Jerry's Rules for Barbershop Singing
1. Use good posture. Keep a "proud" chest (expanded rib cage), and try to sit or stand an inch taller than you really are.
2. Breathe properly. Keep your chest high - don't let it fall when you exhale, and breathe from the diaphragm.
3. Sing each note on correct pitch. Tendency is to sing flat. Think a bit high when moving to a higher note or repeating the same note. Guard against going too low when moving to a lower note. Concentration and alertness help here.
4. Start each note on the correct pitch. Avoid "scooping" up to the correct pitch - the chord won't harmonize until you get there.
5. Learn the vowel targets. Practice forming correct mouth shapes, using the vowel target charts and a mirror. Concentrate on forming and singing each vowel in the song correctly.
6. Sing diphthongs by "targeting" the initial vowel and holding that vowel sound until the last possible moment before "turning" to the secondary vowel sound. Beware of the slow, gradual turn from the initial to the secondary vowel, or of moving to the secondary vowel too soon.
7. Support each note through its entire duration. Arrive at the vowel sound at the beginning of the note - not late. And don't cut it short, or allow it to "trail off" or become weak at the end.
8. Sing smoothly, with each note connected to the next within a phrase. Achieve a continuous flow of vowel sound throughout the phrase, even though the words, vowels and pitches are constantly changing. Don't waste too much time with unsingable consonants; "flick" them quickly through the unbroken flow of vowel sound.
9. Beware of singing with little bursts of extra volume at the beginning of each word, unless the director calls for an accent or special effect.
10. "V" and "Z" are singable consonants; "F" and "S" are not. Put a little "V" in your "F's", and a little "Z" in your "S's".
11. "T" and "P" are hard consonants; "D" and "B" are a bit softer. Lean a bit toward "D" when singing "T", and a bit toward "B" when singing "P"; it will allow you to keep the break in vowel sound to a minimum.
12. Sing with less volume on the higher notes, and greater volume on the lower notes.
13. Sing with less volume on 3rds and 7ths (usually tenors and baritones), and more volume on roots and 5ths (usually basses and leads).
14. If you are a lead, and you don't have the melody for a few notes, sing your part a little lighter (less volume) like a tenor or baritone until you get the melody back.
15. If you are a baritone, be aware of when you are above the lead and when you are below the lead. Sing a bit lighter when you are above the lead.
16. Sing a brighter quality (sound focused forward) on the lower notes, and a darker quality (sound focused further back) on the higher notes. Too bright is nasal; too dark is "throaty". If you don't know the difference between "bright" and "dark", ask your director or a knowledgeable coach to explain and demonstrate; then practice some scales, going from bright to dark as you sing up the scale, and back to bright again as you sing back down the scale. Don't forget Rule 12 while singing the scales.
17. Think about the message of the song, and "live" it while singing. Let your face reflect the emotion of the lyric.
18. Don't try to master these rules all at once - it's too much. Concentrate on one or two at a time, and practice them EVERY time you sing - whether in the chorus, a quartet, woodsheddinq in the corner, singing in the church choir, or alone in the shower. You will soon build good singing habits which become automatic -- then you can concentrate on another rule until IT becomes automatic.
19. After mastering all the rules, review them occasionally and correct any bad habits which may have slipped back in.
20. ENJOY YOURSELF! Barbershop singing makes life more fun, and it makes you live longer, too!