When playing music in a band, it isn’t about individual prowess. It’s about synchronizing and blending to create a mesmerizing choreography of sound.
Learning from One Another
One of the things that separates really great groups from those who just sound good is their ability to learn from each other. That’s why it’s important to spend a little time in rehearsal just listening to each other, trying to figure out where they might need to add or drop notes here and there.
It’s also a good idea to practice listening to some music that uses harmony, just so you can get a feel for it. And slow songs are often the best choice for that, so you have a chance to hear how each individual voice fits into the overall harmony.
Once you’ve listened to some harmony-heavy music and spent some time trying to sing along (try it with someone who knows how to harmonize) you might be ready to try your hand at creating your own harmonies. That’s a big step, and it’s not easy, even for those who have a natural gift for it. It takes a lot of listening, imitation, and trial and error to learn how to create a harmony line.
The key is to find a note that sits well with the melody and then move around a bit, playing with different intervals until you have some ideas. For example, you might start with a third above the melody or a fifth below it, moving up and down like an arpeggio until you have some possibilities to choose from.
In general, the more variation you can put into your harmony lines the more interesting they will be, but it’s important not to overdo it. Too much variation can actually be distracting and can make it difficult for listeners to focus on the melody itself.
Tribute bands that are able to perform Queen tributes that capture Freddie’s magic are an excellent example of how this works, especially since they were able to bring mountain harmony right into the mainstream at a time when pop crossover wasn’t even a dream.
Another great way to build team unity is through a musical themed corporate team building event that brings people together in a fun and rewarding experience they will remember for a long time. This includes our Singing Musical Team Building which allows participants to study and then perform a song of their choice.
Listening
Whether it’s the intricate chord progressions in a jazz piece or the additional notes that enhance a vocal melody, harmony is an important aspect of musical structure. Understanding it can open up a whole new world of texture and emotion for any song. But how do you learn to hear harmony? The first step is to listen closely to music, and specifically, music with harmony. It’s helpful to find a piece that doesn’t have the melody on top, so you can try to pick out the individual harmony lines.
The harmonies in this example are relatively close (in two senses of the word). They’re tightly grouped on a staff and easy to sing together, which facilitates the sort of group harmony singing that bluegrass groups engage in, where each singer hovers around a microphone to build up stacked harmonies that sound like the kind of harmony you’d hear in a traditional Appalachian tune. This is the sort of close harmony that produces those wonderful harmonic overtones that make this type of music so compelling to listen to.
But it’s also worth noting that the first couple of measures here are not a basic idea, but an opening presentation phrase. And because of that, it’s likely that the listener will now anticipate contrasting material coming in later. This might evoke a sense of tension, anticipation, or urgency in the listener, drawing on some of my previous discussion of cadential analysis.
To help your ears to understand the nuances of harmonic movement, it’s helpful to use a tool like an app or sheet music that will display the harmony and the melody separately, so you can listen for the intervallic relationships between them. This will give you a more clear understanding of how the harmony is moving, and allow you to practice matching up the intervals that make it work. Another good exercise is to take a simple song, such as Mary Had a Little Lamb or Twinkle Twinkle, and try to sing it with just the harmony line, then with the melody alone, and then with both at the same time.
Learning from Your Instruments
Learning an instrument requires a lot of time and commitment, especially at first. It is important to set realistic goals and stick with it to ensure that you make progress, even if it’s only one small step forward each day. To help motivate yourself, it can be helpful to surround yourself with music that inspires you and helps you stay motivated. You can also try writing motivational sayings around your sheet music or on your music stand to remind yourself why you started learning in the first place.
If you are not sure where to start, consider starting with an easy song that features harmonies. This will give you a feel for the musical intervals that are required to create harmony and it will be much easier than trying to figure out how to sing over an entire melody on your own. Many songs have harmonies that are based on major thirds or fifths above and below the melody. This is called blood harmony and you can find plenty of examples by listening to bands like The Eagles or Chicago who were known for their vocal harmonies.
Another great way to learn is by watching musicians play live. It can be inspiring to see people play an instrument that you want to learn and will help give you ideas about how to apply what you are learning to your own style. There are many places to find live music, including local clubs and theaters or by checking out open mic nights.
Music is a universal language, capable of passing down emotions better than any word or gesture. It can be a great tool to use for corporate team building and is ideal for bringing your team together in a fun, creative, and motivating way. The rhythm of music breaks down boundaries and allows you to communicate with your team members in a way that will reach out not only to the brain but also to the heart. A perfect example of this is the Boomwhackers team building activity where teams are split into groups with different musical pitches and then have to work together using communication skills to be able to play a well known tune as one big percussive orchestra!
Learning from Your Style
Harmony is an important component in music, whether it’s the chords that build a song’s foundation or additional notes that enhance a vocal melody or guitar solo. It’s also a great way to add emotion to a song. Learning to sing harmony can be a difficult skill, but practice and patience will help anyone master it. It is helpful to start by listening to music that features strong harmonies. Listen to the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel or even the Indigo Girls for some inspiration.
You can also practice on your own by playing around with musical intervals. For example, if you know how to play Twinkle Twinkle on your piano, try adding in harmony a major third above or below the melody. This will help you learn how to hear the separate parts and what they sound like when played together.
Another great idea is to sing along with a song you already know. Try singing the melody and then adding in some harmony to see how well you can do it without putting too much pressure on yourself. Slow songs are often the best for this because they give you more time to find your voice and get into it.
Singing harmony is a slightly different skill than singing lead, so just because you are a good singer doesn’t mean you’ll be a good harmonicist. This is because harmonies require more precise pitches and often have to be sung in unison, which can be challenging for some people. It’s also helpful to have a little bit of experience singing lead before you attempt to sing harmony, since this will help you develop a good sense of your own pitch and how it sounds with other instruments.
Developing a cohesive musical unit is one of the most powerful team building activities you can do. It can help bring people together and allow them to communicate in a way that transcends language and breaks down barriers. It’s also a great way for companies to show their employees that they are part of something bigger than themselves.