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– LISA POPEIL
Much is written about the solo singer or lead singer
experience, but what about the special requirements of those singers not
in the limelight—the lowly but oh-so-important backup singer? Whether
you’re a hired hand or a band musician doing double-duty as a singer,
get ready to learn how to be an
integral and welcome part of the
overall vocal sound.
1. LEARN TO HARMONIZE
You don’t have to be a great
singer to be a good backup
singer, but you do need to be
able to create harmony parts
and hold !rm no matter which
other vocal parts surround you.
Make sure you know the
melody well before you attempt
to !nd harmony parts. Practice
singing along to recordings with
complex harmonies like Queen,
Dan Fogelberg or the Beatles.
Listen carefully to the existing
harmonies, then sing along.
Do research online for CDs or
videos speci!cally created to
improve your skills in “vocal
harmony.”
If you have trouble maintaining
your pitch amid of various
harmony parts, plug your ear
that is near the singer who is
closest to you. Or practice singing
with other vocal parts from
a distance, gradually moving
closer to the other singers. Or
don’t stand in the middle of a
threesome; position yourself
on the outside. You must be
able to maintain your pitch in
sometimes challenging sonic
situations, which leads us to...
2. LISTEN CLOSELY
Monitors are key. Whether you
use "oor monitors or in-ears,
this may be the most important
ingredient in your backup
singing ability. If even one of
the singers can’t hear himself,
the result is a sonic blood bath.
Top Los Angeles session singer
Scottie Haskell suggests that
you should “Control the reverb
in the monitor mix—too much
and you’ll be swimming and not
able to hear anything clearly.”
Don’t be afraid to ask the sound guy to adjust your monitor level and
of
course make sure you can hear every singer so you all can nicely stack
the vocal parts.
3. FIND THE PROPER MODULATION
Now that you can hear what the other singers are doing, try to match
their vowel sounds. That means if they sing the “oo” vowel with
!shy lips,
do the same. Or if the lead singer is pronouncing the vowel in the word“love” like “ah” instead of “uh,” match
their vowel.
Add or reduce nasality to match and support the group sound.
Control your loudness when singing backup. Try to balance your volume
so you’re neither too loud OR too soft when singing in harmony.
Watch that your vibrato isn’t too wobbly (slow and big) or jittery (fast
and
shallow). Neither type of vibrato blends well with others. If you can’t
control
your vibrato speed, I recommend that you aim to sing with straight tone.
4. NEVER STICK OUT
Backup singers basically help create a fuller overall vocal sound, so
never let your voice stick out. There are several ways to accomplish
this. First: begin and end each phrase exactly along with the other
backup singers. Don’t come
in early or leave late!
Second: minimize the clarity
of your consonants. Soften
your !nal T’s or P’s or leave
them off altogether. S’s are
the most dangerous and
can be almost eliminated.
Final S’s can easily sound
like a bunch of snakes
hissing. Practice singing“Sally sells seashells by the
seashore” as “...ally...ellz..
ea..ellz...by...the...ea..ore”.
Extreme example, yes, but it’ll give you an idea of how
to sing on your vowels while
minimizing your S sounds.
Watch your breathing
sounds. Audible gasping
can mar a good group
sound, particularly during
a quiet ballad. If a phrase
is really long, stagger your
breathing among the group
to give the illusion of one
long phrase.
5. ACHIEVE ENDURANCE
Grammy-winning pro singer
Angie Jarée says, “Anyone
embarking on a tour should
already have taken enough
voice lessons to know the
mechanics of singing and,
more importantly, their own
instrument; if not, they need
to do so pronto.” She likens
singing to running: “The
[tour] thing is more like long
distance running and the
studio thing is more like
sprinting. The key points
to achieving ‘endurance’
are adequate prep such as
physical stretching, vocal
warmups and cool-downs;
7-8 hours of sleep; eating
healthy; strong discipline
(minimal drinking and partying);
and the right attitude.”
When preparing for the road, !nd harmony parts you can sing comfortably
when exhausted, sick, or when just not in the mood to sing that
night. Live shows while traveling will test your vocal technique even if
you’re not in the spotlight.
6. GET YOUR HEAD STRAIGHT
Put your ego aside when singing backup vocals. Or as Scottie Haskell
advises, “Remember, backup singing is not a contest—it’s
a team effort.
Think of the old adage, ‘There is no I in team.’”
Backup singing is not easy—it
takes real chops. Not everyone
can do it well. Come ready with
your “A” game, a positive attitude
and a willingness to take personal
growth steps to be in a good head
space as part of that team.
LISA POPEIL is a Los Angeles voice coach
with over 35 professional teaching experience.
Creator of the Voiceworks® Method,
the Total Singer DVD, and co-author of the
book Sing Anything-Mastering Vocal Styles,
Popeil trains singers in vocal technique,
stage performance and vocal health for touring
professionals. Visit http://popeil.com.“Watch your breathing sounds.
Audible gasping can mar a good group sound,
particularly during a quiet ballad.”
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