As a lifetime singer, I’m fascinated by music and harmony. It’s incredible how we’ve been given a voice to speak with that can transform into an instrument we can sing with! Let’s think about it.
I did a Google search about the percentage of people that can sing and here are some answers that may surprise you (do your own deeper research if you want to find exact sources and studies):
- About 98% of people have the physical capacity to sing – to match pitch and carry a tune.
- Only about 1.5 to 5% of the population is tone deaf, a condition called Congenital Amusia.
- While most people can sing passably, 10-20% of the population struggles to sing in tune. Another study suggested that 40-60% of non-musicians could be considered “bad” singers, often due to lack of training rather than lack of ability.
- While nearly everyone can learn to sing, only about 10% of people have the advanced, or trained skills typically associated with professional singing.
The good news is that the human voice is an instrument that can be trained!
But some people have an added advantage in their sound perception: perfect pitch. I’ve known a couple of people who have this extra gift and it’s fascinating! When we hear the hum of a lawnmower, they hear the exact note it’s making, like an A flat. Same with the doorbell, a horn honking, the fan in the bedroom, the microwave – every sound has a pitch and they can identify it exactly and name the note. If you have a keyboard handy, you can play it and verify they’re right. Every time! True story: a lady I stood next to in my chorus had perfect pitch. When our director decided to raise a song we were working on by a half or a full step to make it ring better, she’d say, “I hate it when she does that! Now I have to learn the song all over again!” The notes on the page also had a hard-wired association for her.
Then there’s another group of people with a “superpower” you may never have heard of. They have a neurological variation in their brain called synesthesia. Specifically, chromesthesia which causes an involuntary blending of their senses where pitches and tones trigger colors, shapes and textures they see in their minds. We could go on and on about these fascinating topics related to music, but let’s get back to our original one: harmony.
God, our Almighty Creator, gave us five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. In addition to our senses, He gave us all the things we use them for: an amazing world to see, physical things to touch and recognize, food to taste, odors to smell that alert us to something wrong or enable us to enjoy what’s pleasing, and sounds of every kind to hear. One of the special gifts He gave us to hear is musical harmony.
One note on its own is a sound, but put it together with others artistically and it becomes an important part of a melody. Add complementary notes to that one note and it becomes a chord. Chords produce harmony. I happen to be a second alto with a range similar to Karen Carpenter or Natalie Cole. Unless a solo arrangement is written for a lower range, we altos sing a lot of harmony, which to me is the best part! I can feel the ring and the connection of sound to other singers by adding my voice to theirs. We make music together and expand the melody to another dimension and there’s nothing like it!
We can learn some beautiful lessons about life and our relationships from harmony like these:
Working Together: Harmony is only created when notes blend their sound together to create something greater than they could do on their own.
Respect for Others: Harmony appreciates all the notes in a chord equally and values their differences. It’s the differences that make it work.
One Voice: There’s unity in harmony, each note working together for the same purpose.
King David, who wrote and sang many songs and psalms to worship God, expressed this idea poetically in his day about 3000 years ago in Psalm 133 (NLT):
“A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced His blessing, even life everlasting.”
The Apostle Paul had a spicier take on harmony when he says this in Romans 12:16 (NLT):
“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”
It’s obvious our world today needs to value and practice more harmony between each other. Let’s pray to God and also do our part to live in greater peace, unity, humility and care for each other without pride. We need each other.
RESET HIGHER: Is your life filled with harmony – or does it need a tune up? What can you change to work together with others for a stronger bond made of love and respect?
