The musical art-form known as "Barbershop"
is an unaccompanied style of singing which
is one of the most exciting and challenging
ways an average singer can use his voice.
Far away from its outdated public image of
handlebar moustaches, haircuts, and humming
round a lamppost on a street-corner, barbershop
singing today is practised by thousands of
musicians in a dozen different countries.
Barbershop harmony always involves four parts
and so the simplest format is a quartet of
men or women. However, many exponents enjoy
singing in a larger group where several join
together to sing the same part. Some of the
best choruses in the world have well over
a 100 members, and make a quite astonishing
sound.
The music is characterised by the melody
being carried by the second part down in
the four - the lead part. There is a high
tenor part which always stays above the melody,
the foundation is provided by a bass, and
a baritone sings above or below the lead
to finish off the chord. If there is one
thing which distinguishes barbershop from
other styles of a cappella singing, it is
the rich, full texture of the sound which
is produced. The "ring" of barbershop
chords is unmistakable, and much of the honing
of a barbershop quartet or chorus goes into
perfecting this expansion of sound. It is
quite possible when things are just right
for several additional notes to be heard
in a chord, which are not being sung by anybody.
Many of the songs sung in barbershop date
from the early part of this century, and
indeed one of the aims of the barbershop
movement is to preserve some of these wonderful
melodies for future generations. But barbershoppers
are by no means limited to the old songs.
Many great songs written recently have been
arranged in the barbershop style. A song
which will suit the style has a melody which
is straightforward enough not to require
a professional singer to master it, and a
simple, heartfelt lyric. There are many popular
songs which fit that definition well. Good
barbershop songs also have an interesting
harmonic feel, in which the chords play around,
but always come back home when your ear says
they should.
Barbershop is also about entertainment. Barbershop
performances, when set alongside those of
more traditional choral groups, never fail
to impress visually. The presentation of
a song is looked at as a whole, and the outcome
is a treat for the eyes as well as the ears.
Although not necessarily a very accomplished
singer, the typical barbershopper is keen
to learn and improve his vocal ability. Through
national and international organisations,
and at the local level, there is a strong
emphasis in barbershop communities placed
on education and development. In fact, getting
involved with a barbershop club is a very
cheap way to improve your voice!
Finally, barbershop is also about fellowship
and fun. The spirit of harmony pervades the
barbershop movement and attracts all people
of good character. Although we work hard
to do what we do well, we never take ourselves
too seriously. We are all there to have fun
- and that is something we have a lot of.
Your local barbershop club is full of friends
you haven't met yet!