Vocal harmony

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Vocal harmony is a style of

passing notes
).

In art music

Vocal harmonies have been an important part of Western art music since the Renaissance-era introduction of

microtonal
notes or make percussive sounds.

In popular music

To sing vocal harmony in a pop or rock context,

backup singers need to be able to adjust the pitch of their notes so that they are in tune with the pitch of the lead vocalist and the band's instruments. As well, the rhythm of the backup harmony parts has to be in time with the lead singer and the rhythm section. While some bands use relatively simple harmony vocals, with long, slow-moving vocal harmony notes supporting the vocal lead during the chorus sections, other bands make the backup singers into more equal partners of the main vocalist. In more vocally oriented bands, backup singers may have to sing complex parts which demand a vocal agility and sensitivity equal to that of the main vocal line. Usually, pop and rock bands use harmony vocals while the rest of the band is playing; however, as an effect, some rock and pop harmony vocals are done a cappella, without instrumental accompaniment. This device became widely used in the end chorus section of 1980s and 1990s-era hard rock and heavy metal ballads as well as horror punk (which cites influence from both heavy metal and doo-wop
).

Other roles

While some bands use backup singers who only sing when they are on stage, it is common for backup singers to have other roles while they are on stage. In many rock and metal bands, the musicians doing backup vocals also play instruments, such as keyboards,

musical theater
, the backup singers may be required to perform elaborately choreographed dance routines while they sing through headset microphones.

Barbershop quartets

Barbershop chord on C Play tempered Play just.

One of the more complex styles of vocal harmony is the

bass sings the lowest harmonizing notes, and the baritone completes the chord, usually below the lead. The melody is not usually sung by the tenor or bass. Barbershop quartets are more likely to use dissonant and "tense"-sounding dominant seventh chords
than pop or rock bands.

Doo-wop groups

Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music, which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity in the US both in the 1950s to the early 1960s.[1] It used smooth, consonant vocal harmonies, with a number of singers imitating instruments while singing nonsense syllables. For example, in The Ravens' song "Count Every Star" (1950), the singers imitate the "doomph", "doomph" plucking-sound of a double bass. Well-known hits include "In the Still of the Night (I Remember)" by The Five Satins and "Get a Job" by The Silhouettes, a hit in 1958. Doo-wop remained popular until just before the British Invasion of 1964.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Doo-Wop Hall of Fame". doowophof.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-18.