Sharing harmony vocals in a band

[tim_7string]

This may come off as a bit of a rant, but I'll try to keep it civil.

 

I have been in bands since I was 16 years old (I'm 37 now). My favorite style of popular music has a lot of vocal harmonies in it. I enjoy listening to bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Electric Light Orchestra, etc. I tend to prefer bands that rock a bit harder like The Who, Van Halen and Alice In Chains but still include harmony vocals in their sound.

 

However, most of the time when I play in a band, the other musicians either can't sing at all or they can sing lead, but either choose not to sing harmony for other members in the band or never tried to learn. This kind of irritates me. It almost seems like harmony vocals in a band is a dying if not lost art, which is a real shame. I read somewhere that what makes a band is 75% vocals/25% music.

 

I enjoy singing harmony vocals a lot, but I also enjoy singing lead. I don't think it's a lot to ask for other members in the group to sing harmony for me when it's my turn to shine, especially right after I just sang harmony for them. But this has happened to me more times than I care to admit. Thankfully, people do sing harmony for me in my current band.

 

Does anyone else run into this problem a lot? If so, what did you do to correct the problem? Any other thoughts on harmony vocals in a modern band are welcome as well.

[Zurich17]

I don't know what you think about the Libertines, but I think the vocals - harmony, interweaving, dual-lead, whatever - were the final magical bit of icing on the cake.

 

Singing harmonies doesn't make your band better, but if you get it right then it can be truely incredible.

 

I'm looking for some other bands to study with harmony vocals actually - I can't sing lead for {censored}, but I figured if I start by practicing harmony and backing vocals it would be a good start.

 

I've yet to get a band doing harmony vocals, but maybe eventually I'll have more than one person in my band who can sing.

[bbrunskill]

I agree, I love harmonies in a rock band (EG Jimmy Eat World), but it's a dying art. I think it's because being really good at it is a rare talent. Personally, I just can't do it.

[Fendercaster]

For me, a band can have the best musicians in the world, but if there are no harmonies, they suck. I have always considered myself a better harmony singer than lead singer and when I'm singing along with the radio in the car, it's always harmony parts I'm singing.

On the other hand, I've been in bands where a member will try to sing harmony and sing the same line I'm singing. If they can't find their own part, then I'd rather they not sing at all.

[Zurich17]

I learnt counterpoint, 2 part harmony, homophony etc etc at school. still keep my worksheets around, pretty easy to pick up, not easy to remember without a load of practice. get a high school music theory book and sit down for an afternoon by a piano with a lot of blank staves and work it out,.

[bassred]

We have four players who all sing lead, or harmonies when they aren't singing leads... we play older classic rock stuff, but it is still important, especially ina cover band, if you don't have harmonies youdon't have a chance really.

[WynnD]

I'm with all of you. Harmonies are what seperates OK bands from great bands. It's worth all the work. (Low volume, single rythmn instrument while working on harmonies so the singers can hear all the vocal parts.)

[Lee Flier]

Yeah, my band is awash in harmonies, we all 3 sing and wouldn't have it any other way. The other side project I play in is a 4 piece, we all sing as well. We all have a tendency to double or triple each vocal part in the studio too. I love the combination of a loud rocking band with purty harmonies.

[patchedguitar]

Man, it's all about vocals! Musicians are a dime a dozen; good vocalist are not! We base our sound and music around the vocals. We're lucky enough to have a female singer who can take lead on some songs and sing harmony at the drop of a hat. I play rhythm guitar and sing lead and harmony and our bass player sings harmony as well. When I take lead they harmonize behind us and when the my GF takes lead, we do the same. We pull off songs like "Seven Bridges Road" by the Eagles, "Blackwater" by the Doobie Bros., "Helplessly Hoping" by CSN&Y, etc. all the time. Even on songs where the original version doesn't have harmony parts, we rearrange them (vocal parts) to include harmony. I believe we spend more time working on vocals arrangements than we do rehearsing as a band. And it's a big payoff in the end.

 

When we go out to listen to a group, we try to find one with good to great vocals. I can't tell you how many shows we've been to where the musicianship out shined the vocals! We have a good time listening but feel we're getting cheated when the vocals suck. Why stay and listen?

[lsits]

Do you know the harmony parts and are willing to teach them to the other members. I'm an ok vocalist, but sometimes I have a hard time picking out the harmonies. I'm lucky that the lead singer can pick them out and teach them to me. I don't think I could do it on my own. We recently learned "Story In Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues. Having the harmonies improved the song 100%.

[tim_7string]

 

I think it's because being really good at it is a rare talent.

 

 

You may be right about that. I can hear harmonies in my head, even if there is just one vocal going on in a song. I will often add some of those things I hear when someone else is singing, which will sometimes differ from the original arrangement on an album. I am guessing that not everyone can do that.

[tim_7string]

"Harmonies are what seperates OK bands from great bands. It's worth all the work.

 

Abso-freakin-lutely!

[tim_7string]

 

Do you know the harmony parts and are willing to teach them to the other members.

 

 

Actually, I tried to teach my other bandmates how to sing individual vocal parts years ago. However, they didn't want to listen. They thought I was being too pushy and didn't realize the benefit of having a full vocal sound onstage (the big picture vs. individual egos). I guess I just played with too many of the wrong musicians.

 

I'm hoping to find people who can hear them on their own and we can agree to work on our vocal parts with as much enthusiasm as our individual instruments.

[patchedguitar]

When I put together another rock band in the near future, their being able to sing harmony will be a pre-requisite. The members of the band I'm in don't want to have band practice, harmonies or otherwise, but we can pull them off well live. I just wish we would practice a little, because I'm sure we could sound even better.

 

Agree. Even if they are good singers and know how to harmonize, it's always good to practice before a gig to get in sync (no pun intended). We always do an acapella warm-up and work out little details right before we hit the stage just to warm up our throats and get our ears in tune with each other.

[bigfatmonkeyboy]

We take the view that for the majority of punters, all that they care about is the vocals - they only notice the band if we {censored} up. So we have four singers and lots of harmonies.

[indigoguy]

I'm pretty lucky i guess as i have a pretty ego free band in that respect. We have 2 lead singers and the bassist and drummer both sing backing in places, alot of the time we almost do co-lead stuff as much as lead/harmony as well but having 4 potential singers means we can do some pretty cool 4 part stuff in quiet breaks...

OP - think you just need more practice with yr bandmates, i have a habit of switching into following the lead line on occasion the only way out of it i've found is just to practice until it feels right and try to sing with more confidence (although still quiet enough not to take over)

[spikemullings]

I have been playing for 26 years with a big break in the middle. I completely regret not having tried singing back-up earlier . It not only gives you something else to offer your band but also, once you have it down, makes your paying much better (whatever your instrument IMO - I'm a bass player primarily). You have to think about your instrument in context if you are singing and playing at the same time. (Of course you should be doing that anyway )

 

I didn't sing early on becuase I just didn't think I was a singer of any kind . I wish someone had just pushed me to do it. I now find in my little folk trio that the biggest buzz and spine tingling moments come from the three part harmonies we work up.

 

So if your colleagues don't have the confidence to sing yet, well I am sure with your experience you know what to do to encourage them.

 

Or, just get a copy of The Last Waltz on DVD and ask them if they think The Band (Levon Helm in particular) is cool or not:thu:

 

If they won't sing back-up for you they are deserving of opprobrium .

[bierball]

I got into harmony singing a few years ago and it has taken me a while to get comfortable with it. Not that I claim to be a good harmony singer but I sure have made progress and today it feels a lot more natural.

I agree that good vocal harmonies is what separates a mediocre band to a good one. Most of the time, the songs get that extra boost and it sure is a good way of promoting the band since so many listen to the voice(s) and pretty much nothing else. My singing voice is crap but I do sing lead on two numbers for two reasons; 1) the other members get a kick out of it and they insist on me doing it, 2) I'm hoping this will improve my lead singing skills. Got to push yourself to get anywhere, right? Anyway, the reason band members refuse to do backups usually boils down to laziness, the fact that it usually sounds like {censored} the first times you try and sheer cowardness. Just my $.02

[Jeff Irok]

I consider myself as having 2 instruments to offer a band - keyboards and vocals. Harmonizing has always come easy to me, and I actually enjoy finding harmony lines, even where one isn't expected. Sure, I like doing leads, but as many above, I've found myself in some situations where the other members wouldn't/couldn't (usuaully couldn't) support me like I support them.

 

Hearing a band with great musicians is one thing, but a band with great harmonizing is in a different league. Tim 7String - I feel your pain! Unfortunately, I've never played with anyone who went from not singing harmonies to "learning" them...They either could do it or couldn't fromt he beginning. So whatever the vocal situation was when I entered the band, that's the way it stayed until there was another personnel change. I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you.

 

Regarding thoughts about vocals in a modern band, I agree with the sentiment that it seems to be something that most bands don't feel is important. At the risk of sounding "uppitty", I'd say it's because the vocal ability is not there, or at least the desire to pursue it. I don't begrudge ANYBODY from wanting to play. But let's be serious - most people are self-conscious about their singing voice. Start with non-musicians: How many have been in a situation (at work or something) where grown adults refused to sing Happy Birthday in a group of people? And musicians - well, it's just cooler to practice your guitar for hours rather than trying to do vocal exercises for a half hour. Many (most?) musicians started wanting to learn their instrument to play in a group never even CONSIDERED singing. It's not a good thing or a bad thing; it's just the way it is.

 

Of course, this is only part of the answer. But I'll get off my soapbox for now...

[RupertB]

My acoustic duo & trio are all about harmonies. Years ago the trio started as an acoustic thing but eventually became a 7 piece band. I moved, so the trio is the only thing practical now but we still gig 5-6 times a year doing CSNY, Yes, Beatles, etc.

 

When we had trouble with the acapella part in CSNY's "Carry On", I spent a day working out the parts. I put them onto four separate tracks on a master tape. Then I recorded each part separately followed by the "all together" bit. Next band practice, I handed each person their tape & said "have it ready by next week." Its been on the list ever since.

 

Harmony parts are definitely my thing.

[SpaceNorman]

 

....I've never played with anyone who went from not singing harmonies to "learning" them...They either could do it or couldn't from the beginning....

 

 

I'm living proof that singing harmony is definitely something that can be learned. Singing (especially while playing!) is NOT something that comes natural to me. It is however something that can be learned if you work at it a little.

 

For me - there are three facets to singing - the first of which is "control". This is something that you can work on all by yourself. Simply play a melody line on your instrument - and then repeat it with your voice. Work on training yourself to purposefully sing each note with a sense of musical tone behind it. This isn't about having a great sounding voice - it's all about learning to control your voice as an instrument.

 

The second facet is knowing your vocal part. Whether you're singing lead or harmony - you need to know the specific notes of your vocal part. I often struggle with finding my part - but am fortunate to be working with good vocalists who help point me in the right direction. I usually write down the starting note of my vocal parts as part of my practice chart for each song.

 

The last facet is figuring out how my vocal part integrates with my keyboard part. I struggle with "independence" issues when I try to sing and play, but have found that if I work integrating the two, I can usually make it work. I find it important to know how my vocal part should sound against my keyboard part. I usually sing my vocal harmony parts even when I'm simply reviewing tunes during personal practice time.

 

While it was really slow at first - I found that I was able to make steady improvement - and am now a regular contributor to my group's vocals. Even better is that I've found that I really enjoy it. There's few things that make me tingle more than when we hit a good harmony part dead on. It's very satisfying to be a part of that!

[spikemullings]

+1

[ToneGrail]

 

I'm living proof that singing harmony is definitely something that can be learned. Singing (especially while playing!) is NOT something that comes natural to me. It is however something that can be learned if you work at it a little. For me - there are three facets to singing - the first of which is "control". This is something that you can work on all by yourself. Simply play a melody line on your instrument - and then repeat it with your voice. Work on training yourself to purposefully sing each note with a sense of musical tone behind it. This isn't about having a great sounding voice - it's all about learning to control your voice as an instrument. The second facet is knowing your vocal part. Whether you're singing lead or harmony - you need to know the specific notes of your vocal part. I often struggle with finding my part - but am fortunate to be working with good vocalists who help point me in the right direction. I usually write down the starting note of my vocal parts as part of my practice chart for each song. The last facet is figuring out how my vocal part integrates with my keyboard part. I struggle with "independence" issues when I try to sing and play, but have found that if I work integrating the two, I can usually make it work. I find it important to know how my vocal part should sound against my keyboard part. I usually sing my vocal harmony parts even when I'm simply reviewing tunes during personal practice time. While it was really slow at first - I found that I was able to make steady improvement - and am now a regular contributor to my group's vocals. Even better is that I've found that I really enjoy it. There's few things that make me tingle more than when we hit a good harmony part dead on. It's very satisfying to be a part of that!

 

 

 

In my experience, you're either born with that ability or not. If you "learned" it, you probably already had a latent ability to do it anyways. I've actually "taught" people to sing harmony only to discover that they had a natural untapped ability that just needed to be harnessed and applied.

 

On the other hand, there have been other people with whom I've given up in frustration because no amount of prodding/coaching would get them to stick to their vocal line. It's experiences like this that make me empathize with Special Ed teachers. It's akin to describing color to a blind person. I believe people's brains are either hardwired to be able to sing harmony or not. Singing lead is one thing, but singing harmony takes it a step further because you actually have to perceive intervals.

 

There's nothing more annoying than someone trying to sing harmony but floats to a unison vocal because they simply don't have the ability. The ability to harmonize seperates the men from the boys IMO.

[SpaceNorman]

 

....Singing lead is one thing, but singing harmony takes it a step further because you actually have to perceive intervals....

 

 

While it can probably be argued that it's a bad assumption on my part - I sorta figure that if an individual is already playing a musical instrument - there's at least a rudimentary perception of musical intervals and pitch.

 

I agree that for some folks learning to sing is an uphill struggle all the way - but still feel that pretty anybody who has displayed a little musical ability by learning to play an instrument can develop some level of signing competency as well with a little work.

 

How well an individual does with it is determined by their individual "practice / improvement quotient" - which I describe as follows: Some folks practice for an hour and get an hour better. Others practice an hour and get 5 minutes better. The truly gifted folks practice 5 minutes and get an hour better. Everybody has their own "practice / improvement quotient" (sadly, mine is closer to the get 5 minutes better for every hour of practice end of the scale....).

[pickinatit]

 

I've heard of The Libertines but not actually heard their music. I'll have to seek them out and give 'em a listen. I actually disagree. I think adding harmony vocals is the surest way to improve a band's sound. You may be right about that. I can hear harmonies in my head, even if there is just one vocal going on in a song. I will often add some of those things I hear when someone else is singing, which will sometimes differ from the original arrangement on an album. I am guessing that not everyone can do that.

 

 

Hearing harmonies in your head while your listening to a song is no big deal, I can and do do that all the time. Making what you hear in your head come out of your mouth while you're also playing your instrument is the hard part.

 

My hat's off to you for being able to do that.

 

I can strum a guitar and carry a tune or do simple harmonies. But as soon as I start having to play single notes / riffs it goes out the window. Can't play and sing at the same time. Since I play bass in my band (all single notes) unless it's a song that's simple bass note thumping I'm Lost.