Intonation is the manner of playing or singing a tone in regard to pitch. Singing off pitch, or "out of tune,- is heard all too frequently and is one of the glaring faults found among singers. It may be due to failure to hear the tone exactly or correctly. It is often caused by incorrect breathing and improper use of the resonating cavities (faulty voice placing), tense throat and articulatory organs, poor formation of words, forcing the voice, or repressing the voice. If you are tired or are not feeling well, you may sing off pitch. Nervousness in singing before people likewise may contribute to faulty intonation.

At times if you become disinterested in what you are singing or are careless or inattentive, your voice may flat in pitch. On the other hand, it may happen that you put forth too great an effort in your zeal to do well and cause your voice to sharp in pitch.
Poorly ventilated rooms or trying climatic conditions frequently induce incorrect intonation. An inappropriate selection of music also may bring about this defect. For example, the range of the composition may not be suited to your voice, the phrases may be too long, or the intervals too difficult. Possibly you may not know the music well enough to be certain of the pitches.
In rare instances, imperfect hearing or tone deafness is the origin of the difficulty. Unfortunately in such cases there is little that can be done to help those so afflicted, and such persons must face the fact that they can never become singers.

If you have a tendency to sing off pitch, find the cause, for it suggests the cure. Generally if the pitch is flat, exercises sung with the sounds hm, hn, nay, nee, my, see-ah are helpful. If you sing sharp, try such combinations as soh, faw, lah, and so forth. * Place your voice carefully, pronounce your words correctly, try to co-ordinate the position of your voice with the position of your words, —have them on the same plane, — then support your tone properly (breathe and use breath correctly), and you will usually sing in tune. That is, unless you have a bad ear, and then you should not sing at all!