Customer Reviews

Harmony Singing By Ear

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a frustrated, wannabe harmony singer who is tired of hearing other people harmonize with what appears to be no effort, this CD will change your life. Other instructional CDs and books might have better graphic design or slick cover art, but this CD actually delivers.

Here's the key (no pun intended): listen to all of the included CDs, but listen to the first CD over and over and over again until it sinks in. I kept this CD in my car and would sing along with it every time I drove somewhere -- even to the grocery store. Then, I might put it away for a month or two...and pull it out and start all over again. I don't have a lick of musical training, but Susan's gentle, common sense approach is perfect for a beginner. After listening to Susan's CD multiple times, I moved on to regular music CDs that already had harmony backup singers. I listened to their parts, learned them as best I could and sang along. Eventually, I got to a point where I never even bothered to really "learn" the melody. I would just listen for the harmony. Finally, I reached my goal of being able to find the harmony (on my own) and sing along with my better half, Ben Bedford, who writes beautiful Americana/folk songs.

What started out as a strong desire to simply to sing along in the living room has evolved into so much more. In fact, with assistance from Nashville singer-songwriter, Sally Barris, I sang harmony on Ben's most recent CD. [...] I sing harmony on the songs "Harley Albright" and "Virginia Girls." His CD was recorded in Nashville a year ago -- and I feel like I am even more prepared for the next one! I've also started singing live with him when he performs -- something I didn't think I would ever feel comfortable doing.

Thanks for putting out a great product!

I really liked most things about this CD. Her voice is very calm and she does an overall great job of teaching Upper Harmony vocals. In fact, the first CD is pretty flawless.

However, I really wanted to work on the lower harmonies (alto range) and was really looking forward to the Lower Harmony CD. The range on the first CD was great--she even worked on UUH (Upper Upper Harmonies) but they were all within the range I could hit. I was worried about lower harmonies if she kept at that range, but figured she would shift once we worked on the lower keys.

That didn't happen. She starts on a low note each time--lower than the typical songs, I think. The Lower Harmonies ended up being too low, and I often felt like a foghorn. The range is much lower than the typical alto range (in my opinion.) She mentioned that lower harmonies were harder to learn, and when I found that I couldn't hit some of those notes, I was pretty disappointed that I couldn't keep practicing them. They were really REALLY low at times. I had to put the CD away.

Overall, this is great for learning harmony basics, but if you're looking for lower harmony practice, you might want to get a supplemental aid somewhere, unless you have a nice base voice.

I was clueless about harmony singing before using these CDs. Now I'm getting it-the lessons are very user-friendly and go at a good pace, and I'm learning things about music and singing that never made sense to me before. Good choice of songs, good method.

I've been singing and teaching harmony for a long time now, and I must say that these CD's are the best i've come across. They are not overloaded with theory and musical jargon, which makes it easy for the non-musicians for follow. Great choice of songs too.

Received the pack 3 days ago; People stare at me singing in traffic jams!
Harmony, something I had wished to be able to master, for years; here I am now!
If you intend to improve your singing abilities harmonizing with others, buy this pack.
Will put you in tracks within a few hours.

I've never done much harmony singing and I'm not much of a singer anyway. This CD is a great way to practice both - while driving. The author sings the melody, which you can sing along with, demonstrates how to find the harmony, which you can sing along with then sings both and allows you to have one or the other separated by your panning to the left or right of the stereo field. Consequence - the practice, for me, in the privacy of my car, has accustomed my ear to sense harmonies with greater ease than before. Works!

This is a great way to learn about and practice harmony singing. I have always had a fascination with how good harmonies make a song so much better, and wanted to learn how to do it without spending a ton of money, or trying to get other singers who were just as clueless to practice with me.

The author clearly lays out how to approach hearing the harmonies and some basic theory. The most valuable part is the practice songs, of which there are many on this 3 CD set. Being able to pan the balance to either side to hear the main vocal or the harmony vocal, and practice along with it is a great way to develop your ear and "feel" for the right pitch. It also makes commuting unbelievably fun!

I like the songs on this CD and enjoy playing it while working in the kitchen for vocal practice. I would compare the approach on the CD to learning a language conversationally--there is only a little theory and you learn by copying. It's good as far as it goes, but I'd like to get more theory.

I enjoyed learning harmony in this CD. I wish the tracks were longer and more song so I could practice more. Easy to learn. I can practice while driving. Now I understood the structure and design behind harmonies.

Wow, this is awesome. Anders takes you by the hand and walks you right into that magic kingdom of harmonies (that you thought was only populated by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers...) I was always "winging" it and this is the first time I understood the structure and design behind harmonies. She doesn't shy away from theory but makes it totally accessible. (So I think someone very young but serious about singing would get a good jumpstart with these CDs). But the hands-down best part is singing along with a seasoned instructor as if she's standing in the room. Totally worth it.