For Backup Vocalists (BGVs)
There’s a major problem
facing the church, one of such severe magnitude that we all must take action
now! Back-up vocalists are singing too much. Ok, so maybe the issue isn’t as
big as I said, but still, can we discuss?
When serving as a
vocalist on a worship team we are either vocally leading the song or serving as
background vocals to a song. While this position may change for us throughout a
service, or even throughout a song, we would do our teams a service by
considering the following ideas.
A Pleasant Surprise
Make a plan as to when
your background vocals will enter the song. If they come in right at the
beginning where do you go from there? It’s ok to wait until the first chorus,
or many times, even the second chorus. Waiting to add the background vocals
will allow yourselves some room to grow vocally.This means that when you have
more than one extra vocal, space out their entries in the song. By all means be
creative with this. The last thing you want is to create a pattern you repeat
over and over again which becomes predictable (Who would do that? Oh right, me.
Guilty).
Make a plan as to when your background vocals will enter the song.
Too Much Harmony
Yes, this can absolutely
happen. If you have one person leading and the two background vocals are
singing the same harmony part, it’s too much. Try having one person match the
melody on the choruses and back off the mic a little bit. Don’t get me wrong,
three part harmony is something I love, but you need to know your song. Have
beautiful harmonies for How Great Thou Art or All in All? Use them! Songs like
How He Loves or Greatly to Be Praised don’t always need that much going on.
Sometimes keeping it simple can create something beautiful.
Why Am I Here?
I get this, you come out
to practice and show up early on Sundays and perhaps you’re only singing on the
choruses, maybe on one song you don’t even come in until the bridge, so why are
you there? Each instrument has
their role, the background vocals are no different. We are adding a beautiful
texture to the song that wouldn’t be there otherwise. We are waiting until the
bridge to sing into our mic because that’s when the song needs to build and
feel full and without your vocal singing the 5th, it would be empty. We are
standing up in front of our congregation and saying “Here I am to Worship and
serve, however The Lord may need me this week.” (We underestimate how powerful
that statement can be sometimes)
We are adding a beautiful texture to the song that wouldn’t be there otherwise.
Now What?
Ok, so we’ve discussed
how the extra vocals shouldn’t jump in right away, how too much harmony on a
simple song is overwhelming, and that even if we’re not singing all the time
we’re still vital to the team, now what? How do you go about implementing some
of these ideas? If you’re the worship leader, take the time to make a vocal map
of each song with your vocalists. I will say try to have an idea as to what you’d
like before practice starts, but I completely understand how things change once
the voices start singing. Let each one of them know when they should enter.
Don’t be afraid to be direct. Your vocalists want direction, most of them are
extremely comfortable and familiar with exact directions. You can tell them,
“Don’t sing here. Enter here. Only Lindsay join in on this part.” If you take
the time out to give even a little bit more direction than you currently do, it
will be a huge benefit.
If you’re not the worship
leader, listening is the best advice. Listen to what the people around you are
doing. Did the other vocalist join in really fast with the leader? Then take it
upon yourself to push back your entrance. Are two people singing the harmony
parts and you can barely hear the melody? Ask your leader if you can sing the
melody part behind them. The more you take the time to listen and not just
sing, the better you will get at it.
Let’s give the background vocals some attention at our rehearsals this year.CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>>>
For Backup Vocalists (BGVs)
Reviewed by Admin
on
12:13:00 PM
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