Easy Learning

Barbershop music is Four Part A cappella singing.

This means that there are no musical instruments to accompany us. We use only our voices to produce the unique Barbershop sound. 

What makes Barbershop Music unique is the order in which the melody and harmony parts are arranged. In standard choir music the top voice is usually the melody of the song. Not so in Barbershop music. The voice parts are arranged from top to bottom in the following order:

See below for examples of our music and learning tracks.

Tenor:

The first natural harmony part usually sung above the Lead. Tenor is the highest singing part in Barbershop Music.

Lead:
As the part suggests, they lead the chorus or quartet by singing the melody to the song. Leads will sometimes sing higher then the tenor if the melody takes them there.

Baritone:
The baritone part is what gives Barbershop Harmony its unique sound. They sing above or below the Leads depending on the path of the melody.  Baritone is one of the more challenging parts of Barbershop singing because after all the other parts get their note they get what's left over.

Bass:
The Bass part is the foundation of the the Barbershop chord. They are the first natural harmony part below the Lead.