I didn’t want to hijack Cran’s “learning to sing” thread, so I’ll ask my question here.
I enjoy singing (mainly folk songs), and I especially love vocal harmony (though I haven’t had much practice singing harmony myself). There is a “song circle” in Seattle, but I live too far out to make it practical. Near where I live, it seems the only vocal music activities are church and community choirs. How do you go about finding (or starting) an informal group/setting for singing, particularly if none of your friends sing?
First off, find out why none of your friends sing. If it is the case that all the people who can sing happen to no longer be your friends, reconsider the entire plan.
There are often community choirs (not church affiliated) that one can join…and it’s also possible to start something like that, if you don’t mind coordinating it, simply by advertising for other interested people.
Starting any kind of group is difficult with only one person. Adult education classes for singing may be a place to look for likely members. There are also community choirs both secular and church based.
If you just wanna practice then a multi-track recorder (or multi-track recording software like Kristal) should be a great tool. If you can learn to harmonize with your own voice without drifting onto the melody you can probably harmonize with anyone.
The best part is that electronics don’t have rights (yet) so you can’t be prosecuted for assault or abuse the way you can if you practice singing “at” people or pets.
