rhiannon

The bass is the foundation of most musical ensembles. It is responsible for setting the musical style and harmonic structure, and for keeping the time and feel intact so the rest of the ensemble can be free to create. As a bass vocalist, it is important to be familiar with different styles of music: Latin, blues, jazz, funk, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban. This will add authenticity to the music you are singing. In world music, sometimes other instruments function as the bass (i.e., the tamboura in Indian music, or the udu from Brazil), so it is important for the bassist to explore more than one approach. The best advice I could give to any potential bass singer is to listen to everything you can get your hands on and observe how the bass part affects the flow of the music for you. Most of all, have lots of fun!

Joey Blake
bass vocals
about joey
The bass is the foundation of most musical ensembles. It is responsible for setting the musical style and harmonic structure, and for keeping the time and feel intact... Read more


Laurel Murphy
blend
about laurel
Blend is the heart of ensemble singing. It is quite the opposite of singing solo. You have to drop back and find a common sound, matching the other voices in pitch, volume, tone... Read more


Linda Tillery
gospel tradition
about linda
It really all began in the fields, on the plantations - secret prayer meetings held deep in the woods. Harmony, syncopated rhythms,  blues - a whole lot of feeling... 
Read more


Jeanie Tracy
the soloist in gospel
about jeanie
The soloist is never separate from the choir. She or he works with the ensemble, often repeating the choir's words, deepening and expanding them...   Read more


David Worm
mouth percussion
about david
Singing percussion is something I came to out of necessity at first. In order to complete musical ideas in an a cappella context, I realized I would need to use body sounds...  Read more