Day 3: Unison

When we talk about matching pitch, we’re talking about singing in unison. Singing in unison with another voice or instrument means we’re producing the same pitch at the same time.

Get comfortable with the feeling of singing in unison by starting on one pitch, matching it as best as you can, and then bending up and down, always returning to that central pitch. 

I recommend you use your chromatic tuner here so you can visualize your pitch going up and down, around that central pitch. Start on C4. 

See if you can identify by ear, whether I’m sharp or flat. 

It’s not realistic to expect that you will always sing perfectly in tune. But if you can identify when you’re out of tune and if you’re sharp or flat, then you can fix the issue by singing higher or lower!

An interval closely related to perfect unison is the perfect octave. Unison is literally singing the same pitch, and an octave is a large leap, so why do I say they’re closely related? They’re physically related, in that a piano or guitar string at a specific length, when plucked will sound a specific pitch. Cut that length or string in half, and it’ll sound one octave higher. You don’t need to memorize that! But you’ll see octaves on the piano very clearly, as having the same pitch letter name, with a different number. For example, C3 and C4. Those pitches are one octave apart. Or C4 and C5. They are one octave apart. C3 and C5 are two octaves apart. So while that is a big leap, the relationship between pitches an octave apart can also result in that “blending together” or “disappearing” sensation. We’ll work with octaves more later in the course, but for now - can you tell if I’m in unison with the piano, or in octaves? 

One well-known song example with perfect unison in the main melody is the chorus of “It Is Well With My Soul” by Ho­ra­tio G. Spaf­ford, melody by Phil­ip P. Bliss. 

 

       G            D

It is well  (It is well)

         D              G

With my soul  (With my soul)

Then the melody concludes like this:

       C           G    D       G

It is well, it is well with my soul

Let’s do a few more exercises to practice singing in unison, first with my voice, and then with the piano. I’ll sing a pitch, and you join me on that same pitch as soon as you can!

Now, same idea, but instead of singing, I’ll just play the piano. As soon as you hear the pitch to match, join it! 

If you’d like to keep practicing for homework, challenge yourself by playing a pitch on a piano app or chromatic tuner, if yours has a piano function built-in, and then matching that pitch. If you’re not singing the intended pitch, gradually glide up or down until you reach it! Then once you’re on the correct pitch, take a breath and sing it again - without sliding into it. 

Be patient with yourself and have fun with it!