Music Notes – An Xperience Column

Music Notes – An Xperience Column – by Peak Music Studios.

Why does my voice sound funny even when I’m sure I’m singing the right note? It’s a question every singer has asked at some point, and it’s as common as those glossy magazine promises that you can “lose 10 pounds in a weekend” or be “swimsuit-ready in seven days.” We know better, but we keep looking for shortcuts. Singing, like fitness, doesn’t work that way. The reality is this: matching pitch is critical, and there’s science behind why it sometimes feels harder than it should.

To hit the right note, your vocal folds must close at the correct tension—too loose and you’re flat, too tight and you’re sharp. The louder you sing, the more air you push, and the more effort it takes to hold that seal. On top of that, you’re not using just one muscle group. Singers rely on their “TA” muscles (chest voice) and “CT” muscles (head voice), sometimes both, to create what’s called “mixed voice.” That continuum ranges from the smooth soul of Sam Cooke to the powerhouse belts of Broadway singers.

But here’s the twist: even when you hit the pitch, your voice can still sound off. Why? Articulation. The vowel you choose, for example, ah, eh, or ee, changes not only the pitch but also its color. Singing is not speaking, and if you’ve ever endured karaoke “speak-singing,” you know what I mean. Beyond that, every note carries with it harmonics, or overtones, that layer above the fundamental pitch. If those harmonics aren’t balanced correctly, your voice won’t sound pleasant, no matter how accurate the pitch. Voice scientist Johan Sundberg demonstrated that specific harmonics must align with vocal tract resonances for a voice to ring beautifully. For a striking example, search for Wolfgang Saus singing Pachelbel’s Canon with overtone singing—he sounds as though he’s singing and whistling at once, when in fact he’s manipulating harmonics.

So when a note doesn’t sound right, the reasons could be many: lack of muscle coordination, using the wrong muscle group, poor harmonic alignment, or simply the wrong vowel. The good news is that every one of these issues is trainable. With structured practice, you can learn to balance muscles, shape vowels, and align harmonics. As neuroscientist Daniel Levitin reminds us in “This Is Your Brain on Music” (a highly recommended read), “Practice doesn’t just change what we do—it changes who we are.”

The bottom line: don’t give up, don’t skip your workouts, and never say you “weren’t meant to sing.” That’s like saying you weren’t meant to walk just because you fell down as a toddler. With time, training, and maybe a laugh or two at yourself along the way, your voice can absolutely sound awesome. And if doubt creeps in, remember the words of Jim Rohn: “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

See you in the studio.

Peak Music Studios

This month in music history

October 3, 1974 – AC/DC’s First Concert with Bon Scott

October 9, 10, 2025 – John Carpenter Concert: Halloween, The Thing, Escape From New York, and more at New York’s Knockdown Center

October 31, 1963 – Bob Dylan’s first top 20 U.S. album, “The Times They Are a-Changin’”

October 31, 1988 – Debbie Gibson held a seance at her Halloween party.

October 31, 1989 – MTV Unplugged premieres

Weird But True 

Midnight Syndicate (formed in 1997) creates haunting soundscapes used in haunted houses, horror conventions, and theme parks.

“Spooky Scary Skeletons,” originally a 1996 song by Andrew Gold, became a sensation on YouTube when fans paired it with animation.

The BBC banned “Monster Mash” (1962) by Bobby Pickett for being too morbid. It now earns around one million in royalties worldwide each year.

A Southern Gothic musical?  Yes, “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County” was created by John Mellencamp, Stephen King, and T Bone Burnett.  The musical debuted in 2007. It was described by Esquire magazine as “the first ever musical written by men for men.” Mellencamp’s songs were praised, but King’s story was described as overlong and muddled.

In 1860, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville utilized his invention, the phonautograph, to record sound waves as scratches on soot-covered paper. Nobody could play them back at the time, but in 2008, scientists used modern technology to “resurrect” his ghostly recordings. The result? A haunting, wobbly voice singing the French folk song “Au Clair de la Lune,” recorded 150 years ago by a man long dead.

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