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.

Skills you’ll need to brush up when your choir rehearses again in person

Here in England, we’re limited to a maximum of six singers rehearsing indoors.

photo by allan harris

When restrictions are finally lifted (in three weeks we hope), many choral skills will have gone rusty over the last year or more.

How to sing a drone of staggering beauty

A drone is a note continuously sounded throughout most or all of a song.

 

But singers have to breathe, so how can this be achieved?

Singers listen with their eyes as well as their ears

I've been trying to sing against a recording of two other people singing different harmony parts.

I found it almost impossible to pitch accurately because I couldn't see them.

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?

Why do choirs stand in sections to learn songs? Here’s an alternative that might work better!

Most choirs rehearse and perform with voice parts standing together in blocks: all the sopranos will be together, all the basses together, etc.



But there are other ways to rehearse (and perform) songs which might make learning easier. Here is something you might want to try.

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.