In So You Want to Sing Barbershop, veteran barbershoppers Billy J. Biffle of the Barbershop Harmony Society and Diane M. Clark of Sweet Adelines International provide a practical handbook for singers at all levels who want to learn about the American art form known as barbershop singing. Clark and Biffle explore the history of the style, survey the international organizational structure of the twenty-first century barbershop world, and outline techniques to develop the necessary vocal skills for the style. Guest authors Scott McCoy and Wendy LeBorgne provide valuable information on vocal anatomy and vocal health.
The So You Want to Sing series is produced in partnership with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Like all books in the series, So You Want to Sing Barbershop features online supplemental material on the NATS website. Please visit www.nats.org to access style-specific exercises, audio and video files, and additional resources.
"Exercises, examples, and recordings referenced in the volume are available online. In addition to offering insight into the characteristics and style of barbershop singing, the book includes a glossary of terms pertinent to the genre. Seven appendixes present lists of resources, champion groups, advice for warming up, learning music, and performance in general. The last appendix is devoted to barbershop humor, and contains jokes and anecdotes about the singers and the style. Singers interested in this genre will appreciate the clear sighted and concise overview presented by Clark and Biffle." - Journal of Singing
"[Singers] at all levels . . . stand to improve their four-part harmonizing by reading So You Want to Sing Barbershop." - Classical Singer Magazine