4 ms·

I went looking for examples of what you were talking about and discovered that, amazingly enough, a single human voice can even reliably produce overtones! I'm

I went looking for examples of what you were talking about and discovered that, amazingly enough, a single human voice can even reliably produce overtones! I'm guessing these are very different, though, than what you're talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i61_JNc_Nc&t=1m25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i61_JNc_Nc&t=1m25s I'd love to hear some examples of a barbershop n-tet doing it too, I'm sure it's even better. But when I search for 'barbershop overtones' it's all music by groups called The Overtones :)

baddox 12y ago
Incidentally, cheesy musical puns are the norm for barbershop and other a capella groups. Aural Fixation, Decibelles, Chiefs of Staff, Vocal Majority, Clef Hangers, and so on.
baddox 12y ago
Overtone singing itself isn't very common in barbershop music, but their harmonies certainly make use of overtones. Here's a performance of a song called Play That Barbershop Chord (a stable in the genre). It's not instructive, but it's got some great harmonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5bYnRkwpco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5bYnRkwpco Here's a fairly technical article about three different seventh chords, one (the harmonic seventh) being the so-called barbershop seventh chord. There are embedded YouTube videos with computer-generated audio samples. http://www.garygarrett.me/?p=1575 http://www.garygarrett.me/?p=1575
nemetroid 12y ago
There are some multi-track barbershop videos on Youtube which are good examples of over-the-top overtones. The fact that it's the same person (with the same timbre, "overtone profile") doing all the voices seems to amplify the effect. Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpU_X6VKqvA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpU_X6VKqvA
depoll 12y ago
Here's a great video of the Ambassadors of Harmony (an incredibly good barbershop chorus from St. Louis, MO) doing some exercises to tune overtones, and they're really loud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCdQVqQXkzc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCdQVqQXkzc Listen for when the director sings the overtone note alone, then listen to the chorus as they produce it.
depoll 12y ago
If you're curious about overtone singing, listen to this -- it's insane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9Qh709gas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9Qh709gas The principle is actually the same -- she is modifying her singing apparatus to emphasize different upper partials that are already in her voice. Barbershoppers do this as well, though less explicitly (we do vowel matching, which helps emphasize upper partials to produce greater ring). Here's a video from a perennial favorite quartet (the Gas House Gang): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvYT_yWiLqU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvYT_yWiLqU The top/tenor note is often the same note as the primary overtone produced by the other 3 parts (adding further emphasis to the overtone), but this effect is what gives barbershop the quality of sounding like more than 4 voices, and produces the "ring" in the sound.
- depoll 12y ago
  Just had to add (since I'm a giant Barbershop Geek in addition to all of the other ways I'm a geek ;))... Lest anyone think that barbershop is just for old folks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmFfFx24zs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmFfFx24zs (Vocal Spectrum, 2004 international collegiate quartet champions and 2006 international quartet champions) Or just for Americans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFWhnOP_UVk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFWhnOP_UVk (Ringmasters, 2012 international quartet champions, from Sweden) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6HM-oLG_cI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6HM-oLG_cI (Musical Island Boys, 2014 international quartet champions, from New Zealand) Or always serious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihdtI0E_mmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihdtI0E_mmQ (Storm Front, 2010 International Quartet Champions and comedy quartet) Or just for men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWqtFxW4kiE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWqtFxW4kiE (LoveNotes, 2014 Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champions) Or just for adults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sREQu_AaUso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sREQu_AaUso (The Osmond Brothers... yup ;))
- hrvbr 12y ago
  It's a traditional way of singing in Mongolia I think.
  - hobs 12y ago
haberman 12y ago
Extremely interesting overtone singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTF1-IhuC0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTF1-IhuC0
lectrick 12y ago
I just went "WTF" out loud. WOW! I had no idea music (or at least vocals) had this much depth. Thanks!

baddox 12y ago

Incidentally, cheesy musical puns are the norm for barbershop and other a capella groups. Aural Fixation, Decibelles, Chiefs of Staff, Vocal Majority, Clef Hangers, and so on.

baddox 12y ago

Overtone singing itself isn't very common in barbershop music, but their harmonies certainly make use of overtones. Here's a performance of a song called Play That Barbershop Chord (a stable in the genre). It's not instructive, but it's got some great harmonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5bYnRkwpco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5bYnRkwpco Here's a fairly technical article about three different seventh chords, one (the harmonic seventh) being the so-called barbershop seventh chord. There are embedded YouTube videos with computer-generated audio samples. http://www.garygarrett.me/?p=1575 http://www.garygarrett.me/?p=1575

nemetroid 12y ago

There are some multi-track barbershop videos on Youtube which are good examples of over-the-top overtones. The fact that it's the same person (with the same timbre, "overtone profile") doing all the voices seems to amplify the effect. Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpU_X6VKqvA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpU_X6VKqvA

depoll 12y ago

Here's a great video of the Ambassadors of Harmony (an incredibly good barbershop chorus from St. Louis, MO) doing some exercises to tune overtones, and they're really loud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCdQVqQXkzc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCdQVqQXkzc Listen for when the director sings the overtone note alone, then listen to the chorus as they produce it.

depoll 12y ago

If you're curious about overtone singing, listen to this -- it's insane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9Qh709gas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC9Qh709gas The principle is actually the same -- she is modifying her singing apparatus to emphasize different upper partials that are already in her voice. Barbershoppers do this as well, though less explicitly (we do vowel matching, which helps emphasize upper partials to produce greater ring). Here's a video from a perennial favorite quartet (the Gas House Gang): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvYT_yWiLqU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvYT_yWiLqU The top/tenor note is often the same note as the primary overtone produced by the other 3 parts (adding further emphasis to the overtone), but this effect is what gives barbershop the quality of sounding like more than 4 voices, and produces the "ring" in the sound.

depoll 12y ago
Just had to add (since I'm a giant Barbershop Geek in addition to all of the other ways I'm a geek ;))... Lest anyone think that barbershop is just for old folks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmFfFx24zs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWmFfFx24zs (Vocal Spectrum, 2004 international collegiate quartet champions and 2006 international quartet champions) Or just for Americans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFWhnOP_UVk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFWhnOP_UVk (Ringmasters, 2012 international quartet champions, from Sweden) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6HM-oLG_cI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6HM-oLG_cI (Musical Island Boys, 2014 international quartet champions, from New Zealand) Or always serious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihdtI0E_mmQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihdtI0E_mmQ (Storm Front, 2010 International Quartet Champions and comedy quartet) Or just for men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWqtFxW4kiE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWqtFxW4kiE (LoveNotes, 2014 Sweet Adelines International Quartet Champions) Or just for adults: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sREQu_AaUso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sREQu_AaUso (The Osmond Brothers... yup ;))
hrvbr 12y ago
It's a traditional way of singing in Mongolia I think.
- hobs 12y ago

haberman 12y ago

Extremely interesting overtone singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTF1-IhuC0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHTF1-IhuC0

lectrick 12y ago

I just went "WTF" out loud. WOW! I had no idea music (or at least vocals) had this much depth. Thanks!