. These are super effective and easy vocal warm-ups that gently activate your vocal cords without causing strain. Both are great for starting any vocal exercise.
Breathing exercises and resonance drills, like humming and vocal slides, improve the quality and projection of your speaking voice. They help develop control and clarity, making your voice sound more confident.
Hydrate regularly, practice breathing exercises, and do daily warm-ups. Consistency with these habits will help your voice sound smoother and stronger over time.
To strengthen a weak speaking voice, practice deep breathing and speak from your diaphragm to add power. Also, try projection exercises like speaking in front of a mirror to boost confidence and clarity.
Focus on articulation exercises, like tongue twisters, and practice controlling your breath to avoid running out mid-sentence. Over time, these will improve clarity and help you speak with ease.
The four vocal function exercises are sustained phonation (holding a sound steadily), pitch glides (sliding between notes), lip trills, and staccato sounds on different pitches. They work together to strengthen and balance your vocal cords.
