From the front of the choir: Singing harmony can be hard and scary

Those of use who love to sing in harmony sometimes forget how hard and scary it can be for those who haven’t tried it before.

The Watersons

Here are some handy hints on how to ease your way into harmony singing without getting too worried.

Many people sing to themselves all the time. In the shower, in cars, while jogging or walking. Most people can hold a tune in that way quite easily.

But when it comes to singing with others in harmony, especially a cappella, it’s a whole different kettle of fish.

If you already know the tune of a song with harmony parts, you may find yourself straying back to it rather than singing the harmony you’re supposed to be singing.
Even if you’re pretty confident of your harmony part, the person next to you might be singing a different harmony which can throw you.
Sometimes you might think you’re singing the tune, when you’re actually singing a perfect harmony (and vice versa)!
The whole idea of harmonies might be so unfamiliar to you that you can’t really hear the difference between them – and maybe even can’t tell which is the tune and which is a harmony.
If you’re a woman and prefer to sing low, you might end up singing with men and that can put you off as they’ll be singing high in their range. And vice versa: if you’re a man who likes to sing high, you’ll be singing with women who are singing low in their range and that can be confusing.
As a singer not used to harmonies you might be tempted to hide at the back of your part, but then you can’t hear your part (or the others) and can easily get lost. Are you singing the right thing?
You might think you can’t sing a harmony, but actually you’ve picked a harmony that is not right for your voice.

What can you do to overcome these?