Balance Is Key When Singing Harmony
When singing harmony, it is so important to have the proper balance. Many people try to sing harmony like it was a solo, belting it out and trying to be heard above everyone else. Harmony was never meant to be that way. The loudest it should ever be is as loud as the melody. Usually, it should be softer than the melody, though. It’s important to blend with the other singers and try to get that beautiful sound of the notes melting together instead of fighting for power. There is a place for dissonance in music and it helps to make the listener a little anxious or waiting for the resolution. That makes the resolution that much sweeter. Times like that might call for less of a blend in the dynamics of harmony, but normally, there’s no need to overpower with harmony.
To get that proper balance, it’s important to listen to others and make your voice loud enough that you can still hear it, but soft enough that you can still hear the others in the group. When mixing a recording, make the tracks of the lead singer slightly louder than the backup singers until you get the proper blend. Make sure that you’re listening for that when recording and it’ll be a lot easier to get the right blend. If you’re at a concert, make sure that you have a monitor on the stage so you can hear how the sound is coming across. Sometimes one microphone might be a little too sensitive or not sensitive enough. Adjust the levels on the mixer and then listen and blend. This is why it is so crucial to practice with the sound system all set the way you want it. However, when the room is full of people, the accoustics will be different, so it’s good to have a sound technician to adjust for last minute variations.
4 Responses to “Balance Is Key When Singing Harmony”
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Maybe in the next life I will be able to use all your great information. LOL………not in this one. Always great to read posts from an expert.
Don’t knock yourself, Bill. You have other talents, like being kind to others and helping make people’s debts go away in record time.
This is so true! I am usually singing the melody or solo, but the balancing of harmonies is so important to think about.
Well, Patti, if you’re singing melody, then you can set the dynamics and mood of the song, while the other person blends with you. Good thing you’re still listening for that perfect blend so you can contribute to it.