Are you interested in trying out some four-part, a cappella singing right now?  It is fun and easy to learn a part, then you can sing along with three other voices in a quartet.

Let's start with an old time barbershop favorite:  Let Me Call You Sweetheart

1.  Download and print the sheet music (pdf format).  Don't panic - you do not need to know how to read music, but it helps to follow along.

2.  Choose a voice part that you would like to try.  If you do not know which part to try, then simply listen to them and guess which one best fits your voice.  (The files are in an MP3 format.  If your computer has software to play it, then double-clicking on the link should open the file and begin playing it.  You can choose to download the file and play it from your hard drive as well.)

     Lead         most of the time the lead sings the song's melody

     Bass          provides the foundation of the harmony (the low notes)

     Tenor        sings the harmony part above the lead (the high notes)

     Baritone    dances around the melody, filling in harmony notes

    These learning files are set up with a predominant voice  (bass, baritone, lead, or tenor) in one channel and the   other three voices in the other channel.  Initially, listen to each of the four parts separately and decide which one seems to best fit your voice range.

    One effective way to learn a part is to turn the volume down most of the way on the 3-voice channel while singing along with your voice part on the other channel.  Follow along on the sheet music.  After a while, you can start to increase the volume of the 3-voice channel and you will begin to hear and sing with the other voices.

    Once you are comfortable singing your part, begin to turn the volume of that channel down while singing with the three voices on the other channel.  Soon you will be singing your part alone, in close harmony with the three other voices.

    The final step in the learning process is to come to one of our meetings, find three other guys, and sing the song in a real quartet.

    All songs in the Valentine City Chorus repertoire are learned this way -- by listening and practicing.  If you do not read music, do not let that stop you from trying this marvelous hobby