How to stop singing sharp

What it sounds like

The take sounds bright, tense and slightly frantic. Nothing is obviously off, but you sit above the melody, and it is worst on loud passages and anything you are trying hard on.

What is actually being measured

The same measurement as flatness with the sign reversed: the average distance in cents between the notes you sang and the notes you aimed at, when that average lands above zero.

A sharp bias opens as a problem at an average of 8 cents above pitch across the take, and counts as severe at 40 cents.

Why it happens

Sharpness is an effort artefact. Extra breath pressure, a raised larynx and a tight jaw all push pitch upward, and all three are what a singer does when they are working hard or trying to be heard. It is the characteristic fault of confident singers, which is why it often goes uncorrected for years.

How to fix it

• —Sing the phrase at half your intended volume. If the pitch drops into place, the problem is pressure, not perception.
• —Release the jaw. A clenched jaw raises the larynx, and a raised larynx sharpens everything above the passaggio.
• —Slow the approach to high notes. Sharpness is often an overshoot on the way up, corrected too late to matter.
• —Record and listen against a drone rather than against the backing track. A dense mix hides a 20-cent error that a single sustained reference tone makes obvious.

The drill

Descending patterns at low volume, with a held reference tone underneath. The instruction is to match the drone rather than to project — the drill is training the ear to notice the overshoot while there is still time to correct it.

Common questions