Leaders, Singers, Vocal Team, Voice, Worship Leading
Why You’re Not Finding the Right Harmony (Show #37)
#LiveInHarmony (2 Videos Below) Music + Talk
When you and your team lead worship, are your vocals finding the right harmony? If you do not have a good blend, it will not bring the desired beauty and balance to the music. The bigger problem is not connecting the church in worship. Here’s why you’re not finding the right harmony and what you can do about it…
1. You’re Not Listening. The number one skill singers need to develop is listening. So many are ready to shoot-out-the-gate with full vocals, yet pay little attention to what the song is doing.
The main melody needs to be your main focus. Instead of thinking what you can do harmonically, you need to be thinking of the basics. Melody, lyrics, tempo and emotion are simple, yet the underrated details singers simply skip over.
Melody: Listen to the pitches and memorize them in your head. Follow the melody of the song, as it also helps outline its architecture.
Lyrics: think about the words that are being sung, how they are being sung and when. Before you begin to harmonize, it’s better to know the meaning/direction of the lyrics first.
Tempo: Huge issue that will save your life. Things like syllables, rhythms and the song’s over-all tempo are critical to identify. Tempo-wise, if you interpret/sing the rhythms one way and your vocal leader does another, it will be a vocal train wreck.
Yield to the vocal lead.
Emotion: Hear how the words are being sung. If you can use some imagery to the words you sing, it can give you a greater advantage to the song. Instead of just singing words, listen to the life behind the lyrics. Feelings like joy, sorrow, contemplative or excitement are great things to tap into to make the song take on a whole new meaning.
When finding the right note to sing above or below the melody, you now have a foundation to build on. Live in harmony with one another. – Romans 12:16
2. You’re Not Matching. If you’ve taken the time to listen, now you need to take time to match. Picture yourself as mirroring what the lead vocal is doing. By following the melody, you now you’re ready to match all of the above to the harmony notes. Harmony 1: Do what the melody is doing, but only above or below the main note. You can sing a third above or sixth below which is the average 1 harmony part.
On a piano, find the main melody note and locate the third above/sixth below. Move inflection with the melody. Keep in mind, not every third above/sixth below will work in every song on every note. Every song is different. However, this will give you a basic rule of thumb. The priority is to match the movement of the main melody.
Use your listening skills and follow the pattern. Harmony 2: Do not do the same as the melody as in the first harmony. This will sound like a 1920’s barber shop quartet. For a contemporary sound, you will use common tones/notes that are found from chord to chord. This is a little tricky to hear and find, but the pay-off is huge. It’s called a static note – it does not move as much as harmony
1. The idea is to find a common note that you can harmonize against the melody, but does not compete or get in the way of the other voices. This is usually a note that is a fourth or fifth apart from the melody / yet not in the same range as harmony
1. If you have all melody, harmony 1 and harmony 2 too close together over the entire song, it will sound unappealing.
You can use it as an effect for a few words. The best use is to have the static note be in the lower range / next your melody / on top is your harmony 1. *Or you can try harmony 1 in the low range / melody / lastly your static note. [tweetthis]Never sing alone, but always in harmony with one another.[/tweetthis]
3. You’re Not Singing-Off. In other words, you are singing too loud and direct into the mike. The best approach is to sing just off the mike – whether across the top or slightly of axis. This also depends on the type of mike you use (dynamic or condenser). Best case is to work with your audio engineer to determine where to sing in the area – off the mike. The idea for this technique is to allow the mike to catch the air or ambience in the room – in the mix of your voice. Should you sing too directly into the mike, your voice will compete with the main vocals. Even if your audio engineer has the faders down, singing too close in the mike produces a different tone than singing off the mike. You don’t want it to sound muffled, thick or crowded. The best types of harmonies are those that are rather felt, not heard. MUSIC TUTORIAL:
Overall: Sing well and sing on pitch. No acrobats, no special effects or runs, just sing the song. True harmony doesn’t come from what you can do with the notes. True harmony comes from learning how to support the melody. “Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts” – Eph 5.19 As you create a good vocal foundation, you will not only increase the musical engagement, but you help the church engage in worship.
@BranonDempsey @worshiptt 
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