Lock-and-Ring    The ultimate barbershop sound.  To achieve it requires excellence in all phases of singing--a good musical arrangement, good vocal technique, well balanced and blended voices and accuracy of intonation.  In combination, these qualities can create an audible, unsung overtone that sends a chill up the spine of singers and listeners alike!

Mass Sing            A Sweet Adelines thank-you to the annual international convention host city.  This public event, which traditionally kicks off all our conventions, enables us to gather in a public place and present to listeners a tribute of barbershop harmony.

Pitch Pipe            A chromatic-scaled instrument that is used to establish a pitch or key tone.

A cappella            Choral music without instrumental accompaniment.  Cappella (Italian) chapel; a cappella in the manner of the chapel.

Woodshedding       An impromptu gathering of singers who improvise the harmony of a song by ear.  This is the very heart of barbershop singing and is the essence of our barbershop heritage.

Tag                       The final portion of a barbershop arrangement, usually containing very interesting chord progressions that are fun to sing.  Tags may be sung separately from the song, and are often used by both quartets and choruses for the purpose of practicing to achieve complete chord excellence.  Some barbershoppers may not remember entire songs, but most will memorize hundreds of tags.

Barbershop harmony is unaccompanied, four-part a cappella harmony.  Although barbershop-style is usually built on simple melodies and is relatively easy to sing, the a cappella sytle and the ear training necessary for independent part singing make it one of the most challenging and rewarding accomplishments of a vocal ensemble.  When the music is sung accurately and with good breath support and vocal techniques, barbershop harmony produces OVERTONE vibrations that create a resonant RING unique to this form of music.  As a new Sweet Adeline, your're probably wondering what the requirements are for your own vocal skills.  Ladies of all skill levels join us and their abilities are as varied as they are.  It's the coming together of these unique voices, talents and experiences that creates the space for an exciting ensemble.  All for one and one for all.


HERE ARE THE BASICS:   

1. You need to be able to sing in tune.

2. You need to be able to hear those around you and blend your voice with theirs as our organization emphasizes ensemble singing, is not a solo-building group.

3. You need to be able to eventually hold your own - that is you will need to be able to sing your own part when surrounded by those who don't.  In barbershop chorus there are many times when you are singing while standing by someone who isn't your part.

4. You will probably want to begin a normal warm-up routine at home before you practice.  This will be good for your voice and, depending on what you choose to use for warm-ups, you can be specifically working on many different skills (ex. flexibility, range, breath control, dynamic (volume) control, etc.)

5. In order to keep your level consistent and/or improve, you will want to make sure you have a plan for practicing the songs at home, either with the help of the learning tape/CD or not.  It's just like exercising the body-if you do it on a regular basis, you will reap the benefits, and if you don't, you'll definitely see the decline.
                                    

Feeling the song and performing it.