Our Newsletter

Dear Chorus Friends and Members,

We are having another REAL MEN SING evening on Monday 16th May 2016.  Please see the attached poster for time, location and contact details.

This proved a very popular night in 2015 for men who know they enjoy singing but have not had the experience of singing with a 4 part harmony, a cappella (unaccompanied) men's chorus.

It's a chance to firstly listen to the singing of the Melbournaires Harmony Chorus of over 50 men and, if the mood takes you, to stand amongst the chorus members on the risers and listen and join in.  You don't have to read music but it will be provided so you can follow along with the words.

There's no cost for the evening (though copper coin donations are welcome) and a free supper is provided.

Below you will also find information on the Victorian Regional Convention & Quartet Contest.  This is not widely publicised as the venues are not large and the primary purpose is to allow Vic choruses and quartets of all levels to be judged by, and to receive feedback from, a Nationally qualified judging panel.  This is not a public show but may be of interest to those wanting see where their involvement with barbershop singing might lead.

If you get the buzz that most of us do from locking and ringing 4 part chords and you want a regular a cappella 'fix' then you can come along and join in on any Monday night (same venue) where you will be assessed for your singing part, ie:

• Bass (lower voices singing a rhythmic, harmony part)
• Lead (mid-range voices singing the melody)
• Baritone (mid - low range voices singing 'tricky' harmony part)
• Tenor (high range voices singing falseto harmony part)

NB the info in the brackets above provides general, not rigid, descriptions.

There are choirs and then there are a cappella barbershop choruses.  Why might you want to sing with one rather than the other?

• A cappella choruses provide you with the chance to sing in 4 part harmony (4 notes/voices per chord), not just in unison (one note). Because the voices need to lock in harmony, any backing instrument or music tracks can detract from the listening required to "Lock & Ring" in harmony.  This focus on the quality and matching of sound is also much improved if the singer is constantly watching the musical director and listening closely to fellow singers.  For this reason barbershoppers (and sweet adelines) tend to memorise all notes and words of a song before getting into the serious practice required to improve the harmony of their sound.
• Choirs and choral groups sing more often in unison with backing music, with less frequent harmony. This means that the attention to matching and balancing of vocal sound (matching vowel /mouth shapes, pitch, breathing control, accent, turning of diphthongs**, relative volumes of the parts, etc) is perhaps less than is required with a cappella singing. The choir focus tends to be more on the ability to rapidly & accurately interpret the pitch, volume and tempo of the song from the sheet music being held in front of one. Choir musical pieces are often longer and more complex (including instrument scores, etc) than a typical barbershop song and precise memorisation of all words, notes and other musical markings may not be practical so music sheets are generally held by the singers.
• Is the difference important?. The tingle you feel when you sing a note which is in harmony with the note being sung by other singers is more satisfying for most barbershoppers than the more usual experience of singing in unison.
• ** turning of diphthongs (means literally 2 sounds) is the phrase used to describe the vocal enunciation of a sung word from the central vowel sound as it changes to the final consonant of the word. eg HEART  is brief h followed by a much longer aaaaaah turning to a final and brief rt at the end. To allow a chord to lock and ring the aaaaaah is vocalised with an agreed constant mouth shape and sound so all 4 parts lock and ring. If the aaaaaah sound is sung in the more normal way with the mouth closing (and the sound changing) throughout the sound, there is little likelihood of all 4 voice sounds locking and ringing.