Harmony singing

[Rex Hart]

Well, I must say I have been proved wrong once again. I always thought that you could not learn to sing harmony because you have to be able to hear it. I have a buddy who could never sing harmony , but after 30 some years through hard work, he is finally doing it....all three parts. It still doesn't come natural to him, but it can be done. I think I learned from singing Paul's parts (in the Beatles) back in the early 60's. My voice had not changed yet so the high part was natural. Bluegrass high tenor singing is a different kettle of fish. I loved when Mr. Monroe would switch back and forth between the second and third harmony lines. On a side note,we have a great harmony singer in our band that cannot hear 7th notes ! Go figure!!

[OldSausage]

I don't quite understand this, in what sense can he not hear 7th notes? I know from my own experience that most people who can carry a tune can learn how to sing harmony in just a few weeks if they practice diligently.

[Hallmark498]

I can sing lead and the 2nd part, but only bits a pieces of the 3rd. Cannot hear the 3rd much at all, even when listening to CDs/groups.

Any suggestions on how to pick out the 3rd?

David

[Andy Alexander]

Steve Mougin who plays guitar with Sam Bush has recently made a harmony singing DVD which I understand is very good. You could probably do a search or go to Sam's site and find out more.

[OldSausage]

I can sing lead and the 2nd part, but only bits a pieces of the 3rd. Cannot hear the 3rd much at all, even when listening to CDs/groups.

Any suggestions on how to pick out the 3rd?

David

By the 2nd part I guess you mean the tenor, and the 3rd part the baritone.

One good way is to work out the melody on your instrument, and then move it down a third (or whichever next lowest note works with the chord you are on). Then you can learn the baritone harmony part from what you play on your instrument.

Another approach is to use a music writing program like TablEdit, then you don't even have to be able to sing it. When you have it down, you just play it back and learn the harmony part same as you would any other tune. That's how I started, once you get going your ear will get accustomed to the sound and it will become easier.

Another and even simpler way is to find someone else who is good at singing harmonies, get them to sing the part you want to learn into a recorder, and just learn the part that way.

[allenhopkins]

My advice is to spend 12 years in a Methodist church choir. I did that growing up, and as my voice changed I went from soprano to bass, hitting the stops in between. Nothing like belting out those old block-chord-harmony hymns every Sunday to teach you where the harmony notes go.

[Rex Hart]

I have known many excellent lead singers that cannot sing one note of harmony. I think you would be surprised at some of the "big name" artists that can't sing harmony.You can always tell this when they are thrust into a situation where they are singing with other lead singers. Alot of people can mimic a harmony line if they painstakingly work out what someone else has shown them, but they can't pick out or make one up on their own. I still say you either hear it or you don't.

[farmerjones]

To me it's like hearing when a string is out of tune. I guess you need to hear what is disonant, as apposed to what is resonent. Have enough pitch control to slide into and out of pitch. I'll harmonize with the vacuum, or an exhaust fan. It's addictive.

I don't know how i stumbled in to this, but i did.

http://www.barbershop.org/sing/singing-skills.html

[re simmers]

By seventh, I assume you mean 'flatted seventh.' That's pretty tough. It's nice to add as a bluesy sounding 5 part harmony.......lead, tenor, baritone, bass and the seventh. That's Fairfield Four territory! (there's actually 5 of them)

For baritone:
I would recommend listening to the Osborne Bros. Sonny is one of the best baritone singers, and you can hear him!

Doyle Lawson is also a great baritone singer.......if you can pick out the baritone. Sometimes they switch parts. Sometimes Doyle sings a low tenor, but mostly baritone, sometimes lead.

J.D. Crowe is a great baritone singer, but he blends so perfectly that you can't always pick it out. The Album Band stuff is fantastic baritone for JD, with Tony singing lead and Doyle on tenor.

Sing along with the Osborne Bros, DLQ, The Album Band (turn up the lows so you can hear JD). You will start to be able to pick out the baritone.

Also, Country Gentlemen in the '60's & '70's has good baritone singers.

Bob

One more: the Nashville Bluegrass Band did a harmony singing video a while back. It was excellent.

[OldSausage]

I have known many excellent lead singers that cannot sing one note of harmony. I think you would be surprised at some of the "big name" artists that can't sing harmony.You can always tell this when they are thrust into a situation where they are singing with other lead singers. Alot of people can mimic a harmony line if they painstakingly work out what someone else has shown them, but they can't pick out or make one up on their own. I still say you either hear it or you don't.

Well, but it's not because there's some kind of magic involved, the singers you're talking about have just never taken the trouble to learn it. If you don't actively strive to learn to sing harmony, you certainly won't do it unless you're very lucky indeed. Very, very average singers can manage perfectly acceptable harmony, it really isn't that hard. I'm not trying to pick an argument with you, I just don't want people to be discouraged from trying to do something that's very rewarding and is much easier than, for example, playing the mandolin. The quickest, easiest way is to go to a good teacher, they will be able to easily correct your mistakes. It also takes practice.

[Coffeecup]

Two things I've found helpful
- sing along with whatever is playing on the radio, trying to improvise harmonies. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but it all helps acquiring the ear for it. My favourite place for this is while driving.
- if you have a printed score of the harmony make a midi of each individual part, or just your part and the main melody. Sing with the individual part just as if you were learning a new tune, then when comfortable with it sing it with the other part(s) playing.

[resophil]

By the 2nd part I guess you mean the tenor, and the 3rd part the baritone.

One good way is to work out the melody on your instrument, and then move it down a third (or whichever next lowest note works with the chord you are on).

This is probably the best way that there is to confuse people who are neophytes when it comes to harmony singing...

Why??? Because it only works when the melody is on the first degree of the scale! People rattle on all the time with "a third above" and "a fifth below" terminology, but the terminology makes no sense!

When the melody is on the first degree of the scale (singing a G note against a G chord) the tenor part (B) is a third above the melody, but the baritone is NOT "a fifth below" The musical interval between the melody G and the D note below it (which is the baritone) is a fourth.

When the melody moves to the 3 degree of the G scale (a B note) the interval down to the baritone (which is now the G note) is a third, and the interval up to the D note above (which is the tenor) is a minor third. Remembering all of this is supposed to make it easy...? Not!!!


I teach harmony classes, and workshops all the time, primarily related to singing bluegrass, and it's far better to work on ear training, (as some other posters have suggested) than to throw a lot of theory at people who want to sing. Get bogged down with this interval stuff, and you'll lose 'em in double-quick time!

[Spencer]

My advice is to spend 12 years in a Methodist church choir. I did that growing up, and as my voice changed I went from soprano to bass, hitting the stops in between. Nothing like belting out those old block-chord-harmony hymns every Sunday to teach you where the harmony notes go.

Boy, isn't that the truth! Could have written the same post, except not Methodist, but we sang the same hymns. Even the congregation sang in harmony when I was a kid. Becomes second nature after a while

Spencer

[Martian]

I did figure out something about Baretone singing that is a rule of sorts. In a song that the chord progression is a typical 1 4 5 progression or to keep it simple G C D, the lead voice will be singing in G when the chord changes to C and the harmony comes in, the baretones first note will more than not be the last note that the lead singer sang. Try it. and pay attention to the leads last note before the change, (find it on inst.) it will probably be your take off note. This only seems to work on that progression, however in B G that progression is in about 3 out of 5 songs or better. I have also thought tenor is easily heard just because of its high register,but baretone is more subdued and is what I actually consider to be the glue in this type of 3 part. When you find that last note, paralel the lead voice, note for note. If they go up or down, on their melody line so do you. Two part, or Osborn type singing have different rules,but if you go through your list, and put a mark by 1,4,5 songs, you will see how many there are and is a very good starting place for a beginner baretones voice. imho

[Tim2723]

Boy, isn't that the truth! Could have written the same post, except not Methodist, but we sang the same hymns. Even the congregation sang in harmony when I was a kid. Becomes second nature after a while

Spencer

I'll say it's the truth! With rare exceptions, every good harmony singer I've ever met has got some church choir or school chorus in their background.

[Tim2723]

Crud! Now I have A Mighty Fortress stuck in my head.