Heart of Illinois Chorus

In simple terms, barbershop harmony is vocal harmony produced by four parts: lead, tenor, baritone, and bass.  Barbershop harmony is different from any other kind of choral or group singing.  Finding the right part for your voice is the initial step.  Any woman of average singing ability with or without vocal training will find a part that fits her range.

• Lead is the melody and is mostly sung in the range between A below middle C and above middle C.
• Tenor is a harmony part sun consistenly above the lead.  Although tenor is the highest voice in barbershop harmony, tenor should not be confused with the soprano of conventional singing groups.  The tenor should have a light, sweet, pure tone that will complement the lead voice.
• Baritone covers the same range as lead and fills in the chord.  Baritone range crosses the lead notes, sometimes sung below and sometimes above.
• Bass singers should have a rich, mellow voice and be able to easily sing the E flat below middle C.  Bass should not be confused with the alto of conventional groups.

Barbershop is a style of a capella harmony characterized by a cone-shaped sound and specific chord structures (arrangement), delivery and interpretation.  These integral factors contribute to the lock-and-ring sound in which a perffectly sung chord creates unsung harmonic overtones.  In simple terms, barbershop harmony is vocal harmony produced by four parts: tenor, lead, baritone, and bass.  Singing barbershop is different from any other kind of choral or group singing.