How to Sing Harmony Vocals

Harmony vocals are created when a consonant note or notes are sung together at the same time. These vocals are usually sung in a homophonic texture that creates pleasing-sounding melodies. Harmony vocals must be sung by two or more people, for two notes sung at the same time are what create the harmony. However, if you do not have a group of people you can practice with, you can learn to sing harmony vocals on your own by practicing harmonizing with a song on a CD.

Things You'll Need

CD

CD player

Tape recorder (optional)

Step 1

Pop a CD into the CD player and skip to the song you would like to harmonize with.

Step 2

Listen very carefully to a song of your choice and pay special attention to the melody and any instruments. Listen to the song more than once if you need to.

Step 3

Restart the song and try to harmonize your voice to that of the singer's voice or one of the instruments playing. Try to make your voice meld with that of the sound you are trying to match to where your voice and the music sound one and the same.

Step 4

Practice harmonizing with the instrument in the exact octave it is played in, trying to sound exactly like it.

Step 5

Select a few notes from the melody and sing them in thirds, fifths or sixths. This simply means to slide up or down three, five or six notes from the melody to sing three, five or six notes higher or lower than the melody.

Tips

Record yourself singing along with the melody on a tape recorder and play it back to gauge your progress and determine where you need to improve your skill.

Warnings

Beware of straining your voice; if you throat feels sore or uncomfortable, discontinue singing for the day. Stressing your voice could result in damaged vocal cords.