Harmonizing

At our last circle, we began to work a bit more closely on creating harmonies. It was very interesting to be asked "How do you harmonize?". I have been considering this question all week and I am very curious to continue to explore how we can all learn to harmonize and feel comfortable doing it. Here are some thoughts:

* Harmonizing is a unique process for each individual. Some people hear harmonies automatically when listening to a melody line, some do not.

* Much like our singing styles, the intervals (or distances between notes) that we use commonly have a great deal to do with our culture and what we are used to hearing. Eastern music uses a lot of fourths, while western music leans towards thirds and fifths (generally speaking).

* It is easier to begin to harmonize if you understand your range. For some people, finding lower harmonies feels more natural, others are attracted to higher note relationships.

I am excited to continue this study together and I am bringing some new ideas and activities to try next Thursday night. If you have any other thoughts about the subject of harmony, please comment below!

Down to the River

One of the sweet things about having our singing circle at the Freight & Salvage is that we are singing upstairs while some incredible music is being performed live right below us.  On September 30th, it just so happens that Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys will be in the house as we are singing!  Here are details about that show: http://www.thefreight.org/ralph-stanley-clinch-mountain-boys

In honor of this soul music, we will be singing a few favorites this week from the O'Brother Soundtrack.  I have added the lyrics to our songbook, which you will find a link to in the side bar.  Here are some inspiring versions of a few of the tunes:

Alison Krauss:




I love the faces of admiration from the boys in the front row as Hank Williams Sr.  sings:




Mr. Ralph Stanley:

Singing Together

I had really been missing singing with women and it was such a pleasure to begin our circle last week.
Here is the link to our first bunch of songs.  Some we got to, some we didn't, but this songbook will keep growing as we go along:
Women's Circle Songbook

I thought I would post some videos of different styles of  singers who are singing from different centers of their body. We worked a bit with getting our voices to resonate from the depths of our guts to the tops of our heads.  We are all able to make such diverse sounds with our voices.  It is interesting how different cultures tend to favor and develop vocal styles using their instruments in such unique ways.

Eastern European womens choirs belt out their vocals from with a nasal head voice:



Luzmila Carpio is from the mountains of Bolivia where the air is thin.  She sings so high up in her head voice that it is difficult at times to differentiate her voice from the flute.  If you are short on time, skip to around 1:07 to hear her reach great heights.  Incredible:




These women in the Congo are using chest voices:



Tuvan throat singers:



RIP Odetta:  A woman who knew how to sing from the depths of her belly: