How Do You Fix a Flat Singing Voice?

Have you noticed that something isn’t quite right with your pitching? Perhaps you often find yourself just off the note.

On this page, from River Recording Studios in Southampton

Learning to sing right on the note is a challenge many singers face. But how do you fix a flat singing voice? By practising some simple exercises, you can undo – and find out how to prevent – this bad habit, while improving and maintaining your overall tuning.

In this article, we’ll explain what it means to sing flat. And the methods to right it.

How do you fix a flat singing voice?

Singing flat is the antithesis to being in tune. But it is easily fixed with some simple vocal exercises and lots of practice.

To identify whether this is an issue for you, you must listen back to yourself. Filming a singing performance or practice can be useful. Although be aware that poor recording quality can give a false impression – and even make you sound flat when you’re not! To be sure, use high standard recording equipment or a very good smartphone where possible.

You can then listen out for notes that you’d like to work more on. As well as identifying parts that you really love. Celebrating what’s going right is as important as rectifying what’s wrong. Repeating this can help you document and understand your pitch progress.

Another way to find out if you’re singing flat is to use software to monitor yourself. Vocal Pitch Monitor is one such app. So is Pocket Pitch. These identify your tuning, so you can make amendments. Many of these apps will also have tutorials and tools to help you train your voice.

What does it mean when your voice is flat?

So what does it mean to go ‘flat’ when singing?

The term describes notes you are projecting, that are pitched just below where they should be. To be exact, it’s where the note sits one-semitone lower in pitch. So if you are singing in this way, the sound of your vocals is sitting just a little lower than where it needs to be, if you want to sound in tune.

It is good practice and important as you grow into the singer you want to become, that your pitch stays centred. It shouldn’t wobble just below, nor should it raise just above the note.

Singing flat vs sharp

Singing sharp is the opposite of singing flat. This is where it’s just above the note. It’s far less common among vocalists than singing flat. If you fluctuate between sharp and flat singing, you may be described as ‘pitchy’. This is always something to rectify as it can be harsh on the listeners’ ear. While it’s true that many of these vocal faults can be ironed out in the editing and mastering process, it’s far better to get a clean recording. And it’s essential for live gigs, where you don’t have the luxury of post-production.

What causes flat singing?

Singing consistently on key can sometimes be a challenge, and there are lots of reasons you may not be singing on pitch. You may not have a great ear for music. Perhaps you’re spending too much time listening to other flat singers and it’s rubbing off. It could be you’re choosing an inappropriate repertoire for your skill level, and need to find some easier songs to sing, that fit comfortably within your range and ability. Or you might not be supporting the voice properly.

However, with the correct vocal techniques, exercises and knowledge, you can turn this around. That way you’ll be hitting all the right notes, every time.

Flat voice tone

This is slightly different to flat notes. You can be perfectly in tune but have a dull, unexciting quality to your voice. A good way to remedy this and brighten your sound (which can also help with singing flat notes) is to lift your soft palate. The soft palate is the fleshy part on the back of the roof of your mouth.

If you’re unsure what it feels like to lift the soft palate, try yawning and notice how this area lifts. Replicate that less emphatically while singing and you’ll notice an instant lift in tone. By opening your mouth wider, the soft palate will naturally lift and your voice will feel more open and stronger. This will enable your notes to soar to the back of the room.

Flat singing examples

Even the biggest stars do it sometimes, especially live, when it can be difficult to hear backing properly and sound becomes distorted.

Here are some famous names getting it right – and wrong. Watch these singers perform, listen and notice their pitch. Are they using really effective breathing techniques? Are they opening their mouth wide so their soft palate is high? Or are their vowel sounds well-pronounced with clear diction?

If I’m singing flat how do I fix it?

If you find yourself singing notes that don’t quite hit the target, there are some exercises that will help. Finding a safe note to pitch from, listening to recordings of yourself, building muscle memory and practising scales, will all help you to stop singing in a flat voice. You need to repeatedly rehearse the notes that are slightly slipping out of your grasp.

How to sing in tune

Firstly, you can improve your pitch by practising your scales. This should be the bedrock of your vocal practice in any case. Don’t rush through them ignoring the quality of sound you are producing. Check each note is landing right where it should be.

A scale is a set of notes such as a major scale (C to C. Eight notes).

When a singing teacher warms up your vocals by singing ‘Ah’ – or another sound – through a series of notes running up and straight back down, this is a scale.

Not only does it warm up your voice, ready to showcase some awesome melodies, but it is crucial for keeping you in pitch whilst singing. Why? Because you become familiar with the sound and feeling of all the notes and this builds your singing stamina.

How to not sing flat

You can keep in tune by improving your muscle memory, through interval training.

This is an exercise that is brilliant for maintaining your notes pitch-wise. Helping your vocal muscles (the larynx, which is the voice box and pharynx) to remember the placement of certain notes, will help you blossom with steering away from singing flat.

A great way to build the muscles memory ability is by practising singing intervals during your vocal warm-up.

Begin by singing at the note of C. Jump up to E and back down (playing them on a keyboard is a handy reference if you are just starting out. Or you can always hire a vocal teacher to work with you on this).

Repeating this interval exercise will build up your muscles ability to recognise the placement of each note, helping you to stay away from those flat notes. As you perfect it, change up the note you start and end on, within your natural range.

How to fix a flat singing voice is an issue faced by many developing singers. Singing in tune is often really tricky, especially if your backing isn’t the best. If all else fails, autotune is there for you. But to be the very best artist you can be, it’s well worth putting the work in and rectifying your tuning, so you’re right on the note. This will make you sound much better on recordings, even before the mastering process.