http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/pdf/ArrangingforNon-Arrangers-Alsbury.

pdf
ringing chord.The defining characteristic of the barbershop style is the ringing chord. This is a name for one
specific and well-defined acoustical effect, also referred to as expanded sound, the angel's voice, the
fifth voice, or the overtone. (The barbershopper's "overtone" is not the same as the acoustic
physicist's overtone which is known as heterodyning).
The physics and psychophysics of the effect are fairly well understood; it occurs when the upper
harmonics in the individual voice notes, and the sum and difference frequencies resulting from
nonlinear combinations within the ear, reinforce each other at a particular frequency, strengthening
it so that it stands out separately above the blended sound. The effect is audible only on certain
kinds of chords, and only when all voices are equally rich in harmonics and justly tuned and
balanced. It is not heard in chords sounded on keyboard instruments, due to the slight tuning
imperfection of the equal-tempered scale.
Gage Averill writes that "Barbershoppers have become partisans of this acoustic phenomenon" and
that "the more experienced singers of the barbershop revival (at least after the 1940s) have selfconsciously tuned their dominant seventh and tonic chords in just intonation to maximize the
overlap of common overtones."[2]
What is prized is not so much the "overtone" itself, but a unique sound whose achievement is most
easily recognized by the presence of the "overtone". The precise synchrony of the waveforms of the
four voices simultaneously creates the perception of a "fifth voice" while at the same time melding
the four voices into a unified sound. The ringing chord is qualitatively different in sound from an
ordinary musical chord e.g. as sounded on a tempered-scale keyboard instrument.
Most elements of the "revivalist" style are related to the desire to produce these ringing chords.
Performance is a cappella to prevent the distracting introduction of equal-tempered intonation, and
because listening to anything but the other three voices interferes with a performer's ability to tune
with the precision required. Barbershop arrangements stress chords and chord progressions that
favor "ringing", at the expense of suspended and diminished chords and other harmonic vocabulary
of the ragtime and jazz forms.
The dominant seventh-type chord... is so important to barbershop harmony that it is called the
"barbershop seventh..." [SPEBSQSA (now BHS)] arrangers believe that a song should contain
dominant seventh chords anywhere from 35 to 60 percent of the time (measured as a percentage of
the duration of the song rather than a percentage of the chords present) to sound "barbershop."
Historically barbershoppers may have used the word "minor chord" in a way that is confusing to
those with musical training. Averill suggests that it was "a shorthand for chord types other than
major triads", and says that the use of the word for "dominant seventh-type chords and diminished
chords" was common in the late nineteenth century. A 1910 song called "Play That Barber Shop
Chord"[3] (often cited as an early example of "barbershop" in reference to music) contains the lines:
'Cause Mister when you start that minor part
I feel your fingers slipping and a grasping at my heart,
Oh Lord play that Barber shop chord!
Averill notes the hints of rapture, "quasi-religion" and erotic passion in the language used by
barbershoppers to describe the emotional effect. He quotes Jim Ewin as reporting "a tingling of the
spine, the raising of the hairs on the back of the neck, the spontaneous arrival of 'goose flesh' on the

forearm.... [the 'fifth note' has] almost 'mysterious propensities...' It's the 'consummation' devoutly
wished by those of us who love Barbershop harmony. If you ask us to explain ... why we love it so,
we are hard put to answer; 'that's where our faith takes over.'" Averill notes too the use of the
language of addiction, "there's this great big chord that gets people hooked." An early manual was
entitled "A Handbook for Adeline Addicts".[2]
He notes too that "barbershoppers almost never speak of 'singing' a chord, but almost always draw
on a discourse of physical work and exertion; thus, they 'hit', 'chop', 'ring', 'crack', and 'swipe....'
...vocal harmony... is interpreted as an embodied musicking. Barbershoppers never lose sight (or
sound) of its physicality."

Song Selection
In order to make a Barbershop arrangement, the song itself (that is, the lyrics, melody and harmony)
must be suitable to the Barbershop style.
In reviewing a piece of sheet music, consider the following factors:
Melody: the range should not be over ten steps. Melodies with bigger ranges will require
"tinkering", like giving the melody for a few notes to the tenor or bass (this generally reduces the
amount of Barbershop sound that can be produced). Also, the melody should not have too many big
jumps, nor too many accidentals, as both of these factors make good tuning difficult. Changing the
melody from what is shown on the sheet music is discouraged.
Harmony (as shown in the piano accompaniment or chord symbols): major keys produce more
Barbershop sound than minor keys. The harmonic pattern (that is, the roots of the chords) should
generally progress around the circle of fifths, with a few deviations for harmonic interest. In
addition to the three main chords in most songs (I, IV, and V), at least one other chord (such as II or
VI) should be featured at least once. In the completed arrangement, at least one-third of the chords
should be Barbershop seventh-type (dominant seventh, or major-minor seventh) chords.
Lyrics: should be rhyming, should have some interest (such as a story line, or an interesting series
of images), and be "believable" (e.g., not trite).
Arrangement Construction
The basic approach is to "stay out of the way" of the song: enhance it, but don't obscure it. The
audience should be able to listen to the song, not the arrangement.
Make an overall plan:
Define the "blocks" (intro, verses, choruses, repeats, tag), and put them in order.Select the key for
each block, as determined by melody. The melody is always sung by the Lead, whose effective
range lies from a high of F-above-middle-C to a low of D-below-middle-C. Note that many (most?)
songs are enhanced by a key lift.
Write in all the "easy" (non-creative) things:
Title, Lyrics by, Music by, Arranged by, publisher/date.
Key signatures on all systems/scores, time signatures, lyrics.
Melody line, directly from the sheet music.
Write in the basic harmonization:

Tenor and lead are written an octave up from where sung; baritone and bass are written where sung.
Write one chord (all four parts) at a time; be conscious of ease of voice-leading (e.g. , the previous
and following notes for each part).
Leave room to write in swipes and echoes later.
Use the chords from the piano accompaniment, unless there is an obvious Barbershop substitution
(e.g., Barbershop sevenths in place of diminished or augmented chords).
It may be useful to first write in the appropriate chords for the "pillars" (held notes, or places where
the harmony/root changes), for a block or section, then fill in the other chords.
Voice part ranges and rules:
Tenor: not below Bb-below-middle C, not above D-above-high-C.
Lead: not below D-below-middle-C, not above F-above-middle-C.
Baritone: not below C-below-middle-C, not above E-above-middle-C.
Basses: roots and fifths only; not below low-F, not above middle-C.
NOTE: for arrangements for women's voices, raise each of the above range limits by a fourth (e.g.,
Bb to Eb). The tenor and lead parts are written where sung, the baritone and bass are written an
octave lower. Usually, closer voicings (10 notes) rather than spread (14 to 15 notes) sound better.
For major and minor triads, augmented chords, and sixth chords, the bass and one other part should
have roots (an octave apart).All other chords should have four different notes.
Write in the embellishments (swipes, echoes, etc.).
Use restraint: simple, not complex. Make sure there is "metrical room" for the embellishment, and
also for breaths. Embellish each "long" melody note. The lead singer should generally not
participate in the embellishment (no extra words or notes), because the melody will then be lost.
Review the completed arrangement.
Don't be reluctant to change it, especially for overly-complex embellishments or voice-leading: if
you cant sing it, then probably no one else can.