The Single Most Important Tip for How to Sing Acapella

The Single Most Important Tip for How to Sing Acapella Sign up successful #1 Tip for How to Sing Acapella Ear training is the single most important tip for how to sing acapella. What is ear training you ask? Being able to recognize pitch, tone color, and rhythms by hearing, and then demonstrating that through singing. The official definition from Webster Dictionary is: training to improve musical perception that generally includes solfège, sight singing, and musical dictation.” Don’t be intimidated! Ear training is not as scary as it sounds. Below, we’ll share a simple exercise to get you on the right track in developing your listening skills. The Most Effective Ear Training Exercise To get started, pick a few standard, traditional songs something from the American songbook such as “Amazing Grace” or “God Bless America,” that everyone is familiar with.  Next, listen to a professional recording of the song. [If you play an instrument, learn to play the melody of the song. Its okay if you need to look at the sheet music or lyrics this does not need to be memorized right away.] Once you feel confident acapella singing the melody of the song, start to double-check yourself. Sing one note at a time, and then compare it to the recording. If you’re playing along with a piano or guitar, check your pitch against it. If you did not hit the correct note, simply try again until you can sing the correct pitch. This process does take time, and it shouldnt be rushed. Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t hit the right note the first time; it takes practice! Once you’ve mastered note-by-note checking, try acapella singing the whole song from start to finish. Record yourself doing this so you can spot areas that still need some improvement. If the notes you sang sound the same as the original melody congrats, youre training your ear! If they sounded quite different, focus back on that melody again, and go over it pitch by pitch. You should also compare your last note to the last note of the recording, to make sure you stayed on track. You can repeat this exercise as many times as you need to with as many different songs as you like. You can also watch video tutorials like this one, that help you learn to identify and remember the individual notes in a song The more practice you get at ear training, the faster you will learn how to sing acapella! More Ways to Perfect Your Acapella Singing Being able to recognize if your singing is off pitch, flat, or sharp is ear training in itself. To further sharpen these necessary skills for acapella, listen to a range of very good singers and then, some not-so-good singers. Look for the difference in their pitch, intonation, and tonality. If youre unable to tell the difference of hearing pitches, and every note sounds the same to you, you may require some additional ear training methods. Here are a few excellent apps that will help you learn while on-the-go: Complete Ear Trainer Easy Music Good Ear Pro TakeLessons Live You can also try singing while you play scales or singing intervals to perfect your sound. If you’re a more advanced musician, try composing without the use of an instrument or transcribing your favorite song. Every professional singer should have a few songs in their repertoire that they can sing acapella. You never know when your next audition may be, and you can’t always expect a musician or CD player to accompany you at your auditions. If you need some additional guidance learning how to sing acapella, consider lessons from a vocal instructor to broaden your skillset. A vocal teacher can guide you through the process of ear training at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Good luck, and enjoy learning the art of acapella! Post Author:  Liz T. Liz T. teaches singing and acting lessons online. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music with a B.M in Vocal Performance and she currently performs all styles of music including Musical Theater, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, RB, and Country. Learn more about Liz here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher