SbGALT Singing Lessons - Guide for Sing in Tune

1: Welcome to Sing in Tune! You're about to embark on a rigorous training program to help you sing precisely in tune. You'll also be on course to recognize intervals and harmonies in a flash which is a powerful skill for musicians in general. Along the way, you'll be introduced to some music theory to help concretize the sounds we'll be studying; if you're new to music theory, don't fret! We're keeping it focused on what's essential to our goal. If at any time you have any questions, connect with me for a one-on-one Skype lesson and I'll help you through: http://www.galtmusic.com/lessons/voice_lessons_skype.html We'll be working from the ground up, beginning with the building blocks of Western music itself. Your mission is to absolutely perfect these fundamentals as they're the foundation upon which everything else stands.

2: What is an interval? An interval is the distance between two pitches. The smallest interval in Western music is the half step (also called the semitone or minor second). All other intervals are equivalent to some integer number of half steps added together. The next largest interval, for example, is called the whole step (also known as the major second) and it is equivalent to the distance of two half steps. Below is a chart outlining how all of the intervals we will study relate to the distance of a half step:

P1 = perfect unison, m2 = minor second, M2 = major second, ,m3 = minor third, M3 = major third, P4 = perfect fourth, T = tritone, P5 = perfect fifth, m6 = minor sixth, M6 = major sixth, m7 = minor seventh, M7 = major seventh, P8 = perfect octave

3: Major scale in steps (demonstration) The major scale is a seven note scale from which most melodies are made. Each pitch in the major scale is numbered and called a scale degree. The distances between each scale degree in the major scale are what give it its characteristic sound. The major scale may begin on any pitch and, as long as this formula of distances is observed, the result will be a major key. The terms scale and key are often used interchangeably; however, to be really precise, scale refers to a repeatable pattern of interval distances, while key refers to that pattern as starting from a particular note. The formula for the major scale goes as follows (W for whole step, h for half step): W W h W W W h

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1

4-15: Major scale in steps (practice) You sing... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2, whole step 3, whole step 4, half step 5, whole step 6, whole step 7, whole step 1, whole step

In this and all subsequent exercises, avoid using too much vibrato, and particularly on the onset of each pitch. Vibrato, being by its very nature a variation in pitch, can make hearing the pitch center difficult. Allow yourself to perfect and refine your pitch control before applying any stylistic vibrato. To make your practice time here even more efficient, you can treat this like a breath control exercise at the same time. Take a large (proper) breath before each run and try to get through as much of the exercise as possible under one breath. Don't allow your pitch to waver as you run low on air; this is where fine breath control becomes critical! It's worth mentioning that breath control can have a serious impact on intonation (tuning) so if you haven't worked on it, then get The Super Bundle, my course of singing technique lessons, here: http://www.galtmusic.com/lessons/products.html

16: Major scale (demonstration) You're singing the major scale straight through. Be sure to consciously recall the distances between each scale degree (which is the skill you honed in the previous exercise).

In Western music, there are 12 distinct notes, C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb and B. Note that # means "sharp" and indicates to go one half step up from the letter to which it's applied. b means "flat" and indicates to go one half step down from the note to which it's applied. This is why some notes have two names, as in C#/Db: they can be thought of as up from C or down from D. The next series of exercises will have you sing the scale starting from each of these 12 notes; the pattern of distances between the notes will not change and, therefore, the next 12 exercises are all the major scale ( just starting from different places). As a point of pride, once you've completed these next 12 exercises, you'll have practiced singing in every key! I should mention that this is one of those fundamentals which is very important to continuously work over time; your ear will become more precise with this practice, and so you'll be more able to refine it as you progress: a ceaseless cycle of improvement. This is effort well worth the time; beyond the obvious benefits of perfecting the most widely used tonality with which most songs are composed, it can be surprisingly psychologically empowering to know you've worked to perfect every major key.

17-28: Major scales (practice) You sing... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1, 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 You may instead like to use “movable do” Solfege, where you would sing: do re mi fa sol la ti do, do ti la sol fa mi re do.

29: Musical break I You're singing the major scale on numbers or Solfege; experiment with a variety of dynamic (volume) levels as well as dynamic shapes including crescendo (getting louder) and diminuendo (getting quieter).

30: Major scale tonic steps and leaps (demonstration) As mentioned earlier, there are more intervals than the whole step and the half step: a lot more. That said, you already know these intervals...you've stepped over them innumerable times now. That is to say, we can use the major tonality we've already studied to reveal and learn the rest of the intervals! Note: The last interval in this exercise is the perfect octave (where you're jumping between the same scale degree an octave apart). An octave refers to the distance between two pitches, the higher having double the frequency of the lower; for example, if an 'A4' has a frequency of 440hz, then the 'A5' (which is one octave up) has the frequency 880hz. The two pitches sound

the same, though the A5 sounds higher than the A4. Notes an octave apart are a bit like two identical shapes that have differing sizes, or like two shades of the same color. We have only 12 total notes in Western music, but they repeat continuously, octave after octave, getting higher and higher or lower and lower until they can no longer be heard by human ears. If you're interested in the relationship of frequencies between all the notes, see the chart at the end of the guide.

31: Major scale tonic steps and leaps (practice) You sing... 1 2, major second 1 2 3, major third 1 2 3 4, perfect fourth 1 2 3 4 5, perfect fifth 1 2 3 4 5 6, major sixth 1 2 3 4 5 6 7, major seventh 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1, perfect octave OR do re, major second do re mi, major third do re mi fa, perfect fourth do re mi fa sol, perfect fifth do re mi fa sol la, major sixth do re mi fa sol la ti, major seventh do re mi fa sol la ti do, perfect octave To clarify the purpose of the exercise, first the interval distance is marked out by stepping, incrementally, to each scale degree (a well-practiced skill, by now), then the leap is made between the two scale degrees highlighting the interval marked out by the steps. That is to say, the distance from 1 to 7, for example, is the interval of a major seventh.

32: Major scale leaps (demonstration) Now we'll leave out the intermediate procedure of stepping up to each interval; we'll leap straight there. While leaping from 1 in the major scale only gives us about half of all possible intervals, we can simply leap from the other degrees of the major scale to introduce all of the remaining intervals. Yet another reason why it is so important to perfect the major scale.

33: Major scale leaps from 1 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

(major second) (major third) (perfect fourth) (perfect fifth) (major sixth) (major seventh) (perfect octave)

2 3 4 5 6 7 1

During the test attempt, you may like to sing the actual distance you're covering (e.g. "major second") to reinforce the connection between interval name and its sound. Also, if you prefer, you may substitute Solfege for the scale degree numbers (1=do, 2=re, 3=mi, 4=fa, 5=sol, 6=la, 7=ti). Many interval types are repeated between each of the upcoming exercises, while only a couple of new intervals are introduced each time we change the scale degree from which we're leaping, so as the new intervals are introduced, be sure to study them and take careful note of their distinct character. Finally, it's important to make a mental map of where all of these interval distances are found in the scale; memorize that it's a major sixth between 2 and 7, for example. This is very important information for singers (aiding in sight singing, improvisation and harmonization, among other things, in addition to our tuning work) and it's indispensable for songwriters and composers.

34: Major scale leaps from 2 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

(major second) (minor third*) (perfect fourth) (perfect fifth) (major sixth) (minor seventh*) (perfect octave)

3 4 5 6 7 1 2

*newly introduced intervals Note how the feeling of the scale changes when leaping from 2 instead of 1? Despite using the exact same notes both times, the stark shift in feeling is unmistakable. This change, coming from centering around the different degrees of a scale, is the idea behind modal

music. When centering around each scale degree, you can imagine yourself in a "mode" of the major scale: a kind of distinct tonality with its own flavor. For reference, the modes of the major scale are named as such: Centering on 1: Ionian (precisely our major scale) on 2: Dorian on 3: Phrygian on 4: Lydian on 5: Mixolydian on 6: Aeolian (also known as the natural minor scale) on 7: Locrian

35: Major scale leaps from 3 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

(minor second) (minor third) (perfect fourth) (diminished fifth*) (minor sixth*) (minor seventh) (perfect octave)

4 5 6 7 1 2 3

*newly introduced intervals

36: Major scale leaps from 4 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

(major second) (major third) (augmented fourth*) (perfect fifth) (major sixth) (major seventh) (perfect octave)

5 6 7 1 2 3 4

*the augmented fourth is exactly the same distance as the diminished fifth, which is the distance of 3 whole steps (or whole tones); for that reason, this interval is often called the "tritone."

37: Major scale leaps from 5 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

5 5 5 5 5 5 5

(major second) (major third) (perfect fourth) (perfect fifth) (major sixth) (minor seventh) (perfect octave)

6 7 1 2 3 4 5

38: Major scale leaps from 6 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

(major second) (minor third) (perfect fourth) (perfect fifth) (minor sixth) (minor seventh) (perfect octave)

7 1 2 3 4 5 6

39: Major scale leaps from 7 (practice) You sing...

interval sung...

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

(minor second) (minor third) (perfect fourth) (diminished fifth) (minor sixth) (minor seventh) (perfect octave)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

40: Musical break II You sing... fa ti do sol mi ti la The interval distances are as follows: T

fa

m2

ti

p4

do

m3

sol

mi

P5

M2

ti

la

41: Chromatic intervals (demonstration) Not all music is based around the 7 note major scale, so the next several exercises will be pulling from the chromatic scale which includes all 12 notes; that's right, you'll sing every note combination possible. Master the next series of exercises and even chromatic melodies can be easily within your grasp.

42: Chromatic intervals (practice) ASCENDING

You sing...

interval sung...

do do do do do do do do do do do do

(minor second) (major second) (minor third) (major third) (perfect fourth) (augmented fourth/tritone) (perfect fifth) (minor sixth) (major sixth) (minor seventh) (major seventh) (perfect octave)

ra re me mi fa fi sol le la te ti do

DESCENDING

You sing...

interval sung...

do do do do do do do do do do do do

(minor second) (major second) (minor third) (major third) (perfect fourth) (diminished fifth/tritone) (perfect fifth) (minor sixth) (major sixth) (minor seventh) (major seventh) (perfect octave)

ti te la le sol fi fa mi me re ra do

*Note, in Solfege, me is pronounced “meh” while mi is pronounced like the English word “me.”

As you can see, there are no new intervals here! We introduced them all through the major scale. That said, the purpose of this exercise is to give you the ability to sing all intervals as starting from anywhere, not just from where the intervals can be found in a major key (because you may not always be singing in a major key!).

43: Interval categories (demonstration) Category

Feeling

Intervals contained

Perfect consonance

Pure, hollow, open

Perfect unison, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, perfect octave

Imperfect consonance

Sad, dark OR bright, happy

Minor third, major third, minor sixth, major sixth

Dissonance

Grating, biting

Minor second, major second, tritone, minor seventh, major seventh

Can you guess which interval my example is on? Answer:

Major third.

44-46: Interval categories (practice) In addition to singing this on an “ah,” cycle through vowel/consonant combinations to check your tuning on a variety of syllables. You may also like to sing the interval name to help with memorizing each one.

47: Harmonies Chords are defined as having at least three pitches that are spaced a third apart; The thirds between the pitches may be either major or minor.

48: Triads (demonstration) A chord with three notes is called a triad (take away one note and you're left with a dyad which is not considered a chord). Here are the intervals that make up the triads... Augmented: M3 + M3 Diminished: m3 + m3 Minor: m3 + M3 Major: M3 + m3 The term arpeggio refers to chords played one note at a time. The alternative to arpeggiating a chord is to play it as a block .

49: Harmonies, major triads (practice) Remember, you sing on the bass drum, before the piano accompaniment; sustain until the piano comes in and plays your note to test your tuning. Instead of "ah," you may also like to sing: 1 3 5 3 1 to keep track of the relationship of the notes in each chord.

50: Harmonies, minor triads (practice) You may sing: 1 b3 5 b3 1 (pronounce b3 as "flat three") You can see that the only difference between a major triad and a minor triad is that the middle note of the chord has been lowered by a half step.

51: Harmonies, diminished triads (practice) You may sing: 1 b3 b5 b3 1 The diminished triad has a lowered third and lowered fifth as compared to the major triad; it has only a lowered fifth as compared to the minor triad.

52: Harmonies, augmented triads (practice) You may sing: 1 3 #5 3 1 (pronounce #5 as "sharp five") The augmented triad has a raised fifth as compared to the major triad.

53: Harmonies, sevenths (demonstration) Seventh chords have an additional third added to the top of the triad. They are called “seventh chords” because the distance between the lowest note (called the root) and the highest note (called the seventh) is the interval of a seventh. The formula for building the seventh chords goes as follows... Major seventh = Major triad + M3 Dominant seventh = Major triad + m3 Minor seventh = Minor triad + m3 Half diminished seventh = Diminished triad + M3 Fully diminished seventh = Diminished triad + m3 We are leaving out, of course, the possibility of a minor triad + M3, which is called the "minor major seventh" and any sevenths built from the augmented triad, because these chords are

rarely used in most contemporary music. For our purposes, it's more important to perfect the most commonly used sonorities; remember, if you choose, you can always derive these (and all other) chords with what you know about intervals.

54: Harmonies, major sevenths (practice) Instead of "ah," you may also like to sing: 1 3 5 7 5 3 1 to keep track of the relationship of the notes in each chord. You would sing "7" when harmonizing against the triad.

55: Harmonies, dominant sevenths (practice) You may sing: 1 3 5 b7 5 3 1, b7.

56: Harmonies, minor sevenths (practice) You may sing: 1 b3 5 b7 5 b3 1, b7.

57: Harmonies, half diminished sevenths (practice) You may sing: 1 b3 b5 b7 b5 b3 1, b7.

58: Harmonies, fully diminished sevenths (practice) You may sing: 1 b3 b5 bb7 b5 b3 1, bb7 (pronounced bb7 as "double flat seven"*) *The top note of this chord is referred to as a double-flat (or doubly-flat) seventh because, as you saw in the dominant, minor, and half diminished sevenths, we had already dropped the seventh to a flat seven from the major seventh chord. The interval distance between the root of the fully diminished seventh and its top note (the double-flat seven) is called the diminished seventh: one half step shorter than the minor seventh and identical in distance to the interval of a major sixth.

59: Musical break III You must find and sing the sevenths by ear, hearing only triads as played by the piano. Can you identify the seventh chords you're creating by ear? Answer: Major seventh, minor seventh, major seventh, minor seventh, minor seventh, major seventh, dominant seventh.

60: Congratulations! You did it! You made it through an intensive workout designed to help you perfect your ability to sing in tune; now turn it into a regimen! Work with Sing in Tune consistently and you'll see it transform your abilities. To check out more lessons or just to say hi, visit my website: http://www.galtmusic.com/lessons/ or my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/sbgalt And remember to dig into the "extras" folder for lots of additional practice material!

Appendix Frequencies of notes (equal-tempered scale) Note

Frequency (Hz)

C1

32.70

C#1/Db1

34.65

D1

36.71

D#1/Eb1

38.89

E1

41.20

F1

43.65

F#1/Gb1

46.25

G1

49.00

G#1/Ab1

51.91

A1

55.00

A#1/Bb1

58.27

B1

61.74

C2

65.41

C#2/Db2

69.30

D2

73.42

D#2/Eb2

77.78

E2

82.41

F2

87.31

F#2/Gb2

92.50

G2

98.00

G#2/Ab2

103.83

A2

110.00

A#2/Bb2

116.54

B2

123.47

C3

130.81

C#3/Db3

138.59

D3

146.83

D#3/Eb3

155.56

E3

164.81

F3

174.61

F#3/Gb3

185.00

G3

196.00

G#3/Ab3

207.65

A3

220.00

A#3/Bb3

233.08

B3

246.94

C4

261.63

C#4/Db4

277.18

D4

293.66

D#4/Eb4

311.13

E4

329.63

F4

349.23

F#4/Gb4

369.99

G4

392.00

G#4/Ab4

415.30

A4

440.00

A#4/Bb4

466.16

B4

493.88

C5

523.25

C#5/Db5

554.37

D5

587.33

D#5/Eb5

622.25

E5

659.26

F5

698.46

F#5/Gb5

739.99

G5

783.99

G#5/Ab5

830.61

A5

880.00

A#5/Bb5

932.33

B5

987.77

C6

1046.50

C#6/Db6

1108.73

D6

1174.66

D#6/Eb6

1244.51

E6

1318.51

F6

1396.91

F#6/Gb6

1479.98

G6

1567.98

G#6/Ab6

1661.22

A6

1760.00

A#6/Bb6

1864.66

B6

1975.53

C7

2093.00

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