Harmony

What is harmony?

Harmony occurs when different tones in music are either sung or played at the same time. Harmony can be created by using different chords, or simply by singing different parts of a song at the same time. The parts in a song are defined by vocal range: soprano, alto, tenor, or bass. In basically every song, you will find at least two parts for singing and different chords to be played by instruments. As you can see, harmony can be created very easily in music.

How is harmony used in the middle school chorus?

In middle school chorus, we typically sing 2 and 3 part songs. There are groups assigned to sing the melody and each additional harmony, based on vocal range (as described previously). The blend of different notes being sung creates harmony. The accompanying piano is also playing a blend of all parts to the song, which is harmony as well

What singers of today demonstrate harmony well?

In today’s popular music scene, many bands and duo singers very well demonstrate harmony. One of these many that stands out are Aly & AJ, a team of two singing sisters. Alyson Michalka, who started as a Disney Channel actress, teamed up with younger AJ to create what is known today as Aly & AJ. The duo has released 3 albums so far, one being a Christmas album, showing perfect harmony and blending throughout every song. When the two aren’t singing in unison, you can clearly hear either 2 harmonized parts or one sister singing in the background. One song in which this great background singing is shown is the immensely popular “Potential Breakup Song”

What Songs have good harmony parts?

If you are part of a middle school or high school chorus, chances are that all songs you are learning have at least two parts. These parts can range anywhere from soprano to alto to tenor to bass, and you are assigned a part based on your vocal range. Currently, in our chorus, a part that shows great harmony is the song “Linden Lea”. There are three parts: soprano 1, soprano 2, and alto. When all of the parts are blended and accompanied by the piano, it creates a great overall sound. Another song that has great harmony parts is a song we’ve sung in our chorus in the past. The song is called “Dance of the Willow”. Not only is the piano accompaniment great, but the song’s two parts seem to fit so perfectly together.

What techniques can improve your harmony singing?

If you feel that you have a lot of trouble singing in harmony with the rest of the class, you’re not alone. When you hear the people around you singing different notes, it can be very difficult to figure out what you’re supposed to be singing. The key to ridding confusion is to first learn your part as thouroughly as possible, then practice singing it a few times. Then, as the whole class is singing in different parts, you can focus on your part and tune out the people around you. You won’t have a problem with this because you will k now your part and won’t have to listen to others to know what you should be singing!

Schindler, Allan. "harmony." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2007. Grolier Online. 7 Nov. 2007 <http://gme.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0132400-0>.

http://www.cinnaminson.com/Curriculum/CR036238.HTM#top

http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/aly_and_aj/artist.jhtml