Learning to sing harmonies on a worship team requires practice, experience and ear training, It is also helpful to have a basic understanding of music theory. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to sing harmonies effectively:
1. Listen Actively: Start by actively listening to the harmony parts in worship songs and other music. Pay attention to how the harmonies complement the lead vocals and the overall arrangement of the song. Listen to where the back-up singers sing unison, two parts, three parts or don’t sing at all.
2. Identify Harmony Parts: In worship songs, the harmonies are often sung by the backup singers. Listen for parts where the lead singer’s melody has additional vocal lines above or below it. These are the harmony parts you’ll be learning to sing.
3. Start with Simple Harmonies: Begin by learning and practicing simple harmonies that are easy to pick out. These might be two or three notes above or below the lead melody. Simple harmonies help you get familiar with the concept and build confidence.
4. Use Sheet Music or Chord Charts: Many worship songs have sheet music or chord charts available. These resources often include the melody and harmony parts written above the lyrics. Use them to guide your learning and understanding of the harmonies. If you play piano, try playing your part along with the recording to help hear your harmony pitches. Also, choirs are often great places to learn to read music and sing with other more experienced singers. Here are some tips on how to learn to read music.
5. Use Online Tutorials: Look for online tutorials or videos that specifically teach harmony parts for worship songs. These resources can be helpful in learning specific harmonies step by step. Here’s is a link to one such resource: Worship Vocalist
6. Practice with Recordings: Use recordings of the songs you’re learning to sing along with the harmony parts. Singing along with the original recording helps you hear how your voice fits in with the rest of the music. Other resources such as multi-tracks often include back-up vocal parts you can listen to and learn from. The original MP3’s can often be transposed into the key that your individual worship band is singing in. Multitracks ‘Rehearsal Mix’ also gives you the ability to increase the volume of the back vocals so you can hear them properly in the key that your team does them in.
7. Start Slowly: When learning harmonies, start at a slower pace, and gradually increase the tempo as you become more comfortable. This allows you to focus on hitting the right notes and refining your technique.
8. Use Vocal Warm-ups: Warm up your voice before practicing harmonies. Vocal warm-ups help improve your vocal flexibility and range, making it easier to hit the harmony notes accurately.
9. Ear Training Exercises: Practice ear training exercises to improve your ability to hear and identify different pitches and intervals. Ear training is essential for picking out harmonies by ear.
10. Sing with Others: If possible, practice harmonies with other singers. Singing with others helps you blend your voice and develop a sense of harmony in a group setting. Try attending rehearsals and singing along with more experienced singers. As mentioned before, choirs are often great places to help singers get experience in singing harmonies.
11. Record Yourself: Record yourself singing the harmony parts and listen back to identify areas for improvement. Recording yourself can also boost your confidence as you hear your progress over time.
12. Be Patient and Persistent: Learning to sing harmonies takes time and practice. Be patient with yourself, and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t come naturally at first. Keep practicing regularly, and you’ll see improvement over time.
Remember that learning to sing harmonies is a skill that improves with practice and consistent effort. As you become more proficient, you’ll add depth and richness to your worship team’s performances, enhancing the overall worship experience.
Check out my new book.. “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’ available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions. This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.
This blog is part of my vision to train over 100,000 worship leaders around the world. If you would like to support this vision you can help by giving any amount via PayPal here.
