Members Prog Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 If one can sing at all, harmonies aren't difficult to learn. I've seen choirs full of 11 and 12-year-olds that were able to harmonize. Start with Row, Row, Row your Boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 If one can sing at all, harmonies aren't difficult to learn. I've seen choirs full of 11 and 12-year-olds that were able to harmonize.Start with Row, Row, Row your Boat. A big choir has several people singing the same part,,,you can follow along with your section. three stand alone singers doing three part harmony is more working with out a net so to speak. they gotta be spot on ,,, completely on their own. That takes more than the average choir singer. ya best be raiding the chamber choir .. thats where the most talent lives. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 Singing vocal harmonies is something that took me some time to master starting out, just like singing a lead vocal (in pitch!). However, I was able to hear things in my head before I could actually sing or play them, melodically or harmonically. My most recent band (and the band before it) does not rehearse as a band before we hit the stage, which is something that gave me pause before. I was used to bands that, when slapped together like that, sounded...well, slapped together. The musicians around here are so seasoned, we can just show up and play and it still sounds halfway decent, especially on vocal harmonies. What really surprised me is how the three of us singing backup just sort of naturally picked the right vocal harmony for our range, that fit what the lead singer was singing, and without doubling each other, especially on songs like "Sweet Home Alabama" (a song I usually loathe playing, but the harmonies made it fun). There were no "okay, I'll take the flat third, you take the fifth, and you take the octave above" kind of conversations before hand. It just WORKED. Pretty amazing and probably won't happen very often, since we don't rehearse together. Although I know music theory, if someone were to ask me if I were singing flat thirds, thirds, fourths, fifths or sevenths with the lead vocalist, I would have to shrug my shoulders and say, "I dunno, I just sing what I instinctively hear in my head and it seems to work well." Lead singers that can't sing harmony are definitely a pet peeve of mine though. They either don't sing when someone else sings lead or try to sing harmony (and suck at it). I hate that. To me, it shows disrespect to the rest of the band. It's like a lead guitarist that can't play rhythm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 It's like a lead guitarist that can't play rhythm. OMG dont get me started lol. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Doe Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 One thing that helps me work on harmonies is using my Discover 5's vocal harmonist. I can set it to do 3rd or 5th and really work with the vocals and really hear that harmony. It's a cool tool to have at practices to give everyone an idea of where it needs to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassred Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 My drummer could not count. He could not do beginnings of songs that required him to count. He has been playing for almost 40 years and has a VERY expensive custom drum kit. He is not a drummer and has NO sense of time.He needs to find another hobby.I suspect there are singers like that too. I learned the hard way that when I come across a "musician" that has a lot of years under their belt but cannot do some pretty basic things, maybe - just maybe - they aren't really musicians. well, you've nailed a very good point here, some people are not as serious about what they do an to them it is a hobby... others take pride in what they do and are musicians.... Sounds like he wasted his $$ on that kit, drummer with no sense of timing, that's like a bass player with no groove.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ToneGrail Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 so you dont think its a skill that a person can learn? I just look at it as a different skill that singing lead. I would guess it comes easier to some than others ,, just like singing lead does .... I mean if you cant sing on key with lead ,, harmony would be pretty tough ,, but if you can nail the pitch on lead ,, it would seem to be just another vocal skill. rat Well I think that if a person has that latent ability within them then some formal training and practice can bring it to the surface. However, I've actually met some singers who can actually belt out a decent lead vocal but are completely incapable of harmonizing regardless how how many times I try to show them a harmony line. They always float to the lead. I can do this until I'm blue in the face and they still won't get it. It's like trying to explain quantum physics to a special ed kid. No go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 Well I think that if a person has that latent ability within them then some formal training and practice can bring it to the surface. However, I've actually met some singers who can actually belt out a decent lead vocal but are completely incapable of harmonizing regardless how how many times I try to show them a harmony line. They always float to the lead. I can do this until I'm blue in the face and they still won't get it. It's like trying to explain quantum physics to a special ed kid. No go. Ok....The good news is that when i try to sing harmony i never drift back to the lead ... i am capable of drifting off the harmony and getting pitchy though. so maybe i will be able to figure this out with more practice. My motor skills are excellant ,,so hopfully that will transfer to vocals. Getting pitchy on lead isnt a problem for me though...Who knows ... practice practice practice. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 88persuader Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 Most lead singers I've worked with can't sing harmoney ... and I've worked with a LOT!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RobRoy Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 drummer with no sense of timing, that's like a bass player with no groove.... Yup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChordGirl Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 Like Lee, I hear chords. I find that if I ever have a problem finding a harmony, it's because I'm not hearing the entire chord in my head. This will happen more often when I try to go below the tonic--that extra step of hearing the pitch in the chord, then dropping it an octave. It does take some getting used to. If we cover a song I'm familiar with (i.e. have heard on the radio 15 billion times), I don't have to think about where the harmonies go. As I listen to music in the car now, I automatically will sing/pay attention to the harmonies or create some that don't exist. It's become a habit that I started several years ago when I was trying to sing better harmonies. I believe it is a matter of training yourself to listen for a part, kinda like I had to train myself to listen for the bass parts years ago. Unless it was Flea or Les Claypool, I just couldn't pull the low tones out of the mix. I'm sure that it is easier for some than others, just like anything else. It just takes some work before it becomes natural, or at least comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonnythesaint Posted August 7, 2007 Members Share Posted August 7, 2007 I suppose I'm a lead singer, and I don't know if I can sing harmonies but I practiced a lot in my little studio, on all of our demo's I tried to create harmony parts, and it was pretty difficult, I think going to the piano and figuring out the vocal melody helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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