Quartet 101
WHAT IS QUARTETING?
Barbershop quartet singing is a thrilling, intimate form of a cappella harmony where just four voices create that unmistakable barbershop "ring". Unlike chorus singing, where dozens of voices blend together, quartet singing requires each singer to hold their part independently - with precision, confidence, and artistry.
In a Sweet Adelines quartet, there's no hiding behind the crowd. Each part - lead, bass, baritone, and tenor - is sung by one person. That means you carry 25% of the sound... and 100% of the joy, challenge, and reward that comes with quartet singing. It's not easy, but when you hear those chords ring, you'll be hooked!
WHY SING IN A QUARTET?
Singing in a quartet isn't just fun - it's deeply fulfilling. Here's why singers across Sweet Adelines International are
drawn to quartetting:
- Vocal Growth - Quartetting sharpens your tuning, strengthens your idependence and pushes your musiciannship to new levels.
- Stronger Connections- With just four singers, you form deep bonds through shared rehearsals, goals, laughter, and the occassional late night harmony session.
- Artistic Expression- In a quartet, your choices matter - from interpretation to choreography to wardrope. You shape your unique sound and style together.
- Opportunities to Shine - Quartets can perform at shows, compete at regional contests and even represent their region on the world stage.
If you love singing and want a tight-knit team, big usical payoff, and a lot of laughter along the way, quartetting just might be your next great adventure!
HOW TO GET STARTED
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Find Your Three - Recruiting the right members is key to a successful quaret. Beyond complementary voices, it's importnat to find singers who share your musical goals, commitment level and rehearsal style. You'll be spending a lot of time together!
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Choose Your Name - This is no easy task! Sweet Adelines International has a "Quartet Name Search" function on their website for you to see if your name choice is available. They don't allow doubling of names or even for quartets to have names that are similar, so be sure to check to see if yours is free before moving forward.
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Register Your Quartet - If you're in love with that name - register your name to lock it in. Registering also makes you eligible to compete. You must register at least 60 days prior to your regional contest to be eligible to compete. See all the rules about competing here.
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Choose Your Songs - For regional contest, quartets compete with two songs - typically an uptune and a ballad. Contest songs have specific elegibility requirements that make them "contestable". When looking at arrangers websites, they typically indicate whether a song is contestable or not. Finding music isn't always an easy task, but there are lots of amazing arrangers and track makers.
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Sometimes it's easier to start by going to the track sites to hear pieces of the songs. If you like the song, you can then track down the chart to see if it's a fit. Remember, you need to account for each of your singers ranges, so don't pick a song that has a low bass part if your bass is a higher singing bass.
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Some arrangers and track makers also allow you to search their songs by ease of singing.
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Jen Cooke put a fantastic resource together - a list of arrangers. You can download that list here.
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Don't miss out on Jen's great learning tracks. It will be hard not to find a song you want to sing!
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Another great track maker affiliated with Region 4 is Kim Newcomb.
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Once you have found a song you like, you'll need to make sure it's listed on the SAI Song Assessment Tool as an approved song for contest. This SAI Members resource is available for viewing here. If it's not on the list, you'll need to submit it for review.
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Schedule Regular Rehearsals - Practice makes perfect! Learn your music outside of rehearsal with the help of learning tracks and then come together to work on the fun things like dynamics, characterization, story telling and ringing chords!
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Work with a Coach - Every quartet needs a trusted fifth pairs of eyes and ears to sit out and give you honest feedback. It could be your chorus director or even someone in your chorus. Find someone who will help you grow as an artist and build your confidence.
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Perform! Find an audience in your local community and sing. Sing for your chorus, sing at your local nursing homes, sing at your town's holiday festivals and sing at your family's birthday parties. Singing is good for the soul, if you were blessed with a voice - share the harmonies with others. Science shows that singing raises encorphins not only in the singers, but in the audience members, so get out and sing!
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Register for Regional Contest - Make sure you meet the contest deadlines. All info will be posted on the Region 4 website. We can't wait to cheer you on!