Harmony Vocals / Backing Vocals

[john]

Hey

Do you consider yourself a lead vocalist, or a harmony/backing vocalist?

I wondered what makes the difference for you. Is it the range and technical skill, the tone of your voice, not wanting to be a frontman, or something else entirely?

The reason ask is that I have worked with several people who consider themselves as harmony/backing vocalists, and others who see themselves as lead vocalists, but the reason is not always plain to see.

Cheers

John

[Nightwolf]

Hey John,

Good question. I don't feel my voice has the sound and strength to stand alone as a lead vocalist anymore. I can hit the notes solid, therefore I consider myself a backing vocalist, even though I sing most of my own stuff. Lead vocals is a lot more than hitting the right notes, it has to do with personality.

Great Topic, any other opinions?

Peace,

John

[Steve]

I think it's a state of mind. Lead vocalists are usualy pretty upfront people with a very assured approach to their singing capabilities. I have sang backing vocals in every band I've played in. I've also sang a few songs as lead vocalist, but I've never had the conviction or presence to be a lead singer!

[hariossa]

to tell the truth I don't consider myself a singer at all... you all know that the vocals in my songs have a lot of editing and processing, but I think that a lead vocalist is a person who uses his/her voice as main instrument, while backing singers usually have another main instrument but they can also sing.

[Didier]

Do you consider yourself a lead vocalist, or a harmony/backing vocalist?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lead vocalist.

I wondered what makes the difference for you. Is it the range and technical skill, the tone of your voice, not wanting to be a frontman, or something else entirely?

Definetely the technical skill: I'm not good enough for harmony/backing vocals

The reason ask is that I have worked with several people who consider themselves as harmony/backing vocalists, and others who see themselves as lead vocalists, but the reason is not always plain to see.

Can you imagine Dylan doing harmonies/backing vocals?

I think the difference might be more in why and how people sing. Do they want to express something, or do they make (pretty) sounds with their voice?

Not to say that some lead singers couldn't be great backing vocalists. But I think you see the point.

Didier

[ATom2]

I have played in many bands thoughout the years and have done some of the lead singing. I prefer to do harmonies.

I think that doing lead is the easy part. I know many people who can sing lead, but very few who have the ear to do harmony. Not just from the standpoint of hitting the correct background notes, but the vocal knowledge of how to blend your vocal so it fits. I sometimes wanted to leave the stage when one of our "lead" singers would attemp to sing background. It was like the lead all of a sudden became the high note in the harmony. Like fingernails on a blackboard!

And then, there was always the part with dealing with the Lead guy's ego.

These are the reasons I am happy not to perform in a group anymore. I'd rather just record with me, myself, and I. That way if it sounds terrible, I just go yell at the mirror.

[john]

Hey

I guess like most instruments, to do either well is difficult. A lead vocal does tend to be under more individual scrutiny, and balancing expression with precision can be difficult although a great deal depends on the genre. Almost always a lead vocal has to have a stand-out feature that gives it a distinct and likeable character.

Singing a harmony vocal can be really difficult too. Achieving a blance in tone, and volume, precision in pitch, and synchronized timing. If anything harmony vocal tend to be warm but reasonably characterless. By that I mean that they tend to be of sympathetic tones. Where harmony vocals do display more character, it is commonly a dual vocal, more than a harmony vocal.

imho...

:

Cheers

John

[ATom2]

I've always relied on one band, and one band only when I think of the proper mix of vocals. The band YES in my opinion had the darn thing down to a science. Listen to "Leave It" a few times. When the lead and harmony come together they are the perfect mesh.(I realize the engineer had a lot to do with it, but it still took the singers to make it sound as one) Damn I love that band!!!

I have always tried to pattern what I do after them. Specially the chicks backstage! Never got that one right though!

[johnthebank]

As a non-singer I found that recent series on the voice very interesting, Sunday nights. There was a fascinating bit where Trevor Horn was explaining the fleshing-out of voices, to add more oomph. He multi-layered Seal's voice 27 times to give a full sound on Kiss From A Rose. So he ended up as main vocal, backing vocal and chorus. !

Edited March 9, 2005 by johnthebank

[Alistair]

I have usually played solo so I would have to say lead singer. But I know the limitations of my voice and have never felt I could sing it how it sounds in my head. I am poor at getting power in the lower registers, even though I can hit those notes, so I tend to sing higher.

When I get a chance, I sing the harmony and get someone else to sing the lead melody when performing my songs.

Working out the harmonies is often the trickiest part as Didier and Tom say. Singing them is even harder.

[FinnArild]

I do both myself - but I guess I see myself more as a lead singer.

[Donna]

Good thread.

I became lead. It just sort of happened overnight, odd. It's very important to me to be able to do either. I love being a vocal support, but difficlut to do this well while playing an instrument. Tho I'm sure John would say aw, ya just need to get yer feet wet again

Don't think being lead in my case has anything to do with fronting (lol!), just like playing any other instrument would.

The whole fronting thing...mostly sang lead as a drummer (long ago). Sometimes felt comfortable being frontman, but it's hard to judge now, 'cause that was doing other people's material.

I am ambivalent about the whole notion of fronting.

(And another Yes fan here! Tho I know/prefer pre "Going For The One" Yes...we used to giggle at Steve Howe's harmony at one place during All Good People (the live version), good memories. Atom, have you ever heard "To Be Over?" It's sublime! After hearing that I fell in love with lower-than-the-lead harmonies and have never been the same since.)