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
Easy Pentatonic Riffs
By Camille van NiekerkMany riffs and runs are built using the pentatonic scale. Join Camille in this lesson series on easy pentatonic riffs. In each lesson, we’ll add on one note, until we’re singing 5-note riffs!
Backing Vocals For Beginners
By Camille van NiekerkAre you interested in singing backing vocals or joining a choir? If so, check out Camille's lesson series on backing vocals for beginners. We’ll take three well-known songs and practice singing backing vocals on each one. If you’re new to harmonizing, this will be a great first step!
Rhythm For Beginners
By Camille van NiekerkEvery melody, every single note in fact, has both pitch and rhythm. Pitch is the highness or lowness of a note, and rhythm is the duration of the note, or how long you hold it for. If you’re a beginning singer or you’ve been singing for a while but don’t feel that you have a natural sense of rhythm, watch Camille's lesson series: Rhythm for beginners!
14-Day Pitch And Intonation Course With Camille
By Camille van NiekerkWe can’t sing out of tune and still sound good. Even with beautiful tone and vibrato, it’s just not going to work. Join Camille for the 14-day course and learn how to trust your ear and singer instincts!
Major Scale Ear Training
By Camille van NiekerkThe major scale is the foundation of so many popular songs in Western music. Go deeper in your understanding and familiarity with this scale in Camille's tutorial on major scale ear training.
Diminished and Augmented Chords
By Camille van NiekerkAre you looking for a fun challenge? Then join Camille for a tutorial on diminished and augmented chords! Learning to sing and recognize all kinds of chord qualities will help you sing in tune and train your ears to harmonize!
Ear training: Major & minor chords
By Camille van NiekerkMajor and minor chords make up so much of the music we hear! Learning to both recognize and sing major and minor arpeggios will help you sing in tune, eventually build harmonies, and understand the structure of your favorite songs. Join Camille for a fun, interactive lesson series on major and minor chords!
How To Sing In Tune For Beginners Part 2
By Camille van NiekerkAre you ready to advance your knowledge and skill for singing in tune? If so, then check out How To Sing In Tune For Beginners Part 2! This lesson will cover stepwise patterns, arpeggios, and warmups that change keys. See you there!
How To Sing In Tune For Beginners Part 1
By Camille van NiekerkOne of the most common problems beginner singers face, is learning to sing on pitch. While you may worry it is because you are simply not a good singer, this could not be farther from the truth. It is likely because you have not had proper instruction on this skill. Anyone can learn to sing in tune! Camille is ready to help train your ears, match pitch, and help you start singing some easy songs. Get ready and tune in!
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..
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.
