Teaching Band Member Harmony Vocals

[chazolson]

It's been my experience that people who sing in high school, collegiate or religious choirs learn how to hear their part in the context of the entire choir, especially a cappella singing. They become much better harmony singers, because they've trained their ear to analyze what's going on.

 

[LBS-bass]

It's been my experience that people who sing in high school, collegiate or religious choirs learn how to hear their part in the context of the entire choir, especially a cappella singing. They become much better harmony singers, because they've trained their ear to analyze what's going on.

It's been many years since I was in a school chorus or choir, but if I remember correctly, seems there's a selection process there. Not just any kid gets to stay in chorus, you have to have some aptitude for it to begin with and the ones that don't have it and are throwing off the others don't get carried along for very long.

So I'm not sure those people are learning much beyond how to sharpen what they already have. It is a great place to learn how to sight read vocals though, and that can certainly sharpen your abilities.

 

[coy garcia]

I do lots of harmonies in both my bands and here is how we do it. Sing or play on guitar the part you want your band member to sing into a cell phone recorder....text it to them. Expect them to have it nailed next rehearsal.
If they are not capable then use the members that are...

 

[bigjames]

A lot of good suggestions here. I think it is hard for people who can innately sing harmony to explain to someone who cannot how to best approach it. You have to find what works. I sing lead, harmony (tenor and baritone), and sang bass in an a cappella group and the approach is different depending on the complexity of the harmonies and line being sung.

If the person has ears and can hear the harmony, then singing along with the melody should help them hear where they should be and how their pitch fits in the chord.

If the person can sing, but just cannot hear harmony, then they may need the harmony line played or recorded for them to practice to.

In 90% of the music I perform, I can pick out whatever harmony part I want / is needed depending on the mix of singers. However, in a complex and dense a cappella arrangement, sometimes you simply cannot easier "hear" the 7th or 9th of the chord you are singing (or perhaps your part is literally a half step away from another part) in the chord so learning the line as it's own "melody" helps to follow the various intervals. You think about the part as a moving line (left to right: sing up a fifth, down a second, up a sixth, etc.) rather than as a voicing of the chord (up and down: singing the third, singing the fifth, etc. relative to the root or melody).

 

[bigjames]

Both

I get my starting pitch as an interval, either above/below the root of the chord or above/below the melody note that someone else is singing.

But then I'm singing a (counter-)melody, a line which goes up or down from that starting pitch, and that just so happens to form intervals with the other vocalists. So it's sort of a "separate voice" ...although tbh the way I sing any melody (or counter-melody) is by singing linear intervals, so it's all "an interval" in some sense.

This is a great explanation...much simpler than my post. LOL.

 

[Guitalia]

If the drummer already has a good voice and can sing well, he's most of the way there.

I suggest finding three or four songs that the drummer knows well that have simple two-part harmonies. Start with just one of those.

If he happens to be a Beatles fan, for example, I might start him off with "I'll Be Back," which has simple lock-step harmony parts (plus an even simpler third part). Start by singing the low part with him, in unison. Then the second part, also in unison.

There's a third, higher part that comes in with the second verse, or maybe it's the third. That one would be good to learn, too, because it stays on one note while the two parts below move downward.

Maybe set aside 10 minutes or so at rehearsals to go over rudimentary harmonies, without putting pressure on about future live performances. Just take it slowly.

 

[Hammertime3]

When you think you've got it, give yourself this simple test. Pick a simple song with a four line verse, say, "You Are My Sunshine". Sing the melody on the first line, the tenor on the second line, baritone on the third line and back to melody on the last line. When you can do this, especially on harder songs, you've pretty well got it. Just my opinion. Try it sometime..not that hard if you're a harmony singer.
:

 

[two fingers]

Yea we back him up on his lead vocals, I think that if he really gets a feel for what it sounds like he'll be able to do it.

I do it intuitively, where I think the guitar player constructs it in his head methodically. We both achieve the same result. He can do it on the fly like me but has done it that way so long that it happens subconsciously.
He can sing the part with or without the melody, where as I have to hear it all together.

I have tried to show others before but gave up. I don't think they really wanted to anyway. I think this guy wants to, he just needs some guidance.
All the other groups he's been in already had their backups covered so he only ever sang lead. I'd like to help someone who is willing to try.

Gravitating toward the melody may be what the GP believes his method will circumvent, and he could be right.

I've heard that singing in a round like "row, row your boat" can break a person from getting off their part, teaching them to stay the course no matter what the other voices do. I don't know if that would help him or not.
To me it seems easier just to form a chord, hear a note and pair what sounds right with it. If I tried to hear myself alone I'd drown out the lead vocal.




It's always easier being the only harmony singer in that you can be a little more flexible with note selection, but with 3 or more it gets out of whack quickly if everyone doesn't keep tight on their part.

One other thing that has worked for us is vocal rehearsals. One of our singers plays keys. Guitar and drums stay home. No bass. Just chords on piano. We hammer out the harmonies with no interruptions. And our guitarist and drummer don't have to sit around while we do it. We get a LOT done during these sessions.

 

[TyBo]

I do pretty well as a lead singer, but my natural inclination is to hear potential embellishments or variations to that as I'm going (not too much, but some ). I'm not a natural at singing harmony at all. Something that I've found helpful is a video by Amy Nolte (part of a series she did, actually), demonstrating a simple way to approach basic harmony singing (and a neat little trick, too). She does great instruction videos, love watching her channel. I referenced her piece on swinging elsewhere on this forum (it CAN be learned, she did so herself). Her harmony pieces are on point, imo, certainly useful to me. It's as easy as Do Re Mi!

 

[jdh3000]

A lot of good suggestions here. I think it is hard for people who can innately sing harmony to explain to someone who cannot how to best approach it. You have to find what works. I sing lead, harmony (tenor and baritone), and sang bass in an a cappella group and the approach is different depending on the complexity of the harmonies and line being sung.

If the person has ears and can hear the harmony, then singing along with the melody should help them hear where they should be and how their pitch fits in the chord.

If the person can sing, but just cannot hear harmony, then they may need the harmony line played or recorded for them to practice to.

In 90% of the music I perform, I can pick out whatever harmony part I want / is needed depending on the mix of singers. However, in a complex and dense a cappella arrangement, sometimes you simply cannot easier "hear" the 7th or 9th of the chord you are singing (or perhaps your part is literally a half step away from another part) in the chord so learning the line as it's own "melody" helps to follow the various intervals. You think about the part as a moving line (left to right: sing up a fifth, down a second, up a sixth, etc.) rather than as a voicing of the chord (up and down: singing the third, singing the fifth, etc. relative to the root or melody).

I was asked to join a barbershop outfit once. I wish I had done it now as it would've given me the ability hear the individual parts. I love to listen to those complex harmonies but didn't know if I wanted to do anything a capella at the time.

 

[Hammertime3]

Love talking this stuff. I've played upright bass off and on since the '70's, but I've only been in one organized four piece group. We were all decent players, but our singing far exceeded our playing in terms of quality. All four of us could sing 3 parts without any prompting, and we were quick to correct one another when a stray note or two showed up. An no one got out of shape about it. It was always for the better. Best song we ever did, from my standpoint, was the Eagles' "Seven Bridges Road". I love singing that song..a true test of harmony and timiing. Also did the Gatlin Bros. "Just Wish You Were Someone I Loved". They get into the harmony on this piece by piece, and they kill it. Straying off, gotta stop.

 

[bigjames]

I was asked to join a barbershop outfit once. I wish I had done it now as it would've given me the ability hear the individual parts. I love to listen to those complex harmonies but didn't know if I wanted to do anything a capella at the time.

I have done barbershop / gospel quartet as well...super fun. The a cappella group was an absolute blast...really pushed my ear and vocal control. We did a cover of Ring of Fire (similar to the Home Free cover) and I nailed the low G at the end...shook the room. I do love being a bass singer.

 

[LBS-bass]

I do pretty well as a lead singer, but my natural inclination is to hear potential embellishments or variations to that as I'm going (not too much, but some ). I'm not a natural at singing harmony at all. Something that I've found helpful is a video by Amy Nolte (part of a series she did, actually), demonstrating a simple way to approach basic harmony singing (and a neat little trick, too). She does great instruction videos, love watching her channel. I referenced her piece on swinging elsewhere on this forum (it CAN be learned, she did so herself). Her harmony pieces are on point, imo, certainly useful to me. It's as easy as Do Re Mi!

Not to be Debbie Downer on this, but this is what I mean when I suggest that people who want to learn to harmonize and don't already have the ability are going to have to do some work to train their ears if they want to do it. In my experience, it's not something your typical drummer in your typical band is going to want to devote time or effort to, but if they do, then by all means encourage it. These are great skills to build. However, it's their work to do, not yours.

Do not expect this to translate into instant stage success, though. They are still going to get dragged back to what the ear hears most easily, which is why I tend to toss my hands in the air when asked to do this. I've never seen it work in a band setting where you just give the guy something to sing and he learns how to sing it without getting derailed by the other singers. Not once.

I guess in my mind I'm thinking that being in a band and applying skills to the business at hand is a different sort of situation than skill building, though there is of course a lot of overlap in the sense that we learn a lot through playing with others. What I'm getting at here is that rose-colored glasses can waste a lot of your time.

 

[TyBo]

Not to be Debbie Downer on this, but this is what I mean when I suggest that people who want to learn to harmonize and don't already have the ability are going to have to do some work to train their ears if they want to do it. In my experience, it's not something your typical drummer in your typical band is going to want to devote time or effort to, but if they do, then by all means encourage it. These are great skills to build. However, it's their work to do, not yours.

Do not expect this to translate into instant stage success, though. They are still going to get dragged back to what the ear hears most easily, which is why I tend to toss my hands in the air when asked to do this. I've never seen it work in a band setting where you just give the guy something to sing and he learns how to sing it without getting derailed by the other singers. Not once.

I guess in my mind I'm thinking that being in a band and applying skills to the business at hand is a different sort of situation than skill building, though there is of course a lot of overlap in the sense that we learn a lot through playing with others. What I'm getting at here is that rose-colored glasses can waste a lot of your time.

It is skill building, and I agree that's how it has to be looked at. I found the approach presented by Amy to be useful, to apply to a band setting after developing a bit of familiarity with it. That's just me, and I felt some motivation to try and improve. Still not great at harmonizing myself, but I can do it reasonably well. Some tunes are more challenging than others. Anyway, food for thought, for the OP's question.

 

[LBS-bass]

It is skill building, and I agree that's how it has to be looked at. I found the approach presented by Amy to be useful, to apply to a band setting after developing a bit of familiarity with it. That's just me, and I felt some motivation to try and improve. Still not great at harmonizing myself, but I can do it reasonably well. Some tunes are more challenging than others. Anyway, food for thought, for the OP's question.

I agree. I'm a bit jaded in the sense that I've worked with few who would be motivated to do this level of work to build that skill, but if that motivation exists and they want to do it, I think that's wonderful. I'll emphasize again that this is not answering the OPs question which has more to do with what he and his bandmates can do to help. They can encourage this sort of skill building but beyond that, I don't think there's much they can do in a practical sense in rehearsals or otherwise.

 

[TyBo]

I agree. I'm a bit jaded in the sense that I've worked with few who would be motivated to do this level of work to build that skill, but if that motivation exists and they want to do it, I think that's wonderful. I'll emphasize again that this is not answering the OPs question which has more to do with what he and his bandmates can do to help. They can encourage this sort of skill building but beyond that, I don't think there's much they can do in a practical sense in rehearsals or otherwise.

What I find nice in Amy's approach is that it's got nothing to do with theory, or even knowing chord tones, really. It's simply about the aural process of just finding and hearing "Mi" from any given "DO". Like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music. Even a drummer could have a shot at doing it.

 

[Killing Floor]

Maybe boost him in his monitor? It's not natural for everyone but it's definitely something that can be learned.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

We have choir rehearsal once in a while: one guitar and three (and lately four) part harmony. The guitar plays the root, third, fifth, and seventh, from which we all pick up our notes. If we can't get it from those choices, we pretty much don't do it. Having a three-part a capella moment goes over big.

 

[Thebiggestjerk]

A question for all the harmony singers.

Do you hear harmonies as separate voices or as an interval?
Harmonies are in fact voices. Someone dings the tonic, the 3rd the 5th etc..,

Our drummer sings well, with a good high and low range, but doesn't sing harmony. We think he could really add something to our sound and we want to give him a part, plus he is wanting to learn.

The guitar player and myself have different approaches. He says learning the part and practicing that part alone is the only way to learn to sing harmony well, listening to your own voice.

The drummer has tried this but loses it once he tries to put it with the other parts.

I personally can only hear the voices together as intervals, 3rd, 5th, etc... I've tried over the years to hear it separate but never could distinguish, I only hear a certain sound. It sounds weird to my ear to try to hear it without the blend.

I can form the sound correctly, as long as I know what it should sound like, or hear in my head what to make it sound like… I just sing and my voice goes to the part, that's just how I learned. I know what the part sounds like in the context of being with the lead vocal.

This drummer doesn't know theory, so talking to him about any of that is difficult. But he has a good ear, I think if we can show him what the part should sound like in a song he can learn what to sing easier.

I think if he tries to learn each part as a line, it'll take him longer I would think the end result would be to hear all the parts together.

All of our harmonies are simple, there's no interweaving.

I'm not saying the guitar player is wrong, I just think everyone learns it differently. If he's not getting it that way, maybe this way would work.

The folks I grew up around didn't know theory, and couldn't tell you anything about what they were doing, but they could harmonize beautifully.
They could hear a part and just add another without working it out in advance.

How did you learn and how have you shown others?

Thanks!

 

[MichelD]

I can't harmonize.

In fact I can barely sing, but the new band I'm in has got me singing two songs so far. I only have about three notes in my range.

This is one of the songs. Guess why I get to sing it.



The funny thing is that I brought in an original song I wrote in the genre we play that they really liked but politely asked me if I wouldn't mind if another band member sang it becaue I couldn't sing it in tune.