In a choir, it’s not about singing loud vs. soft – it’s about balance

I’ve written before about How to know how loud you should sing in a choir.

photo by Malingering

But as a choir member you are working as part of a team, so it’s not entirely up to you. It’s all about balance.

The good enough singer

Last week I wrote about the notion of being “good enough” and how it could be applied to choir leaders: The good enough choir leader.

This week I want to look at how singers can usefully use this idea.

The long and the short of it: height differences in singing groups

I was teaching a group about what might affect the vocal blend when singing harmony in small groups.



Somebody pointed out that it’s much easier if everyone is the same height. This got me thinking …

Why do I sound much lower (or higher) than the person next to me when singing the same part?

In choral singing, you often hear the term blend. Much attention is given to the shape of vowel sounds to help achieve blend.



However, the timbre of voice is perhaps even more important than vowel sounds. Why do two singers sound so different when singing the same thing?

How do you know if you’re singing the right thing?

Often, at the end of a singing workshop, someone will tell me that they didn’t think they were singing the right thing and ask if there is anything they can do about it.

photo by Xavier Vergés

It’s often people who have only recently started to sing with others, but this doubt can hit at any time. How can you tell if you’re getting it ‘right’?

The 7 elements of vocal blend and how to control them

There is a balance in any choir between individual voices and the overall sound. Most choirs aim to blend voices so that there is a cohesion rather than individual voices sticking out.

photo by pinkbelt

If this is taken too far however, I believe that you lose the humanity in the choir. It’s still a good thing to aim for though. Here’s how to go about it.

How do you know how loud you should sing in choir?

Your singing teacher is always telling you to be more confident and sing up.



But your choir leader asks you to sing quietly and listen to each other. So how loud should you be singing?

Sing something simple (and see if your singing is as good as you think it is)

If you’re like me, you’re always tempted to add harmonies to the simplest of melodies whether it’s singing along with others or arranging a song.



But don’t overlook the simplicity of unison singing and drones. These are great ways of finding out if your singing is as good as you think!