If you listen to the radio, you can easily find a number of harmonies. You won’t only hear them during the chorus but you can also find them sprinkled through the rest of the track. A lot of the time the harmony will be layered in the background, just lifting a line without being obvious. At times, the vocals will be doubled and at other times it’s the lead, an octave below or above. Singing the same line below or above an octave is very effective in bringing a little something extra to the line without requiring a full-blown harmony. Singers will usually double their vocal lines the majority of the time. How to sing harmony is very easy, once you learn how to identify the harmony in any song.
Really Listening to Music to Hear the Harmony
Each genre of music will have its own way of dealing with vocals and harmonies. Some styles don’t have a three-part harmony unless it’s used as a special effect. Other genres such as country will feature harmonies so often that it’s considered part of the style. Genres such as Jazz feature more complicated harmonies; typically use more harmony in vocal groups. Certain types of indie and rock also use harmony in order to create different moods.
Can anyone sing?
A straight harmony will follow simple rules that can be used as a starting point. Every note in a song is part of at least 3 notes. The basic tune of the song, also referred to as the melody, is just a single note in each chord. For songs that feature a harmony, the singer will sing one of the other notes in the chord. As a person learns how to sing in harmony, they’ll learn how to identify the notes in each chord that aren’t part of the melody.
What it takes to Sing Harmony?
Singing in harmony will require precision. This is why it’s a great idea to practice singing the melody in unison with other singers before you attempt to sing the harmony. When two people are singing in unison they will sing in the exact same pitch. Once you have mastered singing the right notes. You should try and match the other singer in different ways, such as the same pronunciation or the same tone.
Check out some of your favorite bands and turn the volume down slightly, really paying attention to the notes the vocalist sings that aren’t part of the song’s melody. It can take a little discipline to not get swept up in the song, but the more harmonies you listen to the better and faster you’ll be at identifying them in music you’re unfamiliar with. Practice singing along with the harmony and don’t be discouraged if you accidentally slip back into the melody part.
The secret to singing a great harmony involves singing a different note than the melody. When it begins to sound bad, try singing in a different note. You’ll end up learning what works through trial and error.
