Improvising vocal harmonies

[johnzo]

I understand some simple theory on how to write vocal harmonies, but what i want to be able to do is learn how to harmonize on-the-fly. Like be able to harmonize with random songs playing on the radio (i seem to do an extremely terrible job there)

Anyone know if there are any free websites with tips / lessons? Or anyone know of any simple exercises they can share with me?

 

[tenchijin2]

I don't think there are any techniques for that. You need to be able to 'hear' the notes in the chord, and the major scale of the key the song is in (assuming it's major).

I learned to do this just by practice, practice, and more practice. Now it's a cinch.

 

[famous beagle]

Yeah it's just a matter of training your ear to recognize what the melody is doing. When you're able to tell what note (within the key) the melody is, you can put your theoretical knowledge to work and choose different harmonies.

For instance, let's say the melody is the 3rd of a major chord. Once you're able to recognize this, you can then say "oh ok, he's singing the 3rd; I can sing the 5th or the root, etc. (There's other choices, but I'm just simplifying for now.)

It would be good to practice along with slow songs that have really long or repeated notes in them. "In My Room" by the Beach Boys is a good one, for instance.

Practice playing a G chord, for example, and then sing the root (G) for a measure. Then go up to the 3rd (B) for a measure, then up to the 5th (D), then up to the major 7th (F#). Record yourself doing this, then play it back and practice harmonizing a 3rd above each note. Over the G note, sing a B, over the B note sing a D, over the D, sing an F#, over the F# sing an A. Once you get this down, start adding chords to the progression.

You might add a C chord, and the melody over that chord could go: G, C, E, G. And you could harmonize that melody with C, E, G, C or something like that. These are of course are very clinical examples, and real melodies are obviously much more complex. But it's a good way to get started.

Other than that, just practice trying to sing harmony to anything that you hear. You'll usually be good by singing up a 3rd or 4th, depending on the chord/melody relationship.

good luck

 

[Rokket]

I can't help you there at all. I can't even sing the main melody in key....

 

[mjareo]

I don't think there are any techniques for that....I learned to do this just by practice, practice, and more practice. Now it's a cinch.

I'm with tenchijin2 on this one. For me, being able to harmonize on-the-fly, as it were, comes from having sung in choirs, small groups, solos, and so on since I was a kid. Also listening to a lot of different kinds of music, singing along with the harmonies. You will learn a lot of techniques that way - when it is effective to sing a very simple harmony (perhaps with pedal tones or just very little movement) or when a more complex harmony is called for.

Just my 2 cents....

 

[Aaron Cheney]

Yup.... it's all about ear training. Take such classes at the local C.C., or get active in a choir.

A

 

[Nanno977]

Yeah it really work, to be in a choir and learn to listen the whole arrange, not your line only,that is usefull, practicing this helps alot. I can, intuitive way, "guess" the next sound,(when it's about tonal music).
My english is still no good but i'll keep tryin´.

 

[DeathKnell]

I have troubles properly harmonizing until i know the key of the song and what chord its currently playing.

I don't think anyone could possibly harmonize the first time they hear a song either, unless its structure is so incredibly predictable as to make it that easy.

 

[dgatwood]

I have troubles properly harmonizing until i know the key of the song and what chord its currently playing.

I don't think anyone could possibly harmonize the first time they hear a song either, unless its structure is so incredibly predictable as to make it that easy.

Most songs are predictable enough that if you always choose fairly "safe" harmonizations, you'll usually either be correct or get a reasonably nice passing tone. Every now and then a note will not quite work, though, unless you just get really lucky.

 

[mikeh]

Getting an ear for harmony does take time and training. If you have a basic understanding of theory, you can normally anticipate that the primary harmony line will be a 3rd above the melody - this tends to be a very easy harmony line to hear.

If you block out basic triads (root, 3rd & 5th) it gives you a pretty basic guideline of where harmonies will fall. Since many songs follow relatively logical chord progressions you can often anticipate how the harmony will fall.

As Deathknell indicates, you can't really ab lib a harmony on a song you have not heard before (in particular since you likely don't know the words) - but if you listen to songs on the radio you can start to hear harmonies and as indicated, the 3rd can come to you rather quickly.

I taught myself how to sing harmony by singing to every song I heard on the radio (even with a new song I could pick up a harmony on the chorus by the 2nd time through) - but, it took time to train my ears. When I learn harmony lines for band songs, I often get the harmony so ingrained that I sometimes "forget" what the actual melody line is.

I play in a lot of pick-up bands and sub with several groups, we often have to identify harmonies and execute on the fly - often if I take the 3rd and I hear someone else is also grabbing the 3rd, then I have to immediately grab a 5th or 4th or whatever I "hear".

If you have an ear and a real desire - you can learn how to improve harmonies!