Me and 4 or 5 friends from the Music Department at my High School want to start a barbershop group. We’ve been thinking, and we’ve come up with traditional ones like ‘Candy Man’, but also others like ‘Kokomo’ by the Beach Boys. Also, it’s hard to work out the right pitches for each part without sheet music. Any advice?
Danny Boy – what a classic
Here Comes the Sun – Beatles
Lida Rose – The Music Man
By the Light of the Silvery Moon – Doris Day
Sweet Adeline – Elliott Smith
Seasons of Love – RENT
Ave Maria – Charles Gounod
I love harmonizing with friends. We usually harmonize two part first, then break those rhythms into three, four, then five. You could also harmonize in thirds, or sing the same thing in rounds, i.e. first person sings part of a line, then the second person sings the same line while the first person keeps going. A capella works really well in barber shop, so I wouldn’t worry about the sheet music.