Thread: Barbershop! (The Singing Type, that is)

Hey Guys!

I was wondering if there is anyone here who sings Barbershop and if so, in what form (chorus, quartet?) and what part (bass, bari, lead, tenor?).

I recently joined a Barbershop quartet as the Baritone.We are part of a larger chorus in which I also sing Baritone, but sometimes help out in the other parts depending on who hasn't turned up that night. Sometimes I even help out the other parts when I do not need to, especially when I lose track of where I am going in the Baritone part and start following the leads or basses....

I am very new to the Barbershop thing (about 3 months into it) but I absolutely love it. When things go right, those chords actually do ring!! I can feel it actually vibrate through my body.

Barbershop is not a big thing in Australia, well, not like the US anyway (I gather). But we do have a national competition. Regional qualifications are in 3 weeks (chorus) and I am freaking out a little as the Baritone part seems to me to simply fill in the chord, which often results in a "no rhyme or reason" type tune we have to follow. If there are any Baris out there who can give me any insider tips, I would appreciate it!!

James.

I am having a hard time putting into words what I want to convey, so let me use the picture below:



See, the yellow guy is the soprano. He is clever and deft, but not really as cool as the guy in black. The guy in black is the baritone. His job is not to dance around and advertise himself, but to calmly be himself. And who is he? He is the one who allows his smooth moves and strong presence dominate without him having to stretch beyond his base (or is that bass?) He is the one who, sure-footed, gives the fight a solid foundation. He, by virtue of simply being there, inspires awe and demands respect from the audience and will not suffer fools lightly (lest he be disturbed by their lack of faith)

You, Jimbo, are the man in black.



No, not this man in black.



No, not that one either, but the one in the animated gif above. You are the force that binds. You are... the baritone.

BAD ASS!!!!! =)

Barbershop quartets are frikkin awesome.....just do me a favor and sing some good upbeat rockin tunes along with the sweet slow ones. Too many groups I've seen put me to sleep faster than Leon Redbone on xanax.

"Speedo" by the Cadillacs is a great tune altho not a traditional barbershop tune

It's Gonna Rain is a great upbeat gospel number that has been arranged in many different ways over the years.

Anyway, best of luck!!!!

Jonny

I LOVE good Barbershop Quartet singing! Perhaps my favorite Barbershop Tune is LIDA ROSE. It's beautiful, when it's done well.

Jeeter

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Hey Guys!

I was wondering if there is anyone here who sings Barbershop and if so, in what form (chorus, quartet?) and what part (bass, bari, lead, tenor?).

I recently joined a Barbershop quartet as the Baritone.We are part of a larger chorus in which I also sing Baritone, but sometimes help out in the other parts depending on who hasn't turned up that night. Sometimes I even help out the other parts when I do not need to, especially when I lose track of where I am going in the Baritone part and start following the leads or basses....

I am very new to the Barbershop thing (about 3 months into it) but I absolutely love it. When things go right, those chords actually do ring!! I can feel it actually vibrate through my body.

Barbershop is not a big thing in Australia, well, not like the US anyway (I gather). But we do have a national competition. Regional qualifications are in 3 weeks (chorus) and I am freaking out a little as the Baritone part seems to me to simply fill in the chord, which often results in a "no rhyme or reason" type tune we have to follow. If there are any Baris out there who can give me any insider tips, I would appreciate it!!

James.

Jimbo,

I'm not a Bari, but I am a singer in an oldies cover band and as a producer I give advice to musicians all the time about shaping their sound. I suppose your "role" in the group will really depend the type of songs you're doing, whether or not you have a bass singer, what the REST of the group is trying to do with the song vs. what you'd like to do and of course your own creative style.

First off, if the song, or more specifically the arrangement you're performing calls for the bari part to complete a chord, more than act as a seperate bass part, then that'll probably be what you'll have to do. Of course you can be creative with the intervals you're singing and the up/down movement and still be part of the chord ....try jumping up or down large steps (4ths, 5ths, 6ths) when the rest of the group is doing NN (next note) movement....for example if the group moves up two half steps, you could move down a 4th, creating a relative fifth harmony....or down two half steps to create a major third, or one half step for minor. Are you familiar with Bach's point/counterpoint? Might wanna brush up on that for some good solid ideas.....you definately don't wanna just follow the exact intervals on the tenors and sopranos....there is a reason that violates counterpoint...it just sounds weak and boring most of the time....obviously you're not singing classical opera, but it will give you some ideas...consider that many of the beatle's harmonies and songs were composed using Bach's counterpoint. "Blackbird" was composed almost as a study or expiriment/practice with counterpoint.

Also, if you have a bass singer, you'll prolly wanna let him do most of the fun bass stuff and not step on his feet too much. If there's no bass, and you can cover it, go nuts.

And finally, if you're not happy with how your parts are fitting into the song, you may wanna talk to the group and see how they see your part fitting in vs. how YOU see it fitting in. If they are hearing a different song in their head and trying to recreate that, you're gonna have to reconcile their version with yours.

Hope that helps....if not, this performance by The Stamps should give you some inspiration if nothing else! Best of luck brother!