Vocal Advice - New Band Wants Me to "Belt it"

Rane

Rane

Experienced
I just started practicing with the band at my church as a backup vocalist. I've never done harmonies before - I'm really trying to expand my skill-set - so this is all new territory for me.

My issue is that they don't give me the songs to practice before-hand. They all have about 20-30 years experience on me, and they expect me to show up to rehearsal and and sing a 3rd above the lead whether I've heard the song before or not. I'm not used to practicing this way. I'm the kind of guy who really needs alone time with a song before I feel comfortable with it. They're telling me to just adapt, which I'm trying.

Part of the issue is the range they're asking me to sing in. Most of the parts are right at the end of my comfortable range. I've been singing long enough that I can sing my highest notes consistently without stress, but I usually will have to spend a bit of time getting a high part down before it feels truly effortless. With the way we're practicing, I'm having a hard time hitting my high notes at all.

Anyway, I'm wondering what you guys think of this. I know part of it is that I'm inexperienced, but I'm also unsure of this kind of approach to rehearsal. I feel like I'm jumping off a cliff having not even checked to see if my parachute is in place.
 
to sing a harmony part without knowing the song at all is difficult. if you know the melody at least, it might be a normal expectation to be able to sing a 3rd above as a backup singer.

as far as the range thing, in my philosophy, generally speaking i don't need the harmonies to be belted, just present. many times i'll go complete falsetto when singing backup, even if it's in my chest voice range, just to not overpower the lead. but i'll try to support it so it doesn't sound weak. or i'll eat the mic a bit more.

from your description, it seems you're just not familiar enough with the songs so your notes aren't sure. try to get any kind of recording of their performance of the song so you can learn the lead melody. from there, you can construct or sing the natural 3rd or 5th above. seems like you know what to do, you just haven't been given enough.
 
I play with some people that actually won scholarships for vocals and when they practice the songs, they are better. I am also a worship leader. I use a product called "The Planning Center" to make sure everyone has access to the material by absolutely no later than Tuesday of the week of service. We have a rehearsal Thursday night and then another Saturday morning. Short and frequent is better than long and infrequent. We also get to Church an hour early on Sunday morning so we can do a quick run through. This may seem excessive, but it is what it takes (for us) to produce a seamless but also dynamic and pliable worship service. I have worked at several Churches both as leader and as guitarist and they have similar schedules and systems for getting ready.

I've been playing for many years and while I can just show up and do it, it is always - always better with some rehearsal. When you have inexperienced players, practice becomes even more important. Even the Eagles rehearse vigorously when on tour. Rehearsal builds a solid frame work from which you learn to improvise. At least that's my philosophy on the subject.

I would urge them to get you the material as soon as possible. But also, take the time after the practice to get your parts together, take some notes, download copies of the songs from you tube or where ever. The more you put into it the more you will get out of it. Above all, consider why your doing it, who your doing it for, and have fun.

I'm not a vocal expert, perhaps someone who is, will chime in on pushing your voice to its max upper range.
 
This is a good start for learning harmony singing. There are some basics to learn and this CD lesson series is really pretty good: Harmony Singing by Ear

The style of music and arrangement usually dictates how to perform the harmonies. E.g. whether they are softer than the lead, the same or even louder.

A full choir type of arrangement might have all voices the similar volume where as a pop / rock arrangement might have the background vocals softer and thinner (rolled off lows).

The easiest is if there is a written out professionally arranged part or you are given instruction and time to rehearse. The hardest would be if you are expected to create a perfect harmony by ear no matter the song and with no prior experience or never having heard the arrangement.
 
If they are asking you to sing unfamiliar material outside of your comfortable range... They shouldn't be surprised if you do a less than stellar job. That is a reflection on them more than you.

NB. I was many many years into my live music career struggling with my so-so backing vocal harmonies when I did a gig with some opera singers. After about 20 seconds of "sing this note, now sing this note" they told me "Dude, you are a bass. Stop trying to sing like Dio." Why the hell did it take me so long to realise this?
 
I'm the lead vocalist for a couple bands, and I have two points of advice.
First off, if I'm trying to figure out a complex melody, or make sure harmonies work...i play them on my guitar.
Put the song on that you need to learn, and figure out your harmony on your guitar....then practice singing it while playing the notes on your guitar. This obviously means that you know the song before hand. But it's really helpful for getting your parts down.

Second bit of advice, take lessons. No matter your experience level, they are amazingly helpful.
My instructor is Mark Baxter, look him up....he does skype lessons.
It's amazing how much they can teach you about how to get the best version of 'you'.
I've been going for years, and I always feel like I get something out of every single lesson.
No amount of uneducated practice can replace learning the correct way to sing.
Trust me, I avoided it for years....and I regret waiting so long.
Yes, some people are natural gifted and already great without lessons....but if you're not, then lessons are so worth it.
 
Rane said:
My issue is that they don't give me the songs to practice before-hand. They all have about 20-30 years experience on me, and they expect me to show up to rehearsal and and sing a 3rd above the lead whether I've heard the song before or not.
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First, hat's off to you for trying something new.

Second, they're crazy if they think anyone can sing harmony to a song they don't know. That's like saying "I'm going to wing a guitar solo here, you match me a third above." Who could do that? For most people (not all) the 3rd is the harder harmony to find. Perhaps what they mean is "do your best now, and you'll get better as we go." Otherwise, you'll be mumbling slabba-wabba-doobie-wah through the whole song service! It's not unreasonable to ask for a little time with the tune.

As for the range, background vocals are an art in themselves. I don't normally care for loud, brash backgrounds, whether I am singing or backing someone else. Even if the FOH guy fixes the mix by lowering your belted-out harmony, the tonality will still be wrong unless the song actually calls for that sort of "in your face" vocal.

I think you're already on the right track. Ask for a bit of time, come in prepared so you're only focusing on the right delivery and not what the next line says. Keep after it, though... like playing guitar, what you can barely play today is easy next month.
 
I think (tasteful) harmonies are a singing style all in their own completely different from lead Vox. It's not always about belting it out but more knowing how to pull back and allow the vocal to blend with the lead. It's very easy to overpower a lead vocal. I've learned this after being in a band as one of lead singers where my counterpart is a power female vocalist. She has a very hard time pulling back enough and switching to a backing vocal style. There is a difference. Now there is definitely a difference as well between studio and live vocals. You can belt out the backing vocals in the studio easily since you can spend time Mixing those vocals. It's much more difficult to mix in a backing vocal live. More of the backing vocal control is in the hands of the singer than the sound tech. Style and mic technique has a lot to do with being a good backing vocalist.

And as far as knowing the backing vocals without even knowing the song. Um. I dont really understand how that is possible. Do you at least know what the chord progressions are ahead of time?


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Sorry Rick. I didn't see your post. I guess I pretty much just rewrote what you said. Lol


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All great replies!

Familiarity breeds confidence and with confidence comes great execution!

While implementing these great suggestions, one advice I will offer is during the times you are not working on the music, like when busy with other things like driving and chores, try to have the music playing in the background.

Osmosis kicks in and you'll be surprised just how quickly you become familiar with the tunes.

One technique that may work for you as well is to have the music cycling and playing softly when you are asleep but this is a stretch for most people.
 
They expect you to know the harmonies before you know the melody?

Did they know the lyrics before they heard (or read) them?

Be very careful belting out songs until you've had lots of lessons and practice doing so. If you are pushing hard enough to feel like you are hurting your voice, you probably are. Singing is athletic, so is playing. Great athletes have conditioned their bodies to perform the way they do.

For a musician, practicing is physical (and mental) conditioning. Build slowly, get strong, and avoid injury!
 
USMC_Trev said:
Channel your inner Sebastian Bach. Can't miss.
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A bit of Freddie Mercury never hurts either. That guy had a ridiculous range. I saw Brian May say in an interview that Freddie was so precise at double tracking his vocals and harmonies that he could make the tracks phase together. I can't sing for crap, so I try to spare others the torment. Had to take a sight singing class in college and it was pretty ugly. It really did help with my ability to pick out intervals though.
 
mr_fender said:
Had to take a sight singing class in college and it was pretty ugly. It really did help with my ability to pick out intervals though.
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I did a sight singing class too and it was very useful. A little bit of solfege (do re mi etc) made a big difference.

First step towards hitting the right note is knowing what note you are trying to hit! No, really!
 
Rane said:
I just started practicing with the band at my church as a backup vocalist. I've never done harmonies before - I'm really trying to expand my skill-set - so this is all new territory for me.

My issue is that they don't give me the songs to practice before-hand. They all have about 20-30 years experience on me, and they expect me to show up to rehearsal and and sing a 3rd above the lead whether I've heard the song before or not. I'm not used to practicing this way. I'm the kind of guy who really needs alone time with a song before I feel comfortable with it. They're telling me to just adapt, which I'm trying.

Part of the issue is the range they're asking me to sing in. Most of the parts are right at the end of my comfortable range. I've been singing long enough that I can sing my highest notes consistently without stress, but I usually will have to spend a bit of time getting a high part down before it feels truly effortless. With the way we're practicing, I'm having a hard time hitting my high notes at all.

Anyway, I'm wondering what you guys think of this. I know part of it is that I'm inexperienced, but I'm also unsure of this kind of approach to rehearsal. I feel like I'm jumping off a cliff having not even checked to see if my parachute is in place.
Click to expand...
This all sounds like you are absolutely not confortable with the idea of actually doing backup lyrics.
You should ask yourself if you actually want to sing? If not, then clearly the band should find another solution.

Singing is the most prominent thing you can do in a band. If you don't feel comfortable, chances are everyone's gonna notice. If a guitarist makes a mistake, nobody cares. But everyone will remember the screwups of the singer, especially when doing covers.

It sounds a lot to me like they are forcing this task on you without your consent. Why not just get a second dedicated singer instead? Results will probably be much much better like that.
 
There's a difference between not wanting to sing and just wanting to be prepared. He wants to be able to rehearse and practice his backing vocals just like a guitarist would practice his solo. Nothing wrong with that.
I wouldn't ask a lead guitarist to just show up and improvise a solo to a cover song when he never heard the song. It shouldn't be any different for singers.
Personally I won't perform a song unless I KNOW it's within my vocal range and I have the song down. Makes for a better performance no matter what instrument you play. People will notice more than you think. Even the drunk ass people in the crowd will notice if you F UP the solo to stairway to heaven. And a bad harmony sticks out just as easily.

Rehearse rehearse rehearse. That's all I can say. If they don't want to be a band and rehearse tell them to start a jam band and write their own instrumental songs.


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Check out singing success, mastering harmony. I bought all 3 of their programs a few years back and now I can sing anything and harmonies as well. Having a keyboard helps more than using a guitar because the tuning is precise and you are practicing perfect pitch.
 
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