rhiannon

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, texture - even the shape of vowels, articulation of consonants, the timing of your breath. It is important to really listen and become so sensitive to the subtle shifts in dynamics and timing that you start to feel it on an energetic level. When this is working, the individual voices tend to disappear, and what arises is one unified sound. It is a wonderful sensory experience when all of these things come together - a feeling of locking in, a kind of buoyancy and resonance that you can hear as well as feel in your body.

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... 
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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