Have you ever been to that wonderful concert wherein there are many people singing in different pitches yet they still sound so amazing? That, my friend, is a harmony. A harmony adds incredible depth to a song. There is additional color and thickness to a sound when a successful harmony is created. Unfortunately, people without the right skills may just ruin the beauty of a harmony. Do not worry, however, because this article will focus on how to sing harmony.
Practice the Scales
The harmony is based on a scale. A scale is a set of notes within one octave and can either be a major scale or a minor scale. A major scale runs on the note intervals whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. The minor scale on the other hand runs on a whole-half0whole-whole-half-whole-whole interval.
Harmonies are usually from a major scale.
Get Two Voices
A minimum of two people is needed to sing a harmony. One person will be singing the melody while the other will take a higher or a lower pitch. These two people are singing around the original melody and pitch. This process will continue on with the second person constantly adjusting his/her pitch by choosing a lower or higher note than the note of the melody.
Make the Harmony Sound Good
The key to making a good harmony is to first be comfortable with the piece. It is also advisable for you to know both the melody and the second voice so that you won’t get confused.
Normally, singing a harmony requires practice but some people seem to have the gift for on-the-fly harmony wherein they simply join in singing the song in a different pitch. A person who has this gift can easily find the center melody and pitch. Usually, we say that these people have “good ears” because they can hear the right pitch that can be used to blend in with the melody.
Ear training can be used to improve one’s harmony skills as well. As an exercise, try to play a note on the piano, determine its pitch and then try to see yourself singing it. Next, try to actually sing that note. To test if you can sing a harmony, play the same note while singing a higher or lower note. If you are able to do it, it can mean that you, too, have good listening skills.
Some programs for online lessons have interactive voice and piano feedback. Particular software can help you practice how to sing a pitch then go lower or higher. To develop accurate pitch, it is necessary for you to constantly practice. Especially if you are not a natural in on-the-fly-harmony, it would be better if you take lessons. These lessons can be helpful in perfecting how to hit the right pitch and can teach you how to blend well with a melody.
A lot of successful singers and harmonizers have, in fact, had lessons. Furthermore, you can learn the proper techniques that can make your voice become more beautiful.