I have written a few blogs on bluegrass harmony singing (https://luegra.design.blog/2021/03/11/bluegrass-harmony-singing-part-1-either-you-have-it-or-you-can-learn-it/, https://luegra.design.blog/2021/03/19/bluegrass-harmony-singing-part-2-you-gotta-work-on-it-to-be-good/). For some, it can come naturally, but for many, it takes a lot of work training the ear to hit the correct pitch. Unless one is in a position to work with other singers continually, it can be extremely difficult to jump right in and sing another part to harmonize with the lead.
Only this morning, I came across the website Part By Heart (http://www.partbyheart.com/). Bluegrass musician Austin Scelzo has developed an app (also available online) to work on harmonies to many bluegrass standards. Two of the songs (“Angel Band,” “All the Good Times Are Passed”) are available for free, while others are available for $8.00 per month or $35.00 per year as a subscription.
With each song, the chorus is set up with the lead vocals as well at three harmony parts and guitar accompaniment. The student can work on each part by listening to it on its own, muting the other parts, then muting only that part and singing along with the chorus. Additional features include shifting the pitch of the song and panning each part to separate stereo channels.
I was testing it out earlier, and it seemed to work fine on my new Samsung phone, but was shaky on my laptop. As this is a relatively new site, they may be still working out some bugs (the intro YouTube video states that it can be used on cellphones, computers, laptops and tablets). There are currently 16 tunes up with more to be added.
I will check it out again in a few weeks, and hopefully the kinks will be worked out from the computer end. If so, it may be interesting to try out for a few months. At this point, I would recommend anyone wanting to work on harmonies to check out the two songs available to see if it helps. If it does, a subscription may be worthwhile, as it is a lot cheaper than trying to find a vocal coach or getting together with others to practice on your own available time.
In parting, here’s a great video to watch. I have never been a fan of the ukelele, but this brought a smile to my face this past week.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 