Keeping Your Choir In Perfect Tune

A choir singing in perfect harmony is a beautiful and powerful experience. However, staying in tune can be a challenge, especially when voices blend together in different parts. Whether singing in a church, a school, or a community group, there are several steps that the director of a choral group ca do to improve the tuning of the singers and create a more unified sound. It may seem odd that a choral group would need to “tune up”, but it is just as important for choral members to be aware of their singing and whether it is in tune not only with the accompaniment instrument but also with the other singers.

1. Develop Good Listening Skills
   
   One of the most important aspects of singing in tune is the ability to listen. Choral members should pay close attention to each other, blending their voices instead of trying to stand out. Listening carefully to the other parts helps maintain pitch accuracy and creates a balanced sound.
   
   The first step in this process is for each singer to be able to hear if he or she is on key. This skill is often innate, but it can be learned by just about anyone. If the skill cannot be found or nurtured in a member of the choral group, it’s probably time for that person to find another outlet for creative skills.
   
   To help develop that skill, a singer can match notes with a piano, other instrument or even a phone app that can produce musical notes. This will also necessitate a listener to help the singer determine if the pitch is being matched correctly. (Be sure that the listener is not tone deaf!)
   
   Once that skill is well-developed in the singers, they can then begin to listen to each other and make adjustments as they sing.

2. Breath Support and Control

Strong breath support allows singers to produce a steady, strong, consistent tone. Choir members should practice deep breathing, using their diaphragm rather than shallow chest breaths.

Posture First – The first thing that singers need to do when developing good breathing practices is to have great posture. Whether sitting or standing, singers should do the following to establish great posture: 

• When sitting, sit so that the back does not touch the back of the chair. Feet should be flat on the floor, shoulders relaxed, and head perched directly on top of the spinal column.
• When standing, stand with the feet about as wide as the shoulders. The legs should be straight but the knees should never be locked. Locked knees restrict blood flow and can result in dizziness or fainting.
• To create the largest amount of room for breathing, singers can imagine a string attached to the very top of the head, like a marionette, and that the string is pulling the head straight upward, creating the greatest distance between the sternum and the belly button.

 Proper Breathing – When breathing properly, a singer’s voice has more power, more control, and a fuller, more expressive tone. For the breathing itself, the simple thing to say, and the tricky thing to do, is to Breathe from the Diaphragm. 

In reality, all breathing is accomplished by the diaphragm. However, the term “Breath from the Diaphragm” refers to the practice of pushing the belly out to make room for the air instead of trying to expand the chest or even raising the shoulders. 

It is critically important to use proper breathing techniques to avoid hurting your voice when singing. Singing, as well as playing a wind instrument and most sports, requires breathing from the diaphragm. For that, a singer’s body should be at its best posture. Then, before even starting vocal warm-ups, a singer can use these exercises to improve breathing techniques for singers. 

• Diaphragm Muscle Builder – This first one is probably better done in the privacy of one’s home. It’s best for developing the diaphragm muscle itself. The singer would lie on the floor on the back. Form a small opening in the mouth, about as big as the tip of a pinky finger. Inhale only through this small opening in the mouth and consciously push the stomach out to make room for the air to enter the lungs; shoulders and chest should not move. When the lungs are full, exhale through the mouth while maintaining the stomach’s pushed-out position. This acts as a sort of isometric exercise for the diaphragm muscle.
  
  
• Before Performance Warm-up – This one is called Exhale on a Hiss. It’s a great way to start when warming up your voice before singing. This technique helps vocalists to sing from their diaphragms and improves breath control. Here’s how to do it:

     Stand up straight and relax your body. This will also relax your diaphragm and release any tension that could prevent you from singing incorrectly.
Breathe in through your mouth and count to five. As you breathe, bring the air deep into your lungs. A “singer’s breath” should not make your chest puff out or your shoulders rise — instead, your belly should expand outward.
     Exhale and count to nine. While exhaling, make a hissing noise that sounds like the first letter of the word “sizzle.” By the time you are done counting, all the air should be expelled from your lungs. 

Once you build more lung capacity and get comfortable with this exercise, increase the times a bit.

3. Proper Warm-Ups

A good warm-up prepares both the voice and the ear. Start with humming, scales, and vowel exercises to improve pitch accuracy. Simple exercises like singing “do-re-mi” up and down a scale help singers focus on correct pitch before beginning more complex pieces. Here is a list  of good warm-up exercises

• Yawn-sigh Technique – Take in air) with your mouth closed. Then, exhale through your nose as if you are sighing. This helps relax your voice and improve its range.
• Humming warm-ups – This is one of the best vocal warm-ups because it doesn’t put a lot of strain on your vocal cords.
• Straw Exercise – For this exercise, hum through a straw. Start at the bottom of your range and slide up to the top slowly and evenly. This exercise is great for singers who want to improve their breath control.
• Lip Buzz warm-up – The goal of this simple warm-up is to make a motorboat sound by making your lips vibrate as you blow air and sing pitches and slides through your mouth and nose.
• Tongue trill exercise – This may be difficult for some singers. It involves rolling your R’s as you go through your range from low to high and back.
• Jaw Loosening Exercises – When singing, the singer’s jaw should drop lower than when just talking. It is more than simply dropping one’s chin. The singer can pretend to yawn with the mouth closed and feel where your jaw drops.
• Two-octave pitch glide Warm-Up / Vocal Sirens Exercise
  For this easy vocal warm-up, make a long E or long O sound and gradually glide up and down through the notes of a two-octave range. This helps singers transition from the chest voice to the head voice. This can also be done with the Straw, Lip Buzz, or Tongue Trill exercises. There are two variations for this exercise. One is to sing just the diatonic or chromatic notes; this is good for improving intentional intonation. The other is a total glissando, with no definition of note; this is good for simply warming up the voice.

4. Sing with Proper Vowel Shapes

Vowel placement is crucial for staying in tune. Choir members should keep their vowels pure and consistent. Vowels aren’t sung the same way that they are spoken. When speaking, all vowels have some character, especially when a regional accent is taken into consideration. For example, a long E is spoken with the corners of the mouth drawn up in a smile. A long I can be spoken as a sample Ah in some parts of the US. When singing, all vowels have a basic modification to their spoken shape, that is, they are sung much rounder, with less exaggeration than the spoken versions. 

When investigating the “proper” way to sing vowels, one will find a variety of methods used by different directors. Sometimes, these differences depend on the style of music being sung. Other times, it’s a meter of preference from some past experiences. 

5. Develop a Strong Ear for Intonation

Unlike wind instruments that have fixed keys or holes, or stringed instruments with specific places or frets for the players’ fingers, singers must be able to hear the required note precisely and be able to adjust their vocal chords to produce the correct pitch. Since, under normal circumstances,  there is no way to actually observe that happening, developing a good ear is crucial for maintaining accurate intonation. Here are a few ways to develop a good ear for intonation:

• Use a Tuning Reference – A well-tuned piano, pitch pipe, or tuning app can help choirs stay on pitch. Choir directors may play key notes before and during practice to reinforce accurate tuning. Some choirs also use tuning forks or electronic tuners for individual practice.
• Practice with drones – Playing scales or passages along with a drone (a sustained reference pitch) helps train the ear to hear and adjust pitch naturally. (I will sometimes use the drone of the lawn mower as a reference pitch to sing with.)
• Use perfect intervals – Listening for certain intervals such as major and minor thirds, perfect fifths, fourths, and octaves helps ensure that notes are sung correctly. 
• Record and listen back – Hearing their own singing can help singers recognize intonation issues and make adjustments.

6. Blend and Balance the Voices

A choir should sound like one voice, not a group of individual singers. To achieve this, members should match their volume and tone to those around them. If one section sings too loudly, it can throw the others off. A well-balanced choir maintains harmony and stays in tune. 

Blending and balancing well starts with the conductor. Once the conductor indicates which sections should be louder or softer, the responsibility shifts to the section leaders. (See the article called Selecting Section Leaders in a Choral Group for inspiration about how to choose the best section leaders.) From there, it falls to the individual singers.

Each section must match their pitch with each other, ensuring a unified sound. Players should: 

• Listen to the section leader – The section leader sets the standard for that section. 
• Balance dynamics – Singing too loudly or softly can change the way intonation is perceived, so a controlled volume helps maintain tuning stability.
  
  7. Avoid Pushing the Voice (Good Voice Technique)
  
  Singers should not strain to reach high or low notes. Straining can cause the voice to go flat or sharp. Instead, singers should focus on relaxed, supported singing and proper vocal technique. If a note is difficult, adjusting posture and breath support can help.
  
  Using good voice technique start with training and proper warm-ups. There are a number of recommendations for reaching those notes that are, for now, too high or too low. For starters, stay relaxed – tongue, larynx (voice-box), shoulders.
  
  For high notes, try these:
  
  
• Use the soprano sneer – curl the upper lip as if smelling an unpleasant odor.
• Raise the eyebrows. For whatever reason, raising the eyebrows lifts the soft palette a bit to allow the high notes out.
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For low notes, try these:

• Drop the jaw just a little, especially the back part, as if trying to dislocate it from the skull. It shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
• Relax the tongue and jaw. The longer, thicker parts of the vocal chords need to be able to vibrate freely.

8. Practice A Cappella Singing

Singing without accompaniment forces a choir to rely on their ears and improve their pitch accuracy. Even short a cappella exercises strengthen tuning and help singers become more aware of their intonation. It doesn’t even need to be a song written to be sung a Capella, but it should be one that’s been practiced before; don’t try one “cold”. 

9. Watch the Conductor

This cannot be emphasized too much. The choir director gives cues for pitch, dynamics, and timing, among other things. If singers are not watching, they may drift out of tune. Directors often signal adjustments in volume or tempo that affect intonation, so keeping eyes on the conductor is essential.

10. Encourage a Supportive Atmosphere

Finally, a choir that encourages each other and works together will sing better. A positive, prayerful, and focused attitude helps singers stay confident and engaged, leading to better tuning and a more enjoyable singing experience.

Conclusion Staying in tune is not just about hitting the right notes—it’s about listening, breath control, vowel placement, and teamwork. With dedication and practice, any choir can improve their tuning and create a beautiful, unified sound that glorifies God and blesses those who hear it. 

Salt Cellar Creations understands the beauty and power that a Choral Ensemble can convey and the challenge that choral directors face in choosing the best music for their ensemble. SCC has a growing library of original works and arrangements to help meet the needs of choral teachers and directors. Find out more about what Salt Cellar Creations has to offer for Choral Groups HERE. Explore the available music HERE.  

SCC can also compose an original piece for you or do a custom arrangement for you to allow you to showcase your group. There are two ways that this can be done; one is much more affordable than the other. CONTACT US for more information. And SCC is always looking for ideas of pieces to arrange or suggestions for original pieces.   

We have written and arranged music for groups not only in the US but also in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Austria. Please CONTACT US to let us know what we can do for you!