Most people are able to sing the lead line but many people don’t know where to start when singing harmonies. How does it work? Is there a formula to find the ride pitches that sound good with the main line?
Yes, there are several ways to learn to sing harmonies. Firstly, it’s important that you pick a song that has an easy melodic line. Take maybe the chorus line. Get to know that chorus part really well. Then try to find the 3rd or 5th up from that melody line. This is where playing an instrument can help. On the piano or guitar, play a chord. The three notes of a root chord is made up harmonies. Take one of the pitches of the chord and you have 2 harmony lines.
If you can find and sing along with the 3rd or 5th interval, then find someone who can sing the melody line with you. That way you can really practice singing it live after you sung along with a vocal track to make sure you’re on the right note.
Eventually your ear will be trained sufficiently to hear 3rd and 5ths and other intervals on the spot to sing. It’s also good practice to sing the main melody line and have someone else harmonize along with you. Are you able to keep your melody line going without wavering? One helpful tip is to put your finger in one ear so you can tune into your own pitch while you keep the other ear open to make sure you are in sync with the other singer who’s singing harmonies.
In order to sing harmonies well you need to listen to a lot of music with harmonies like the Beatles, Barbershop Quartets, Acapella groups, such as Pentatonix. Hone in on the harmonies and melody line and switch back and forth so that you can hold your own. If you’d like to have hands on training on learning how to sing harmonies live, take my Master Class this Thursday Nov, 3rd 6-7 (PT). Register here to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/learn-how-to-harmonize-vocal-master-class-tickets-444441746227