How can I practice singing in tune?

Have a digital tuner laying around the house? You can use it to learn how to sing in tune! Digital tuners are often used to tune instruments, but can be very helpful tools when it comes to singing. These devices let you set a target note, hear that note, and then show whether your own note is above (too sharp) or below (too flat) it and by how much. From there you adjust the pitch you are singing until it matches the target note on the tuner. It’s that simple!

Using a digital tuner trains two things at once:

1. Your Voice

When you first start singing, it can be difficult to get the right pitch. Using a digital tuner allows you to see far off you are from the target note and whether you need to sing higher or lower to hit the right pitch. Practicing with a tuner will give you greater control over your voice.

2. Your Ear

The process of honing in on the target note relies on your ear’s ability to accurately judge the pitch of the target note and your own sung note. As you practice with the tuner your ear will become more reliable until you don’t need to watch the tuner at all, you will eventually be able to use your ear to know whether to adjust up or down.

Four easy steps to learn how to sing in tune

Here is an easy process you can follow using a digital tuner to improve your ability to sing accurate notes reliably.

1. Set your tuner to a target note (for example, A)

It is best to set the tuner for a range you are comfortable singing in, although many tuners will still work if you sing in a different octave.

2. Listen to the tuner play the note

The sound will probably be something like a “beep” played over and over. Try to hum along to the sound.

3. Hear the note in your head

Try to memorize how the note sounds. This skill of “audiation” connects hearing music with singing it. You hear, then you imagine hearing, then you sing.

4. Sing the note

As you sing the note, watch the tuner to see if you are too high or too low. From there you can adjust your voice until you hit the target note.

Other useful tools for learning to sing in tune

As well as using a normal digital tuner you can also practice singing in tune with: