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Tone-Deafness:
Overcoming Pitch Imperfections
Musical Guest: Tammie Huntington, MM - Vocal Music Instructor,
Grace College, IN
Tone-deafness, or the inability to recognize pitch, is often described
by vocalists as not being able to "carry a tune in a bucket." But
can tone-deafness be unlearned?
"One of the common misconceptions about tone-deafness," says music
instructor Tammie Huntington, "is that it is something that has
to do with genetic programming. But," she continues, "tone-deafness
has a lot to do with environmental programming."
Huntington, also a vocal performance artist, has worked with a number
of students suffering from tone-deafness. "In my experience," she
states, "tone-deafness has two primarily causes."
The first, Huntington says, has to with childhood exposure to music.
"Children who are exposed to a variety of music at a very early
age, and who are encouraged to explore music through singing and
participation, develop the ability to recognize scales and tones.
This exploration has a lot to do with how music tone is formulated."
"For example," she says, "most children learn simple scales through
nursery rhyme songs such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Absorbing
these simple scales provides the foundation for basic music concepts
and fine-tuning by ear.
When children are harshly scolded for singing off key, or aren't
encouraged to explore music through listening, participation and
observation of others, tone-deafness has been environmentally instigated.
"As I work with younger children, even if they sing off pitch, I
encourage them by telling them that they are singing their own tune,"
says Huntington. "Eventually, they will learn the correct pitch
if they have the confidence to explore music further."
The other common cause of tone-deafness evolves when the voices
of teen boys begin to change. "I think many boys who have been singing
well for years suddenly are sensitized to the inconsistency of their
own voice," suggests Huntington. "They seem to be uncomfortable
with their own voice and aren't sure how to respond to all of the
changes impacting the sound quality."
Huntington says that voice changes can be easily used to construct
new music training. She adds, "During this critical time, I revert
back to the basics. We start by becoming familiar with the 'new'
voice through experimentation. Then, once they understand just what
their voices can and can't do, we learn how to match pitches in
scales, perhaps at an octave lower then they had been singing."
"The key in working with boys undergoing a voice change," cautions
Huntington, "is to keep encouraging them, build their confidence
level, and, above all, keep them practicing." Unlearning the environmental
conditioning which often leads to tone-deafness requires a multi-step
approach. "Success begins by re-programming the ear," says Huntington.
What does she suggest to improve the quality of pitch recognition?
"I take a five-step approach," she says.
Step One: Learn How to Speak the Notes of a Scale
The first step to better pitch begins by speaking, and then finding,
the notes which correlate to the specific phrases. "Singing is really
just sustained speech," says Huntington. Teaching vocalists to recognize
that their voice can match notes helps initiate pitch recognition.
Step Two: Experiment with Your Voice
"I often advise students to manipulate their voices to see just
what the voice can do," suggests Huntington. Use a variety of slides
and funny sounds (including imitation of cartoon, animal, or another
fun sound) to alleviate vocal inhibitions. "Some tone-deafness may
be attributed to simply being too self-conscious or afraid to explore
the abilities of one's own voice," she adds.
Step Three: Learn to Match Pitch
Using scales, learn how to match pitch, note by note. This requires
both training of the ear (to recognize tones) and the voice (to
repeat the tone). "Then, once scale tones have been mastered, move
on to more complicated jumps," advises Huntington.
Step Four: Practice and Repetition
Athletes learn to become experts at their particular sport through
repetitive practice. "Vocalists who want better pitch must continuously
practice and keep training (both ear and voice) to improve pitch,"
Huntington says.
Step Five: Get Constant Feedback
"Work with someone who can help build confidence as well as pitch
skills," urges Huntington. "When re-programming the tone-deaf, feedback
is critical to ensure that the student stays focused, remains encouraged
and is achieving pitch objectives. A good music instructor can help
vocalists consistently find better pitch."
Dear Music
Wizard,
I am a part-time volunteer director for our local boys' choir. Our
lead vocalist, now thirteen, is providing me with a challenge. It
seems as though along with his voice changing, he has lost his ability
to sing on key. We have a major concert in six weeks. How can I
help him to overcome his sudden tone-deafness?
Sincerely,
Desperately Seeking Perfect Pitch
Dear Desperately Seeking Perfect Pitch,
It's not uncommon for adolescent boys to experience a period of
time when perfect pitch seems to evade them. A lot of this has to
do with being uncomfortable with the crackles and squeaks attributed
to coming-of-age voice changes. You can build confidence by teaching
teen vocalists to become comfortable with what his voice can do
and to re-learn music basics through the use of repetitive scales
and songs with small (four to five note) scales. Given some time
and encouragement, you'll discover that voice changes won't cause
long term tone-deafness.
Best Wishes,
The Music Wizard
--------
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The Hungarian
term for tone-deafness is translated as "a stick where one's ear
should be." No wonder tone-deaf permanence is such a popular misconception!
If you struggle with tone-deafness, or simply seek to learn better
pitch, here are a few steps you can take:
1) Play and listen to chromatic scales. Your ear needs
to be trained to do its job properly. (Think about it…you didn't
learn how to write your name without practicing over and over again.)
The more you listen to scales, the more comfortable you'll become
in recognizing the notes.
2) Play and sing chromatic scales. After you've mastered
(or at least have a very good idea about how chromatic scales are
supposed to sound,) play a scale and sing along with it. The key
here is to take your time. Play the note, hear it in your head before
singing it, and then actually sing it. If you blurt out the note
without thinking about how it is supposed to sound, you will not
train your voice or your ear.
3) Practice, practice, practice. As with any talent,
you are only as good as how frequently you practice. The more you
practice, the better you will become, and eventually, your pitch
will improve.
http://pianoeducation.org/pnotmtre.html
Teaching music scales, piano, etc to young children (including unbiased
teacher reviews)
http://www.globalshareware.com/Home-Education/Music/Music-Scale-Teacher.htm
A music scale teacher product (free download http://www.visual-mp3.com/review/3775.html)
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/music/
Free scale printouts for children
http://www.jtruelos.com/music/cool_chromatic.html
A great chromatic scale download
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is dedicated to helping musicians make a living in music. In each
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artist grants.
http://www.apifund.com/?OVRAW=music%20fundraising&OVKEY=music%20fund%20raising&OVMTC=standard
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Creative fundraising ideas
http://members.aol.com/moggycat/fundraise.htm
A-Z fundraiser idea sheet
http://www.fundraising.net/fundraisers10.php
Most popular fundraiser ideas
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