5 Proven, Surefire Ways To Sing Vocal Harmony

5 Proven, Surefire Ways To Sing Vocal Harmony

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Learning to sing vocal harmony will take time and effort, but with these five tips you can be well on your way to excellence in singing backup.

1. Get Basic Knowledge of Chord structure
What exactly is vocal harmony? All basic chords are built on three notes played together. If you take a root or tonic chord, the first chord in any given scale, it is built on the first, third, and fifth notes in that scale. If you consider four part vocal harmony, you could add the seventh note of the scale for even more variety. There is also the fourth and sixth note to consider.

Singing vocal harmonies requires ear training and a basic knowledge of how chords are structured. Some seem to have a natural ability, but it is really just a matter of being able to separate different vocal phrases that are sung together. When you pay attention to the notes that ride above or below the melody, usually in intervals of thirds and fifths, you are listening to the harmonies. Consider taking a class on the theory of music.

2. Learn Basic Piano
If you have access to a piano or can sight-read music, it becomes easier to identify the notes on the keyboard and then build harmonies to match. If you can plunk out the melody of a song, you can eventually learn to hear and sing a third, fourth or fifth interval above or below the main melody, it is a good place to start. The piano will help you all of your life with the visualization of music theory, so enjoy it.

3. Learn to listen to the other voices
How do you develop an ear for vocal harmony? Listen, experiment, and learn. One of the best ways to study harmonies is to listen to popular music that use vocals and try to pick out the other vocal lines being sung around the melody. The choruses of songs often add vocal harmonies to broaden the sound.

You will be able to hear when you are singing in tune with a harmonized phrase, it will sound pleasing to your ears. Most singers have learned basic music theory, so they may be able to do this naturally.

4. Find a partner to sing vocal harmony with.
It does help if you have at least one other person to sing vocal harmony with, so that you can play off each others voices, or switch off between the melody and a harmony that you practice together.

It is worth noting that certain voices blend better than others do, and that it is important to be comfortable in the range you intend to sing for a harmony part. If some of the notes required in your vocal harmony are beyond you, you can either transpose the music to a different key, or make alterations to the places you have difficulty.

The more you sing harmony, the more you instill good pitch and your ability to pick up the different lines being sung improves. There are few other requirements for learning to sing vocal harmony, as they say, practice makes perfect.

As you become more familiar with what sounds good, you will develop a vocal harmony line that flows naturally within your vocal range. If you are in a vocal group, you can always ask your group leader or a private vocal coach to emphasize vocal harmony in your training, until it becomes second nature to you.

5. Join a singing group
If you enjoy singing vocal harmony, you can find other singers to join in an acapella group, chorus, barbershop quartet, or similar group of voices to experiment with and develop your harmonizing skills. All colleges have community choirs and it is really fun too. Do not worry about being inexperienced, most people are like you too, they just love to sing. Bluegrass, spiritual, folk, and country music are all good choices for creating beautiful harmonies that you can practice either alone or together with your musical friends.

About the Author:
Sing Harmony Backup Articles, tips and lessons on how to sing, play guitar, piano or band. Overcome stage fright. Write your own songs! Learn to play music. Be a better musician. http://www.simplemusicsecrets.com



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