Main Street Explains Barbershop
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2018
- Tony De Rosa of 2017 International Champion Quartet "Main Street" deconstructs barbershop for a choir students master class at Eagle Point (Oregon) High School. Bonus: At the near the end of the video he gives a great answer to the "What's the one piece of advice..." question.
www.RVHsings.com
When all 4 parts sang together I was just sitting here smiling like an idiot. I love barbershop
I thought it was just me
It is SOO satisfying to hear real musicians, who sing, talk about their art in such an edifying and enriching manner. Major props to Tony.
I jokingly say the Baritone part gets all the "left-over" notes in the music. To me, its actually one of the more challenging parts to sing because it tends to jump around, and usually has a chromatic movement rather than a melodic flow.
Singing baritone in a quartet, pardon my slightly egotistical thought, but I feel like it’s the most important part because it gives the whole chord a more full sound, instead of the lead being a 5th about the bass and the tenor 1 being a third above the lead.
I always loved singing the baritone part in my quartets. Challenging, and the part that really gives color to the ensemble/arrangement. There's also a great joke about how most people think God would sing bass in a quartet, since we always think God should have a booming voice. But it's not true. He sings baritone. Why? Because God only knows what the baritone sings.
I agree about it being more challenging. I always sang bass, and felt we had the easiest part since it was usually the root of the chord. I only wish I could get as low as this bass does, or have that clear tone.
@@utubewillyman I couldn't sing bass because my lower register isn't rich enough or strong enough. I couldn't sing tenor because I didn't have that good a falsetto. I couldn't sing lead because even though my range is there, my tone isn't. It's too dark when I sing above Middle C. I found the baritone part sits well in my range, and I could float the higher notes in, rather than go for a sturdier "belly tone." Those notes are sung when the lead is singing lower than the Bari anyway, so I couldn't risk standing out. Best compliment I ever got from a judge was when they didn't say anything about me until the lead asked them, and then they said, "Oh, yeah, he was fine." I did what I was supposed to do; provide harmony without being noticed.
@@davidwalter2002 I find that I focus a lot on blending when I sing with other people. I actually go very light on my consonant pronunciation so that there is no audible misalignment with the lead singer's consonants. I have a decent falsetto, but I always thought that it was "cheating" when singing a tenor part. I'm just always jealous when I hear a bass with a really rich, deep tone. I know that I just don't have the physiology to make it happen.
As a baritone, I can say that “the garbage part” is an accurate description, but it’s a wonderful garbage
I was just thinking that, I always had to fight with the basses in my group on who had it worse mostly because my basses had the idea that baritone was easy
Amen brother!
The tenor always looks happy when he sings
Roger always seems happy.
Smiling helps to position the Tenor notes properly, but Roger LOVES singing.
What a great talk! He is relatable, informative, and entertaining. I learned a lot watching it
me, too, Don. Fascinating, as Mr Spock would have said. :)
Lead - 1:37
w/ bass - 3:29 and 4:57 (soloist style: 5:16)
w/ tenor - 6:07
w/ baritone - 9:00 (solo: 8:19)
Very helpful!
Great stuff.
We like to play a game with a cappella or barbershop groups. It's called "Spot The Bass Singer". We look at the group before anyone has sung a note and try to guess which one sings bass. I guessed right this time!
I do that every time I listen to any 4 part harmony!
It's always interesting to see the height and weight of the different voice parts. Usually the basses are really tall and big guys, but sometimes you'll see some smaller basses too
Yeah, I like to try and guess who sings each part, it’s really fun. Usually, I can tell, especially if they just speak normally before they sing, but sometimes it’s hard/it’s something completely different than what you think. We have a kid in my grade who’s at least 6’ 2”, plays football, and he’s a bass, and then there’s this short kid in my grade, who was a Tenor last year and I’m pretty sure he’s a bass this year.
Often it's the tall, lanky dude.
Correlation between bass and testosterone.....
The Baritone in a barbershop has the most difficult part of the is less linear than all the others. It crosses over the bass and lead parts often; it is the voice that makes all those wonderful 7th chords you hear. The tenor's difficult part is usually "the post" - the held note at the end where the rest of the group slowly joins him to finish out on a chord. That "post" can sometimes be 20-30sec long.
Actually, many tenors will say it's not posts that are the toughest, it's having to dip below falsetto mid-phrase and staying connected to their top to make the transition smooth. As for tenor vs say, bass posts, generally the bass note. requires more air than a tenor one. 20 sec post? Pretty standard. Some quartet singers love to show this off though and lengths of 40 and beyond 50 have been performed. It was a bit of a escalating war a few years back, but it's settled back to more artistically sensible levels now. It really was getting ridiculous and... tiresome.
Are they usually smokers?
It crosses the lead part often, but the bass only very rarely.
The Lead is the Beauty, the Tenor is the Belle, the Bass is the Brawn, and the Baritone is the Brains. That's how it was explained to me years ago and it still holds true. :)
@@courageouschronicler8657 that's actually a great analogy
The guy who clears his throat at 1:50 spooked the hell out of me.
Oh my gosh me too!
ME TOO I'm here chilling by myself if a Panera and suddenly "ECHGH!".
I thought it was a borp 😫😫
Omg I came to the comments to look for THIS Comment
Having sung all four parts at different times, I can tell you the baritone's part is the most challenging. If you sing tenor or bass long enough, you develop an ear for the patterns that their parts generally follow, which makes it easier to "woodshed" (i.e., improvise harmony). But the baritone exists to plug the harmonic holes in the chords. There may be common baritone patterns, but you have to sing bari for a LONG time or be a musical genius to hear them!
Yes but a baritone is rarely under vocal pressure or scrutiny from the audience. A lead and a tenor are, in different ways, a lot of the time!
I sing baritone in my (high school) barbershop quartet, and it’s tough but I’m in love with it. So rewarding. The way I like to look at it is “I finish the sound” and that makes all the tri-tones worth it
As a baritone in a barbershop quartet, it's freaking tough.
I've done lead and bari. They are both hard in their own way. Bari gets a hard line, seemingly random notes. Quartets too often put the least experienced guy on lead so the notes get learned - but lead really has to shape and sell the song. It is hard work and the intonation has to be just as perfect as with the other voices. I have heard many quartets where lead is clearly the weak link. The lead needs to do just as much homework as the other guys.
Yea it really is. I’m a baritone in a chorus and a tenor in a quartet and damn my vocal chords are dead 💀
All the leftover notes
As a bass in a barbershop quartet, I honestly feel bad for ye
Would've loved to see them talk about just intonated sevenths vs equal tempered sevenths. It's part of what makes barbershop sound so good and part of what makes barbershop singers so talented.
Man what an opportunity...I wish I could’ve had them come to my school.
You *could* play this for your students... hint-hing
Main Street is the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2017 International Quartet Champions. They hail from Florida and California.
The members are:
Roger Ross - Tenor
Tony De Rosa - Lead (speaker)
Mike McGee - Baritone
Myron Whittlesey - Bass
They also all current or former members of “The Dapper Dans of Disney World” in Orlando, Fl.
And yes, Tony sings and directs Voctave.
Tony De Rosa is a lovely person! Love him, love Voctave! Never heard this explained so well... I loved learning this way!
Treat barbershop or any choral group like a sandwich. Each part fulfills a different role, as each piece of food in a sandwich is important.
Bass- Bread. A sturdy foundation on which every quartet is built. The Bass is responsible for anchoring the other parts, and making sure they are firmly in key, as bread is used to keep a sandwich intact.
Lead- Meat or other central ingredients. The Lead sings the main melody, and is responsible for the basic idea of the music being performed, just as say, ham, is to a sandwich.
Baritone- Condiments or other sauces. Works very closely with the Lead to add some extra ‘flavor’ and/or ‘texture’ to the main melody, as a condiment such as mustard or mayonnaise can add an exciting new flavor or texture to make a boring sandwich a delightful culinary experience.
Tenor- Toppings! Last but not least, the Tenor fills a similar role to the Baritone, but in a slightly different way. Tenors often add ornamentation to a tag, or are used as another way to ‘spice up’ the melody, as toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. can make a fantastic addition to a sandwich.
In all, if you take one of the parts away, or if a part is not as pronounced, it’s like omitting or skimping on an ingredient from the sandwich. Sure, it can be enjoyable, but everyone’s working together to make a cohesive product. Ideally, you want a nice balance.
If the Bass is weak, it’s like eating a really messy pulled-pork sandwich on Wonder bread.
If the Baritone is too powerful, it’s like eating a hot dog with so much mustard you can’t taste anything else, to the point you were not even convinced you ate food.
If the Tenor is too powerful, it’s like getting a sub with so many toppings that the main ingredient gets lost in the shuffle.
…anyone else getting hungry?
What about pizza? LOL.
@@michaelkazmierskidunn7189 Sure. That works too!
@@mitchinatr7093 Right. As a blind person, I can't see colors. So, certain voices, harmonic textures etc remind me of the tangible textures or tastes of food, which is kinda a weird association if you haven't heard of it before. Like the bass being the crust, the lead maybe the pepperoni and/or sausage, the baritone being the sauce and the tenor the cheese maybe. If I were you, the next time you have pizza, close your eyes and listen to Barbershop and you'll clearly get it. Seriously.
@@michaelkazmierskidunn7189 I’ll have to give that a shot, man! Thanks!
Lead (Harmony) - 0:40
Bass - 3:29
Tenor - 6:07
Baritone - 8:19
Magic - 9:00
I just like this video because I get to hear the chorus of Muskrat Ramble so many times.
I thought I recognized these guys and the room they were in. This was my highschool for a short period. When this video was filmed I was in middle school and they visited there too. I got to see them in person. Great stuff! What a coincidence that I happened upon this video and rekindled these memories.
I already knew the concept of everybody's part but it was still nice watching this
3:05
Random person to Myron: “We we’re impressed with how long you can hold notes for”
Tony: “yeah”, but it his head thinks: “Who the hell are you? I’m the original post God!”
Tony does a great job here. He could teach music.
Is that the same Tony that sings with Voctave? Looks like it.
yes
he has sung in like 5 groups and has 4 international championships.
Yep. He's the brain child of Voctave, Musical director of Voices of Liberty and a 4 time Gold Medalist in BHS and I'm proud to call him a friend from childhood!
@@daviddotorg he has sung in more than 5 quartets, plus Dapper Dan's, Voices of Liberty, Voctave. First time on International stage in a quartet he was 11
He coached my chorus (Masters of Harmony) and to say he’s an absolute musical genius doesn’t give him enough credit.
Just love these guys
Chords only become chords when you have the third note determining whether it's major or minor. You can't tell a chord apart with just a root and fifth, you need the third to give it context. So naturally, being the part that sings the third in all of the chords, most of the time anyway, the baritone has a big deciding part to play which makes it very chellenging. You don't naturally hear it as anything on its own, it only makes sense in the context of the chord.
What a cool vid to bonk into tonight! My gramp sang bass barbershop in Maine..in the 1930's, 40's (till ww2 had gram and gramp move to SF, gramp, Navy)..but though gramp was born 1915, and me 1970-I was super around harmonies (vocal) all the time! songs turned more gospel later in gramps life, but I sure loved even at age 3 hearing records of bbshop songs!
Today, upon already learning this past Holiday time my hubby has 2nd brain tumor(1st honker was 12/23/16..this is a smaller one, but darn)...but tests show he has another cancer challenge (non brain)- besides this 2nd tumor..a tough day. This vid makes me feel like Gramp is near, and knows what we are needing to face; quickly. Hubby loves singing, though not bbshop- but music is magic! thanx for posting cool vid, it blesses me in a different way than most probably are viewing it-its super close to my heart right now✌🎶💜sing on! never stop!! : )
I used to sing in a barbershop chorus and watching this video I'm hearing something I didn't know. Thanks for this video. Please make more!!!
I would call the baritone the anarquist of the group. He travels smartly through the harmony of the melody. I absolutely love barbershop quartets. Cheers!
The blue collar man's part. Not sexy, just doing his part.
What an incredibly simple yet thorough explanation of Barbershop harmony. Thank you.
I love Bari and Bass.
The parts that have the odd notes but still help everything to blend and sound so beautiful;.
I have been listening to you guys for over an hour now mainly because I couldn't get up to shut it off lol no seriously I love harmony and comedy and you guys are amazing I was depressed and listening to you brought me out of it I'm out of work and having financial problems but listening made me forget thank you
Excellent excellent video, thanks !
barbershop is so cool
When my youngest daughter was about 14 or 15 she did a workshop like this with Idea of North......an Australian a capella quarto... it was very like this wonderful tutorial...intelligent, musical and fun. Totally encouraging.. I love it when kids are encouraged to sing!!
S said "Best day of my life!!"
I imagine more than a few of these kids said "Best day of my life!!!"
Great vid with these folks and Newfangled Four also...singing should just make the world happy and these guys do!!
who the hell dislike a video as informative as this? i love it!! :)
It was the baritone for calling him a garbage part.
THAT 1:50 got me shook! I thought someone was besides me for a second
"His Name is Robert Paulson", great times, great movie... and a great class.
I've sung all four parts. Love three of them. Absolutely hate singing Baritone. Don't have the musical chops for it, because it's so hard.
What a great teacher
So it's the baritone part that actually brings the whole thing together into the "barbershop" sound. Super interesting.
So well explained! Their passion really shows through, it’s infectious!
Wow! Great class!
What a bunch of nice guy..
the energy ❤ i love it ❤
Excellent explanation gentlemen!
I love them
That was super interesting, thank you!
Love Toni. Best director ever
Fun and informative!
Great stuff.
Excellent
Merci beaucoup for this.
"So much of choral music is centered around triads"
Eric Withacre (and a lot of 19th and 20th century composers) have left the chat.
Thank you, master
This was fantastic ❤
The Baritone part is where all of the fun Color notes are. The accidentals are fun to lean on, and usually make or break the chord. So much power, and no responsibility XD
Shoot I was trying to understand that specific baritone part for a while in barbershop writing, this totally unlocked me!!!
7:05 Barbershop Gang Sign. I love Myron
Who doesn't?
People have the mistaken notion that in the heavenly barbershop quartet, God sings bass. It seems to make sense that he'd have a deep, resonant bass voice. But actually, as all barbershoppers know, God is a baritone. And the proof of that is simple: God only knows what the baritone sings.
It must be so tricky to write in barbershop style specifically. I would pay good money for a course on writing it.
Not sure if it’s still going on, but there was Harmony College. Take Theory first, then Arranging.
bro my ears are in love !!!!!!
please do anything! give my ears something to look forward to!!!!!
it's funny to think that this is a biology class and everyone is just super confused
sir I just wanted to know how these hormones interact
So what I pull from this is bari is really the glue that holds barbershop together
Without us BARI-ly singers, it's not going to sound like barbershop...nay...it WON'T be barbershop.
Barbershop seems to be higher in range than classical/lyrical singing though. Bass part usually sits in the bass-baritone/baritone range except for very few exceptions (that one is easy to tell for me because I have a baritone tessitura and 95% of the bass lines are very much within my range), baritones sound like tenors in their low register but with what I would call a "bastard" line, which is what Tony is brilliantly describing and demonstrating, and tenors, to me, sound like they're in constant falsetto when they harmonize, but maybe they aren't.
The whole thing seems to be a little bit higher than it's advertising, it actually made me mistake myself for a bass, whereas I'm actually a baritone who doesn't/barely hit the required E2 to be considered a bass, but instead the G2 to be considered a baritone, and the F2 to be considered a bass-baritone.
But it depends on the individual quartet and their vocal ranges. I agree that many baritone parts cover a wide spectrum but there are some mega-bass basses in barbershop. Check out Ringmasters with their blond bass Martin who will only go up to about middle C but down way off the bass clef to Bb and below.
lonewaer Listen to the quartet Signature. Their bass rarely sings above middle C but will pump out a whole ton of notes within the 2nd octave, even so far as to sing a B1 in contest.
@@bethanylowe8773 TO B FLAT AND BELOW!
@@bethanylowe8773 Martín has a beautiful low voice and such a rich tone, but I wouldnt put him as an example of a "really low bass" because he doesnt sings below Eb2 in live, with a few exceptions. If we are going to talk about being a loooow bass, the bass from Signature is a real beast, he has a full deep and resonant voice, he can go down to a C2/B1 (and surely lower) in a live performance with a great volume.
3:25 give em the ol myron siren!!
yyyyyyyYYYYEEAAAAHHHHHHhhhh
Sing low and be a putz
Ah, such memories. Felt sorry for our Baritones in our High School choir and musical productions. The Tenors, Basses, and the Lead (Tenor 2) would most of the time get their parts right away. But the poor Baritones would get yelled at the most. It's a really tough part especially for beginners.
This is pretty cool.
Spot on info about our craft. all though... in this post. you did not explain the 5th note. the one no one sings. the ring. our shape of the mouth. thank you for yours guys post
inner parts are always critical for harmonic developments.
I would love to learn more about barbershop arranging
i’m doing sing by pentatonix in our show choir and i have the rap part lol. did not expect to see it show up in this video
I wish I could take a clas with them. Lucky kids!
Woooo Go Main Street!!
e
cool
Anybody else notice the girl from The Ring in the top right reflection?
Ear worms are what keep me up until 3 AM every night.
Ugh! Me too!
A free masterclass, thanks.
Tony, if I got a grant, as I told you and Kevin Miles. I'd help you create a CD for school teachers to use with students, "How to Sing." As a former NED Youth in Harmony Vice President teachers who may know and have all the skills like Brian Bellof, just don't have the time to individually teach and entertain each young and eager student, or encourage and win over the timid to want to participate. With all your friends in the music world modules would entertain and educate. Imagine: "Here little Bobby go in the sound isolation room and listen to module 3. The teachers on this video will help you sing better and have fun." Imagine sharing the stage with Jim Henry, Karl Hudson (my favorite bass and the "Chewy Chocolate Center of the Quartet "Men in Black"), FRED and the list goes on. And okay perhaps Joe Connolly! Gifted to each K through 8 music teacher a video series of educational and motivational Gold. AIC members donating their love of teaching to create seeds of skill and desire for children. Wow! Of course the ladies must be blended in. My wife Mary has 4 grade level choruses who perform 3 times per year. Like all other choral teachers she just doesn't have the time or materials( Video series) to help each student. Years ago I commented MaxQ should make a CD of lullabies for men to sing to their children and grandchildren like the way Molly Conole did. (BTW she lives on Martha's Vineyard). Then a 2 CD album appeared from MaxQ!!!
One last comment "Jesus sang bass, well he probably sang all the parts. He had to be a fun guy."
Grace and Peace to you,
a feverent fan
Charlie Oliver
Ah The baritone, the Alto of the barbershop world
9:00
When they sing all together^
i am not even an amateur singer but i find this so interesting
Is there a video of the full lesson?
sorry, that all we have
I'm so jealous of these guys my skin has gone beyond green now.
3:55 bro I hated solfege so much in music school. It pissed me off so much when the teachers would take points off for not using solfege while taking sight singing tests. I still passed all my aural training classes with A's but it's the principal that I performed worse having to try and remember the stupid names and hand signs instead of being able to focus on the actual music and intervals.
Does anyone remember the Far Side cartoon that says that barbershop quartets started out as butcher shop quartets, but were not very successful?
Being a baritone is nice
What happened to Tony around 9:45???
I'm sorry, 1:50 makes me shocked as if there's some guy behind me (looking at what I'm watching). more like scare me
THIS is what should be demonstrated in schools all across the country ... not politics and propaganda.
Gods2ndFavoriteBassPlyr Fund the arts!!
I've been mixing up the baritone and bass this entire time oh no
Can someone please explain in laymen's terms what the lead is establishing with the very brief playing of the harmonica-like thing?
The starting pitch. So that they know what note to start on.
Oscar Lopez thank you!
The pitch which is being blown is not the starting note at all.
It's actually the tonic of the key that they are singing in. What does that mean???
So, if they are singing this song in the key of C major, then the pitch pipe will be set for playing the note of C.
From this pitch of C, the four singers then each determines their individual starting notes.
It's quite a complicated process but these guys are experts at it.
By the way, the actual pitch being blown is the note B flat.
But the melody actually starts on the note E which is quite a lot lower than the blown pitch of B flat.
It is the task of the lead singer to find that starting melody note of E from the blown pitch of B flat.
Hope that makes some sense. I tried to not make it too technical.
Whats the name of the song?
Muskrat ramble
muskrat ramble
I wonder if those kids really appreciated what greatness they just beheld?
What's the title of the song ?
I bet that girl on the right is a Star Wars fan; got a little Twi'lek thing goin' on with her hair braids...lol Cool lesson from Main Street.
Whats the song name?
Is the Lead in Voctave?!