Content

• To step
• Tips
• Warnings
• More info
• Necessities

Harmonizing can be very challenging to do well. You have to take into account the key, the number of parts, the pitch and the piece of music. But this article aims to get you off to a good start.

To step

1. Learn about harmony. Harmony is the combination of musical notes that are sounded simultaneously to achieve a pleasant effect. The term "harmony" is used to indicate that certain notes sound well together! The melody consists of the essential notes that form the basic structure of a melody. Harmony requires at least 2 notes or voices and can be created with any number of additional notes or voices. Most harmony is written for 3 to 6 to vote. Some arrangements are even 8 parts or more, but these are rare.
   • The first step towards harmonizing is to know the melody completely, and then sing along in a slightly lower pitch, but not an octave lower. If you have someone who can help, you can also sing along with a piano, and then move on to singing and harmonizing more independently.
   • Once you have a decent feel for the basic 1,3,5-major chord - or the 1,3,5,7 major-7 chord - you can start harmonizing by singing one of the notes. The 1 is the soprano or solo (the solo soprano sings an octave lower for a man or a woman with a low alto). The more people, the richer the composite agreement. Once you get a feel for the basic harmonic principles in a particular key, you can start experimenting with other notes in other, similar chords.
2. Form a chord with the melody. A chord is 3 or more notes that are played or sung simultaneously (in tones, or "voices"). These notes are often referred to as variations of the 3-note triad (1,3,5 intervals) with the most basic chord to harmonize, the 1,3,5 chord.
3. Try the most basic chords (1-3-5) like "C-E-G". The 1 is the "root", after which you move one to note 3, the third (the note 2 moves up from the first). Then you move from the 3rd to the 5, either the fifth (the note 4 places up from the root or 2 places up from the third). You can also make a chord with notes 1-3-5-7, by adding the 7th (seventh) and / or the 1st (root) up or down the octave.
4. Practice singing in harmony with a keyboard or piano. When you play a piano, there are certain notes that you can harmonize with comfortably: starting from a C scale, you hit the C and sing at the same time and in harmony with the root, the third that you find through the to skip of the next note, in the same direction as that of the original note. It's simple, but a start.
5. Sing along with a recorded music track. Slower songs such as hymns are easier.
6. Try to sing a little higher or lower. Try to sing along higher or lower so that it sounds good.
7. This may sound awful when you first try this. Just keep singing along, a little bit higher or lower than the original, until it starts to sound right. If it sounds bad, then you are not singing in harmony. If it sounds good, then you've probably got the harmony.
8. Harmonizing is intuitive to a great extent. You learn what sounds right and wrong, and that proves that you know which notes are right or wrong. Just go about it a bit and try to sing in a slightly higher (or lower) tone. When playing an instrument such as a guitar or piano, you can find the harmony by first playing the sung note and then playing the 3rd note of the scale (in the key) of the song, such as C (CEG) or G ( GBD); note that a note is always skipped, but flats and sharps can of course be found in many keys, and these are usually the black keys on the piano or a keyboard.

Tips

• If you want to harmonize, don't give the solo singer too much volume or emphasis. Soften the notes even in a rock song, even if the roles are mixed up a bit.
• Singing a full octave above or below the note is not harmony; that's in unison.
• You have to practice this to do it properly. It may take a while, but with some practice you will get it done, and you will have a lot of fun doing it!
• Don't overthink it. If you know much about the scales, don't think about the exact notes you are supposed to be singing. This is all done by ear. First the ear, then the thinking.
• It helps if you or an accompanist play the notes on a piano. You can then hear how different chords sound. It is much easier to master the basics of harmony when you hear the notes on a piano and try to sing it. Then try to sing along with the piano, then move on and sing in harmony with someone else.
• In addition to the major chords, there are also minor chords, diminished and augmented chords, but that's not for introductions to music or harmony.
• Traditional two-part harmony starts from the third or fourth or above and below the vocal melody of the solo. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, this means a little bit higher than the original. Or as Julie Andrews taught us, when I sing "do", the harmonization note is "mi", "la" or "so".
• Make sure the notes match before trying to harmonize. For example, if you sing "do" and "so" together, it sounds nice. Find out which notes go together nicely, then see which notes appear in your music and combine them!
• Keep it fun. The pressure of a performance is heavy enough. If you have practiced well and performed the notes well while practicing, then it will work. If you find yourself stumbling over a particular note, you may need to make some adjustments to your harmony or practice a little longer before performing.
• If you want to sing with your partner, just say "aah" slightly higher or lower than the other, and have someone else sing in the middle of both notes. In the end they are in balance with each other and it will sound great!
• Don't get discouraged if you don't get it done at first. Just keep singing and when you finally find a note that works with a song, keep practicing it, and you'll eventually hear the harmony naturally.

Warnings

• Be willing to accept constructive criticism from your singing teachers' without taking it personally. Someone who really wants to help you become a better singer isn't interested in laughing at your skills.
• Before practicing any form of singing, it is a must to have your voice warmed up to avoid harming your vocal cords. Otherwise, it can lead to long-term damage and loss of your ability to sing. The vocal cords are muscles, just like all other muscles in the body. So, just as a jogger needs to stretch before running to avoid pain and damage, singers need to warm up their voices. There are thousands of vocal warm-ups and tips online, using a search in your browser.
• Not all songs harmonize easily or well. But you can still "harmonize" by repeating the text as an echo, or by stacking.
• Practice a lot before trying this in public.
• Be patient with yourself. Learning to harmonize can be frustrating for you. But anyone can learn this with a little patience and persistence!
• Make a recording of yourself and listen to those recordings often. You will be amazed how you sound. Don't be discouraged. Nobody sounds like we think we do. The sounds we hear in our heads sound very different from what other people hear. A recorder can help adjust your voice and make it sound more pleasant.
• Do not cross the melody of your singing partners. It is a general rule of music that when you sing lower than your partner, you never go higher than his / her notes. If the number of singers is greater, this is even more strictly adhered to. The only exception is when everyone is singing the same notes. In a four-part harmony, the two people sitting in the middle register can sing the same notes, but those in the lowest and highest register cannot.
• The logical falling lock is not always correct. If you are the singer with the high voice in a two-part harmony, a musical phrase from C ('do') to A (lower 'la') or E ('mi') to C ('do') makes sense in a solo, but not correct in a duet or harmony. Whoever sings the low B ("ti") must go to the C to end the song. You have to keep singing in E so that the harmony is not lost.

More info

• Once you have more experience singing in harmony, you can try to go a step further and start singing a-cappella (without accompaniment). If you are a reasonably good singer, you can consider joining an a capella singing group. There are several a-cappella groups and in most places there is a choir to choose from. Joining such a choir will really help.
• In the Netherlands there is Holland Harmony - an association for barbershop singing. Both men and women can go here. These groups are an excellent way to improve your singing skills as singing techniques are taught during regular rehearsals and receive a lot of attention in workshops, coaching sessions and gatherings.

Necessities

• A piano
• A cassette recorder or MP3 player with which you can record