Copyright © 2002 by Jay Giallombardo
Copyright controlled by GSB Medal Music, Inc
Used by Permission All Rights Reserved.
C R A F T
Balance the left and right channels of your stereo so your voice part on the learning recording is loud enough to be easily heard above the other 3 parts.
1. Listening Step—While following your voice part notes on the sheet music (if you do not read music, follow the notes visually by contour), listen to your part without singing 2 to 4 times through depending on difficulty. Listen extra times to places that seem tough or that do not seem to match what you see on the sheet music.[The recording and sheet music are pre-checked and should match—if you do find an error, please notify the music committee.]
2. Doo-doo-doo Step—Sing "doo-doo-doo" on your part 2 to 4 times through.Learn to match the pitches and rhythms of the learning recording. Set the recording louder than your "doo-ing" and let it lead your learning. Again, "doo"extra times on the tough places: If there's a place too tough to get from the recording, see your section leader—do not "shrug-off and rehearse mistakes. On the final doo-ing pass, set the sheet music aside and let the recording lead your ears to the right pitches and rhythms.
3. Muscle Memory Step—Stand and silently mime the song 2 to 4 times through with the recording. Breathe and support as if actually singing. Form vowels and consonants with lips and tongue as if you were singing a perfect rendition. Silently create the physical throat and larynx formations for accurate pitches and freely produced tone as if singing a perfect unison duet with the recorded voice.On the final muscle memory pass, set the sheet music aside and let the recording lead your ears to the right muscle memory patterns.
4. Full Singing Step—Put it all together and fully sing with the recording. Let the recording continue to lead your learning on the first run-through or two. Then, on successive reps, gradually shift the channel balance on the stereo until you are tuning your voice to the other three parts quartet-style.
If you can't sing that low note or high one, do what the musically inclined suggest:
For that low note raise your head slightly to reduce the tension on your vocal
cords which should allow you to sing that lower note.
Try it and see if it works for you.
Conversely, lower your head slightly for that higher note.
No - It's not the name of an upbeat VLQ, but it's the "8" that appears (or should appear) under the treble clef in most of our music. What does it mean? Well, to put it bluntly it means don't sing here. Why not? It's because the lead and tenor voice range is 1 octave lower than the music notation. If this compromise was not used then most of the lead and tenor notes would be on ledger lines above the bass clef or below the treble clef. WOW!! What a mess that would be. Just remember when playing the lead or tenor part on a piano or keyboard to play 1 octave lower than written.
If the figure 8 is missing from the treble clef staff it is generally understood that most choral music is to be sung one octave lower than written.
Sometimes Barbershop (and choral) music is written using the TENOR CLEF as shown at the left. In this case the double headed arrow points to MIDDLE C. Therefore the same rules apply as the OCTAVE CLEF described above.
For a very informative Barbershop craft site see Music Ed Ted's Websites
