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Harmony Essentials For Worship Workbook

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)

732 views135 pages

Harmony Essentials For Worship Workbook

Uploaded by

JoanAngelaDelaCruz

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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01 INTRO TO HARMONY 1 / 16

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP

WELCOME TO HARMONY
ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP!
I’m so glad you’re here! Are you ready to learn harmony? Have you always wanted to
sing harmony on your worship team but it’s always seemed too difficult to grasp? Do you
already know how but you want to take your harmony game to a whole NEW LEVEL?!
Well… you’re in the right place!

This course will teach you how to:

‣ recognize and sing harmony parts in worship songs
‣ stick to your harmony part without drifting off of it
‣ become a versatile background vocalist who can sing multiple harmony parts
‣ map a song to create a dynamic journey in your worship sets
‣ master the art of blending your voice in a worship team context
‣ coach your team members on all of the above!

My goal is to teach you how to sing harmony in the simplest way possible! My hope and
prayer is that you would experience breakthrough and feel encouraged as you learn new
things!

Make sure to post questions and comments online as you have them so I can
help you along this journey!

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 2 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SELF-ASSESSMENT

Where are you at with singing harmony?

☐ I don’t know the first thing about how to sing harmony… but I wish I did!

☐ I can sometimes find a few harmony notes, but for the most part, I’m lost.

☐ I have a hard time sticking to my own part… I often drift to the melody or to
another harmony!

☐ I know how to learn a harmony part (especially if I hear it on a recording) but I

wish I was more versatile and could learn how to find multiple harmony parts.

☐ I can sing harmony but I want to learn the best times to use it in a song to create
dynamics.

☐ I can sing harmony but I want to be better at blending my voice with my worship
leader/team.

☐ I can sing harmony and blend my voice with other singers… but I want to learn
some tips on how to coach others on my team how to do these things better!

☐ Other… explain!
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01 INTRO TO HARMONY 3 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
WHAT IS HARMONY?

Basically, harmony is any two or more notes played or sung together… that sound good
together! According to the dictionary…

“
Harmony: the combination of simultaneously
sounded musical notes to produce chords and
chord progressions having a pleasing effect.

Harmony is an emotional experience that comes from the vibrations created between

pitches. The type of emotions we experience when we hear music depends on the
harmonic movement of the chords and chord patterns… creating tension and release in a
song! Certain chords and sounds create suspense, and others create happy, light-feeling
moments.

Think about movies or shows you’ve watched (or pay attention the next time you watch
something!)—the emotions you feel have so much to do with the music playing behind
the scene! Our ear craves musical movement… whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re
constantly hearing harmonic tension and release as we watch movies and listen to
songs.  

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 4 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THE POWER OF UNITY

Another way harmony is defined is "agreement or concord”. Harmony in worship is a

beautiful symbol of the harmony and unity that God calls us to live in with each other as
the body of Christ!

“
How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers
live together in harmony! For harmony is as
precious as the anointing oil that was poured
over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and
onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as
refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that
falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the
Lord has pronounced his blessing, even
life everlasting. — Psalm 133:1-3 (NLT)

In the Old Testament, when someone was anointed with oil, this signified that the person
was set apart for divine service. The oil represented the Holy Spirit coming upon that
person and sanctifying them, just as Moses did for Aaron as High Priest in Leviticus 8.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Bring Aaron and his sons, along with their sacred
garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of
bread made without yeast, and call the entire community of Israel together at the
entrance of the Tabernacle.’ So Moses followed the Lord’s instructions, and the whole
community assembled at the Tabernacle entrance. Moses announced to them, ‘This is

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 5 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
what the Lord has commanded us to do!’ Then he presented Aaron and his sons and
washed them with water. He put the official tunic on Aaron and tied the sash around his
waist. He dressed him in the robe, placed the ephod on him, and attached the ephod
securely with its decorative sash. Then Moses placed the chestpiece on Aaron and put
the Urim and the Thummim inside it. He placed the turban on Aaron’s head and
attached the gold medallion—the badge of holiness—to the front of the turban, just as
the Lord had commanded him. Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the
Tabernacle and everything in it, making them holy. He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven
times, anointing it and all its utensils, as well as the washbasin and its stand, making
them holy. Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, anointing him and
making him holy for his work.’’ — Leviticus 8:1-12 (NLT)

Jesus is our High Priest, and He has sanctified us as believers! We've been given the
Holy Spirit, who’s poured out on the church just like that fragrant oil, and God calls us to
keep the unity that the Spirit has given us!

Mount Hermon was the highest mountain in Israel, and in Psalm 133 David writes about
how its moisture ran into streams that flowed into the Jordan River. These streams ran
through Israel—irrigating and bringing life to the land, refreshing and watering the crops,
and making the land productive.

Unity in the church and in relationships is refreshing.

Unity reinvigorates.
Unity makes us productive.
Unity restores.

Disunity and discord is draining.

Disunity is unproductive.
Disunity causes unnecessary conflict.
Disunity wastes time.

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 6 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
When the harmony in our worship songs is right, it’s beautiful!
Harmony calms, heals, and refreshes.
Harmony builds a song to a whole new level.
Harmony adds depth and dynamic to our worship songs and sets.

When the harmony in our worship songs is wrong, it’s terrible!

Wrong harmony is distracting.
Wrong harmony creates an unpleasant listening experience.

Reflect on a time where you’ve experienced disunity in a

relationship. How did it make you feel? What was the outcome?
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Reflect on a time where you’ve experienced unity in a

Can you think of a recorded song or a worship set you've heard

where the harmony was beautiful? How did it make you feel?
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01 INTRO TO HARMONY 7 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Have you experienced a worship set where someone’s harmony
was off-pitch or stood out awkwardly because it wasn't blending
well? How did it make you feel?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Harmony doesn’t mean we’re all singing the exact same note. We’re actually singing
different notes… but ones that work well and sound good together! In the body of Christ,
we’re all unique… we have different skills, gifts, callings, ways we do things… but when
we’re unified and working together in harmony, it’s an amazing, refreshing experience!

Let’s make harmony our goal in all things—in our churches, in our relationships, in our
worship teams, and in our voices!

NOTES
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01 INTRO TO HARMONY 8 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
ANYONE CAN LEARN HARMONY

“
Harmony is a skill that can be learned!!

Myth #1: You can’t learn harmony. Some people

were just “born with it”… and others weren’t.

Not the case! It is true that some people naturally have an easier time hearing harmony,
but it’s also true that anyone can learn how... even if it doesn’t come naturally to you!

“
Myth #2: You need to know how to read sheet
music to learn harmony.

Nope! You never need to learn to read music if you don’t want to.

In this course, I’m going to give you the right tools and training techniques… and if you’re
willing to take the time and be diligent to do the ear training exercises… you WILL be able
to sing harmony! Make sure to approach this training with an open mind and an attitude
of “what can I learn… what can I be better at”, and not get stuck in the ditch of how you
always do things.

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 9 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
If you’re a background/supporting vocalist on your worship team, the more versatile you
are, the more you can do with your voice, the better you can blend, the more harmonies
you can find and sing, the more knowledge you have of harmony and how to create
dynamics… the more value you will bring as a team member!

We can all be better at something. What are some areas you feel
you can improve on to bring more value to your worship team?
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_____________________________________________________________________

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 10 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THE LANGUAGE OF HARMONY

Learning harmony is like learning a language.

Learning a language starts with learning the building blocks. Then, over time, these
building blocks start to come together and we feel more comfortable and confident with
the language. We can experiment more. We have more choices.

Learning a language is experiential. We learn by doing. We learn by trying and

experimenting and experiencing!

Learning a language means making mistakes. Mistakes are part of the process of

learning a language… learning to put the building blocks together, and over time it
becomes much quicker and easier.

Why can a foreign language be learned? Because it’s not just random sounds… there’s
purpose and method behind what at first sounds like gibberish!

Why can harmony be learned? Because it's not just random notes! Harmony boils down
to basic math and science, and once we train our ear to recognize harmony, we can sing
any harmony we want!

If you’ve ever learned a new language, what were the difficulties

you faced? What were the rewarding aspects of learning that
language? (i.e. you could communicate on a mission trip, etc.)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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01 INTRO TO HARMONY 11 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SPEEDS OF VIBRATION 1 Hz = 1 cycle / second

Sound comes in waves (see diagrams below). The human ear can perceive sound waves
between 20 - 20,000 hertz. Hertz refers to the unit of frequency that measures how
Time (Seconds)
0 sec
many waves / vibrations / cycles per second. Time (Seconds)
1 sec 2 sec 0 sec 1 sec 2 sec

The smaller the frequency (the smaller that number is), the slower the vibration, resulting
in a perceived lower pitch. The larger the frequency (the higher that number is), the faster
the vibration, resulting in a perceived higher pitch.

2 Hz = 2 cycles / second 20 Hz = 20 cycles / second

1 Hz = 1 cycle / second

Time (Seconds)
Time (Seconds) Time (Seconds)
0 sec 1 sec 2 sec
0 sec 1 sec 2 sec 0 sec 1 sec 2 sec

“
20 Hz = 20 cycles / second

The slower the vibration, the lower the pitch.

The faster the vibration, the higher the pitch.
Time (Seconds)
0 sec 1 sec 2 sec

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 12 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
This concept of speed of vibration is the same for any sound we hear (or don’t hear!),
whether it’s the sound of a note played on an instrument… a telephone ringing… a cat
purring… a whale or dolphin sound… a chainsaw… name a sound and it’s got a resonant
frequency!

If you like to nerd out about stuff like this (I do!)… here are some
approximate frequencies for a few different sounds!

Whale lowest
frequency
sounds
15 hz Dominant
frequency of
Lowest thunder Bats using echolocation
frequency that 100 hz 30,000 - 120,000 hz
most humans
can hear Highest frequency
20 hz that most humans Dolphin/whale highest
Cat can hear frequency sounds
purring 20,000 hz 200,000+ hz
25 hz

0 hz 200,000 + hz

For our purposes of learning harmony, it’s easiest to understand this concept of
frequency in the context of our voices! Our vocal cords are vibrating at different speeds
every pitch that we sing. The slower the vocal cords vibrate, the lower the pitch. The
faster the vocal cords vibrate, the higher the pitch.

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 13 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
This chart shows the speed (in Hertz) that your vocal cords are vibrating at when you sing
certain pitches.

C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A2 B2 C3 D3 E3 F3 G3 A3 B3 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5 E5 F5 G5 A5 B5 C6

66 83 98 123 147 175 220 262 330 392 466 587 698 880 1046
74 88 110 131 165 196 247 294 349 440 524 659 783 988

Or, check it out on a music staff if you read sheet music!

262 294 330 349 392 440 466 524 587 659 698 783 880 988 1046

66 74 83 88 98 110 123 131 147 165 175 196 220 247 262

Notice how every time we go up an octave, the frequency/speed of vibration is doubled!

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 14 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
MUSIC IS MATH

Consonance refers to combinations of notes that sound

harmonious together. Dissonance refers to combinations of notes
that don’t sound harmonious together.

The music note system starts at A and goes to G; then it repeats that pattern. Each time
the pattern repeats is an octave.

A B C D E F G A B C D E F G ...

No matter what notes (A, B, C, etc.) are played or if they are high or low in pitch, the two
notes in an octave always sound consonant (harmonious) together because the
frequency is exactly doubled each octave higher.

C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A2 B2 C3 D3 E3 F3 G3 A3 B3 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5 E5 F5 G5 A5 B5 C6

110 220 440 880

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 15 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
In math, it’s easier to divide numbers that easily go together, and
it’s the same with music: simple ratios create harmonious
sounds.

A3 440
octave = hz = ratio of 2:1
A2 220
Harmony makes perfect sense to our ear just like simple math makes sense to our
mind. When notes sound harmonious, it’s because their frequencies have simple ratios.
When notes don’t sound harmonious, it’s because their frequencies don’t mesh well
together… they don’t have simple ratios.

This is not a math or physics course… don’t worry! All you need to know to get started is
that harmony is so far from RANDOM! God created harmony in such a beautiful, organic
way that makes perfect sense to our human ear, which means—like math—even though it
can seem difficult... it’s entirely a learnable skill.

The upcoming lessons will train your ear to hear the building blocks of harmony so that
soon you’ll be able to start hearing and singing harmony in your songs. Ready… set…
Here we go!

I’m excited to help you learn to sing and master harmony! Make sure to post
questions and comments online as you have them so I can help you along this
journey!

01 INTRO TO HARMONY 16 / 16
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
02 INTERVALS 1/6
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DO

INTERVALS: THE BUILDING

BLOCKS OF HARMONY
MI

In this lesson, we’re learning the basic building blocks of harmony—intervals! An interval
is the measurement of time or space between two things. In music theory, an interval
refers to the difference between two pitches. When you understand the relationship
between notes, you can train your ear to find any harmony… yes, ANY harmony!

Most of us learned the basic “solfeggio” (do re mi) scale in music at some point in our life!
For the purpose of learning intervals, we’re going to use numbers instead.

DO 1 (8)
TI 7
LA 6
SOL 5 5
3
FA 4
2
MI 3 3
1 (8)
RE 2
7
DO 1 1
6

4
When we hit the octave, the 8 note becomes the 1 again, because it is both the top of
3
one octave and the bottom of the next.
2

DO RE MI FA SOL LA TI DO RE MI FA SOL LA TI DO ...

1 (8) 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 (8) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
7

5 5

3 3

02 INTERVALS 2 2/6
HARMONY ESSENTIALS
1 FOR WORSHIP 1
The spaces between the notes are the intervals. We can sing up
the stairs one step at a time, or we can sing up the stairs by
jumping over certain steps.

8 8

5 5

3 3

1 1

02 INTERVALS 3/6
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
INTERVALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONY
Here are the 5 intervals that will be the most helpful for learning harmony in worship
songs, and their corresponding mnemonic devices (memory aids):

‣ Major 3rd - o when from “When the Saints Go Marching In"

‣ Minor 3rd - what child from “What Child is This”
‣ Perfect 4th - here comes from “Here Comes the Bride"
‣ Perfect 5th - twinkle twinkle from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
‣ Octave - somewhere from “Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

It’s so important to learn these intervals and be able to recognize and sing them!
Remember why this matters… because if you learn the building blocks of harmony, you’ll
be able to sing harmony in every song, in any key, because it’s all the same language.
These intervals represent the relationship between notes… how close or far in number
they are from each other, and what they sound like together. Every song we hear and
sing sounds the way it does because of the relationship between the notes (the
intervals!) that are being played throughout the song!  

02 INTERVALS 4/6
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
EAR TRAINING WORKOUT

Exercise #1: Sing the Interval

Listen to the note being played, and what interval you are asked to sing. Then, follow this
3-step process to sing the interval:
1. hum the bottom note you hear
2. sing the first two notes of the corresponding song (mnemonic device)
3. replace the words with “OO”

Exercise #2: Identify the Interval

Listen to the interval being played, and follow this 3-step process to identify the interval:
1. sing the two notes you hear
2. identify the song you hear
3. identify which interval that song corresponds with, and say it out loud

Exercise #3: Sing the Interval (Advanced)

Listen to the note being played, and what interval you are asked to sing. Follow this 3-
step process to sing the interval (but don’t let any sound come out of your mouth until the
final step!):
1. imagine the bottom note you hear (in your head)
2. imagine the first two notes of the corresponding song (in your head)
3. sing the top note of the interval on an “OO”

02 INTERVALS 5/6
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Exercise #4: Identify the Interval (Advanced)
Listen to the interval being played, and follow this 3-step process to identify the interval
(again, don’t sing anything!):
1. imagine the two notes you hear (in your head)
2. identify the corresponding song you hear (from the mnemonic devices)
3. identify which interval that song corresponds with, and say it out loud

How often should I do these workouts?

If you’re new to harmony and you want to learn quickly, do these exercises every day if
you can, or at least 3-4 times per week… until you are consistently getting them all
correct. Remember that mistakes are part of the journey of learning a new language!
You’ll probably get some of these wrong or a lot of these wrong at first, but keep doing
the exercises!

After a week or two (or after you’ve done these interval workouts 5-10 times at least!),
start doing the chord exercises from the next lesson. If you are still struggling with
intervals, continue doing the intervals workout as well as doing the chords workout for
awhile. You will need a solid grasp on these intervals and chords before you should
move on to the following videos.

The more you do the ear training exercises, the easier it will be to find harmonies in
songs. Remember, we’re learning the building blocks of the language, and almost all of
the harmony in modern worship music is based around the intervals we learned in this
lesson!

Got questions about intervals? Make sure to post questions and comments
online as you have them so I can help you along this journey!

02 INTERVALS 6/6
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03 CHORDS 1/5
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
CHORDS: THE BUILDING
BLOCKS OF SONGS
In this lesson, we’re talking about chords! Hopefully your ear is starting to become
familiar with the intervals we learned in the previous lesson—intervals are the building
blocks of every chord and chords are the building blocks of every song!

Every worship song we sing is made out of chords—the musicians are moving through

chord progressions that lay the foundation of the music for you to sing melody (and
harmony!) on top of.

A basic chord is made up of the 1 (the root note), 3rd and 5th intervals.

5 5
3
1

Normally when we hear chords in a song, all the notes of the chords are
5 played together.
For the purpose of learning harmony, it’s important that we break the chord down into its
3
simplistic parts. If you can pick out each of the notes in every chord you hear, you’ll be
able to find harmonies throughout every song, because 1 the harmonies are embedded

within the chord structure.

03 CHORDS 2/5
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
MAJOR AND MINOR CHORDS

The two most common types of chords are major and minor chords.

If a chord has a major 3rd interval on the bottom, it is a major chord. (Note: if you don’t
see or hear the word major, it’s implied.)

C = C major chord
‣ Perfect 5th
‣ Major 3rd
‣ 1 (bottom note)

If a chord has a minor 3rd interval on the bottom, it is a minor chord. (Note: in sheet music
or chord charts, a minor chord is identified with an “m” beside it.)

Cm = C minor chord
‣ Perfect 5th
‣ Minor 3rd
‣ 1 (bottom note)

03 CHORDS 3/5
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
IDENTIFYING MAJOR AND
MINOR CHORDS
The easiest way to identify major and minor is by listening to the sound of the chord.

A major chord sounds happy. !

Remember, a major chord has a major 3rd on the bottom of the chord, so you can use the
mnemonic device of "O when the saints” to listen for major chords!

A minor triad sounds sad. "

A minor chord has a minor 3rd on the bottom of the chord, so you can use the mnemonic
device of “What child is this” to listen for minor chords!

Typically, worship songs are made up of both major and minor chords, as this creates the
most dynamic journey in a song. The dissonance in minor chords creates tension, which
is released when a major chord is played!

03 CHORDS 4/5
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
EAR TRAINING WORKOUT

Exercise 1: Happy or Sad

Listen to the chord, and decide whether it’s major or minor, just by saying “what does this
sound do to my emotions”… Does it feel sad (minor chord), or does it feel light and happy
(major chord)?

Exercise 2: Major or Minor 3rd

Listen to the chord, and decide whether it’s major or minor based on if you hear a major
third (“oh when the saints”) or a minor third (“what child is this”) in the chord.

Exercise 3: Sing the Chord

Listen as the root of the chord is played and whether you are asked to sing a major or
minor chord; then, try to sing all three notes of the chord.

Having trouble with any of these exercises? Make sure you continue doing the interval
exercises from the previous lesson, as well as these new chord exercises. Do them as
often as you can (I recommend 3-5 times per week!)… as all of this is super important
for learning how to sing harmony!

Wax on, wax off! The better your ear gets at identifying and singing intervals and chords,
the easier you’ll be able to find harmonies in worship songs. Worship songs have
repeating chords and repeating melody patterns, and soon you’ll start to find that the
harmony is also repetitive and predictable!

Got questions about chords? Make sure to post questions and comments
online as you have them so I can help you along this journey!

03 CHORDS 5/5
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04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 1 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
MELODIC MOVEMENT

This lesson covers an essential skill for singing harmony—learning to visualize how the
melody moves from note to note. The better your ear can visualize melodic movement,
the better you will be at instinctively knowing how the harmony moves.

It’s important to be able to visualize how the melody of a song moves from note to note.
It’s helpful to think of each pitch (in other words, each note) in the song as steps on a
staircase.

HIGHEST
NOTE

RANGE OF NOTES
PITCH MOVES PITCH MOVES
IN THE SONG
HIGHER LOWER

LOWEST
NOTE

Every song moves a bit differently—that’s what makes it unique and fresh to our ears!
Isn’t it exciting to hear fresh, new melodies when you listen to a new worship album?!

Visualizing melodic movement is important because the harmony often follows a similar
pattern. (Don’t worry… this is ALL for a purpose!) At first you’ll learn by visualizing this on
paper—but the goal is that all this visualization will be done in your head eventually!

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 2 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Notice how similar the movement of the melody and harmony
lines are for This is Amazing Grace.

To find a harmony part (which we are working our way towards in the upcoming lessons!),
the first step is to be confident in how the melody line moves.

To help you learn this, let’s try the dot exercise like you saw in the video. Print out the
lyrics on the following pages, listen to the melodies I’ve recorded for you, and plot a
rough dot graph of the melodic movement. The “answers” are also provided for you so
you can check your work!

Remember, we’re not trying to produce sheet music here. It doesn’t need to be

“perfect”—the goal is just to have a good idea of how the melody moves… up, down and
around! You can try this dot exercise with any song you want! Just print or write out
the lyrics of a song, leave space between the lines, and do the same as before!

Using the foundation of intervals and chords, now we’re training your mind to start
applying those building blocks to a song!

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 3 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME 
Ben Fielding | Brooke Ligertwood 
© 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

What a beautiful name it is

The name of Jesus Christ my king

What a beautiful name it is

Nothing compares to this

What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 4 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE 
Jeremy Riddle | Josh Farro | Phil Wickham
© 2012 Phil Wickham Music, Seems Like Music, Sing My Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.), WB Music
Corp. (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.), Bethel Music Publishing

This is amazing grace

This is unfailing love

That you would take my place

That you would bear my cross

You would lay down your life

That I would be set free

Oh, Jesus I sing for all that you’ve done for me  

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 5 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD 
Public Domain

What can wash away my sin

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus  

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 6 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOXOLOGY 
Public Domain

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heav’nly host

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Amen 

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 7 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME 
Ben Fielding | Brooke Ligertwood 
© 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

What a beautiful name it is

The name of Jesus Christ my king

What a beautiful name it is

Nothing compares to this

What a beautiful name it is, the name of Jesus

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 8 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE 
Jeremy Riddle | Josh Farro | Phil Wickham
© 2012 Phil Wickham Music, Seems Like Music, Sing My Songs (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.), WB Music
Corp. (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.), Bethel Music Publishing

This is amazing grace

This is unfailing love

That you would take my place

That you would bear my cross

You would lay down your life

That I would be set free

Oh, Jesus I sing for all that you’ve done for me

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 9 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD 
Public Domain

What can wash away my sin

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

O precious is the flow

That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know

Nothing but the blood of Jesus

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 10 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOXOLOGY 
Public Domain

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heav’nly host

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Amen

04 MELODIC MOVEMENT 11 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 1 / 11
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE

This lesson is all about how to find your first harmony note quickly and efficiently! Maybe
you're brand new to harmony and you can’t find a harmony part at all, or maybe you can
find the harmony once it’s halfway through the chorus but you want to be able to find it
right away and be confident in it. The issue with finding the first note of the harmony part
is that in a song it comes and goes so quickly… sometimes it’s already moved off that
note that you learned at home by the time you find it. So, this lesson will take you
through some exercises to get that first harmony note engrained so you can find it easily!

Be aware that with all this stuff we’re learning… even though the process can seem
complex… mathematical… and mentally exhausting at times, we’re doing all this work
now to train your ear to instinctively find the harmony in ANY SONG, in ANY KEY, at ANY
TIME! (What do I mean by instinctively? I mean… just that. You won’t need to think through
a process every time you go to sing harmony. You won’t need to read sheet music. You
won’t need to say… is that a 3rd or a 5th or… where does the melody fall within the
chord???! Nope. You’ll just KNOW!) In the long run, this is a way better method than just
trying to learn a harmony part one song at a time, and struggle your way through learning
and memorizing each time.

Having said that… we’re not THERE yet… so remember, knowing intervals and chords is
super (SUPER!) important for everything moving forward, so make sure you keep doing
those exercises until you’ve got them down pat!

By learning intervals, we train our ear to know chords.

By learning chords, we train our ear to know what notes sound harmonious with each
other.

By learning chords and intervals, we also train our ear to know (instinctively) where the
melody note sits within the chord, so then we can know where the harmony notes will
fall.

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 2 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
YOU’VE GOT OPTIONS

In a song where the melody starts on the root note (the 1)…
Our harmony options (choosing from the remaining notes in the chord) are the major 3rd
or perfect 5th intervals (the 8 is not an option for the harmony because it’s the same note
as the 1, just an octave higher).

8 8

5 5

3 3

1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

In a song where the melody starts on the major 3rd…

Our harmony options are the root note (the 1), the 5th, or the 8th.

8 8 8

5 5 5

3 3 3

1 1
MONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 3 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
5 5 5

3 3 3

In a song where
1 the melody starts on 1the perfect 5th… 1

Our harmony options are the 1, 3, or 8. The 1 and 8 notes

MELODY will sound
HARMONY the same, just an
OPTIONS MELODY
octave lower/higher than each other.

8 8

5 5

3 3

1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

How do I find my harmony if the melody doesn’t start on the

root, 3rd or 5th?
These harmonies are typically a bit more complex to find using this process, so no need
to worry about them yet. The more you train your ear to find simple harmonies that fall
within the basic major chord, the easier your ear will be able to find a harmony in any
song, in any key, at any time!

How do I choose which harmony note to start on?

Later, we’ll talk about how to choose a harmony part when there are multiple people
singing harmony, and which harmony part is the best one to choose in order to build a
song dynamically. But for now, just choose whichever one feels most comfortable in your
range!

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 4 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
EAR TRAINING EXERCISES

In the accompanying ear training workout, we'll find the starting harmony notes for
several popular worship songs.

What you’ll hear on each exercise is:

1. A demonstration of how to find the first harmony note for that song.
2. The root chord of the song, first solid, then arpeggiated.
3. The starting melody notes sung very slowly, then at regular speed.

When you hear the melody, do your best to find the starting harmony note and sing along
with the melody. You might still be searching a little bit to find your note the first time
through, but what you’ll hopefully find is that if you find the harmony note on the slow
line, then you’ll be able to jump right in at the faster speed and sing the harmony
perfectly.

For right now, you only need to focus on finding the starting harmony pitch. Don’t worry
yet about following the harmony if it changes notes—we’ll learn how to do that soon!

At the end of each exercise, you’ll hear the correct versions of the harmony lines, first for
guys, then girls. When you hear the correct harmony lines, feel free to sing along with as
many of them as you can, because this will help your ear start to hear and recognize
multiple harmony lines, and be able to sing harmony in various parts of your vocal range!

Do this ear training workout several times over the next week or two. Once you’ve done
it a few times and you’re more comfortable with it, begin skipping the song explanation
tracks and try finding the starting harmony note just by listening to the chord (the tracks
that start with “now it’s your turn!”). In the next lesson, we’ll learn to take the harmony
part beyond just the first couple notes and follow it through a whole section of a song.
But for now, these ear training exercises are so important to continue building the right
foundations. We’re laying the groundwork for you to become an amazingly versatile,
skilled harmony vocalist! 

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 5 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
 
Root Chord (Key of A)
A major 

8 8 8

Melody Starting Point 5 5 5

3 3 3
The melody starts on the 1 (the root note of
1 1 1 1
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
the chord). MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARM
MELODY

8 8

5 5

Harmony Options
8 3 8 3 8 8

1 1
5 5 5 5
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
For the harmony, we’re going to choose3 to 3 3
C#
3

start on the major 3rd or the 5th1 (remember, 1

C D
1
E F G A B C D E F
1
G A B C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
the 8 is not an option for the harmony HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS

because it’s the same note as the 1). 8

8
8
8
8 8

  5
5
5
5
5 5

3
3
3
3
3 C# 3

1 1 1 1
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS C D E FMELODY
G A B C D E F HARMONY
G A B OPTIONS
C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS
8 8

5 5

NOTES
3 3

1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 6 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
GOOD GOOD FATHER

Root Chord (Key of A)

A major

8 8 8 8

Melody Starting Point 5 5 5 5

C#
3 3 3 3

The melody starts

1 on the major 3rd
1 interval of 1 C D 1E F G A B C D E F G A B C

the chord. MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

MELODY

8 8
8 8 8 8

5 5
5 5 5 5
3 3
3 3 3 3

1
Harmony Options 1
1 1
1
1 C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS
For the harmony, we’re going to choose to
8 8 8 8
start on the
8
1, 5, or 8. 8

  5
5
5
5
5 5

3 3 3 3
3 3

1 1 1 1
1 1 C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

8 8

5 5

NOTES
3 3

1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 7 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
LION AND THE LAMB
8 8 8

Root Chord (Key of A)

5 5 5

A major 3 3 3 3

1 1 1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARM

Melody Starting Point 8

8
8 8
8
8

5 5

The melody starts on the perfect 5th interval

5
3
5
3
5 5

3 3 3 3
of the chord. 1
C D
1
E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1 1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

8 8 8 8
8 8

5 5 5 5

Harmony Options 3
3
5

3
3
5

3
C#
3

1 1 C D1 E F G A B C D E F 1G A B C
For the harmony, we’re going to choose
1
MELODY to 1
HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS
start on the 1, 3, or 8.
8 8

  5 5
C#
3 3

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 8 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE
8 8 8

Root Chord (Key of Bb) 5 5 5

3 3 3 3

Bb major 1 1 1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARM

8 8
8 8 8 8

Melody Starting Point 5

5
5 5
5
5
3 3

The melody starts on the perfect 5th

3
interval 1
3
1
3 3

1 1 C 1D HARMONY
E F GOPTIONS
A B C D E F1G A B C
of the chord. MELODY
MELODY
HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY

8 8 8 8
8 8

Harmony Options 3
5
5

3
5
5

3
5
Bb
3
5

3 3

For the harmony, we’re going to choose

1
1
MELODY
to 1
1
HARMONY OPTIONS
C 1D E F G
MELODY
A B C D E F1 G A B C
HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS
start on the 1, 3, or 8.
8 8

  5 5
Bb
3 3
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 9 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
HOLY SPIRIT

Root Chord (Key of D)

D major
8 8 8 8

5 5 5 5

Melody Starting Point 3 3 3 3 F#

1 1 1 1
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
The melody starts on the major 3rd interval of
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY
the chord. 8 8
8 8 8 8

5 5
5 5 5 5
3 3

1
Harmony Options
3
1
1
3

1
1
3

1
3

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS
For the harmony, we’re going to choose to
start on the
8
8 1, 5, or 8. 8
8
8 8

5 5 5 5
5 5

  3
3
3
3
3 3

1 1 1 1 C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

8 8

5 5

NOTES
3 3

1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 10 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
TRY IT YOURSELF

If you have a voice recorder on your phone or computer, I highly recommend you use it!
Find the first note of a song melody and record yourself singing those first few notes
slowly, then at regular speed. Then, play it back and try to find your starting harmony
note. If you're learning a song for a Sunday service, I encourage you to do this process
over and over and over!

If you are diligently doing the interval and chord training exercises I’ve laid out for you,
your ear will naturally start gravitating to these harmony notes. Remember, the reason
why harmony is a learnable skill is because the language makes sense… it’s far from
random. All songs are made up of chords, and the more you do those interval and chord
exercises I gave you, the more your ear will instinctively recognize the notes within each
chord when they’re played… and your ear will start to naturally gravitate towards the
harmony notes that fall within the chord structure and fit well with the melody.

We’re still training your ear to build with those building blocks… but this is where it starts
to become a bit more rewarding… as we start to find actual harmony parts in the worship
songs that we love to sing!

Got questions about finding your first harmony note? Make sure to post
questions and comments online as you have them so I can help you along this
journey!

05 FINDING YOUR FIRST NOTE 11 / 11

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 1 / 18
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONIC MOVEMENT

Congrats for making it this far in the course! Here’s a recap of

what we’ve learned so far:

✓ what harmony is

✓ how to recognize and sing intervals

✓ how to recognize and sing chords

✓ how to visualize melodic movement

✓ how to find your first harmony note

Now we’ve come to the funnest part of the course yet… where we learn how to follow
harmony lines throughout a whole section of the song! Hopefully you’re still motivated to
learn, because this is where it gets real good!

Has the process of learning harmony up until this point been

easier or more difficult than you expected? What’s been most
difficult? What are you looking forward to learning?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ 

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 2 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THE DOT EXERCISE

If you read sheet music and can get ahold of the lead sheet for a song, you can follow
along with that as you’re learning a harmony part. If you don’t read sheet music, the
following exercises and notes are going to be especially helpful for you!

The “dot exercise" is one that I’ve done many times over the years, both for myself and to
help my vocal students learn harmony. This exercise helps train your ear and your brain
to find and follow harmonic movement in relation to melodic movement. Here’s the 3-
step process that you can follow for any song!

Step #1:
Print/write out the lyrics (with ample space between the lines) and plot out the melodic
movement (we already learned how to do this in the lesson on melodic movement!).

Step #2 (optional):
Record the melody (slowly!!!) using a voice recorder (or you can use the original song
recording). Especially if you’re brand new to learning harmony, recording the melody
slowly will give you more time to find your first harmony note and follow it through the
whole section of the song.

Step #3:
Listen to the song recording and plot out the harmonic movement in a different colour. If
you’re using the original song recording (at regular speed), you will probably need to
stop and start the track several times. Take your time and be patient with yourself! Know
that training your ear to hear harmony is a process, and making mistakes is part of the
process… so allow yourself to experiment and be ok with making mistakes! (I know…
easier said than done!)

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 3 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
For the most part, harmony lines move parallel to the melody,
but sometimes even a parallel harmony line will move in a
slightly different way.
For example, in “This is Amazing Grace”, on the lyric “that you would take my place”, one
of the harmony lines moves exactly parallel to the melody; the other harmony line moves
up at the end of the line.

HARMONY 1

MELODY

HARMONY 2

That you would t a ke my place

Harmonic movement is different from song to song, and only experience—knowing

intervals, chords, and becoming familiar with more and more harmony lines in different
songs—will truly teach your ear to know when the harmony should move parallel and
when it doesn't. Don’t stress about this now… the more you follow along with the course
and do the exercises I’ve laid out for you, the more experience you’re racking up as we
go!  

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 4 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONIC MOVEMENT
EXERCISES
In the accompanying lesson exercises, I’ve recorded two different harmony lines of
several songs for you to work on. For each exercise, first, you’ll hear the harmony
demonstrated; then, on the next track you’ll hear only the melody, so you can sing the
harmony along with it. Listen and sing along with the demonstrations as many times as
you need to… so you can engrain these harmony parts in your head!

If some of the harmony lines (as recorded in the demonstrations) are too low or too high
for your range, just sing the same notes, but up or down the octave… wherever feels
most comfortable in your voice.

What you’ll hear on each demonstration is:

1. The root chord of the song, first solid, then arpeggiated.
2. Your first harmony note, along with the melody note.
3. The harmony part (along with the melody) for the whole section of the song.

Do this ear training workout several times over the next week or two. Once you’ve done
it a few times and you’re more comfortable with it, begin skipping the harmony
demonstration tracks and try singing your harmony part just by listening to the chord (the
tracks that start with “now it’s your turn!”).

I’ve also included a few more things for you in these notes:
‣ song “cheat sheets” with detailed info on each song
‣ blank lyric sheets (for doing the “dot exercise”)
‣ lyric sheets showing the melodic and harmonic movement (for both harmonies)
for you to “check your work” and/or follow along with!

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 5 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Be patient with yourself as you’re learning, especially if harmony is brand new to you…
and have some fun with this! Remember that the more you do this, the easier it will
become! And… don’t hesitate to ask for help! If there’s a vocalist on your worship team
who sings harmony well, ask them to record a harmony part for you, or ask a keyboardist
to play the root chord and starting harmony note for you. The more we are willing to step
out of our comfort zone and ask for help, the quicker we will learn!

Got questions about harmonic movement? Make sure to post questions and
comments online as you have them so I can help you along this journey!

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 6 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE
8 8 8

Root Chord (Key of Bb) 5 5 5

3 3 3 3

Bb major 1 1 1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARM

8 8
8 8 8 8

Melody Starting Point 5

5
5 5
5
5
3 3

The melody starts on the perfect 5th interval

3
1
3
1
3 3

of the chord. 1
MELODY
1
MELODY
HARMONY OPTIONS
C 1D HARMONY
E F GOPTIONS
A B C D
MELODY
E F1G A B C
HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY

8 8 8 8
8 8

Harmony Options 3
5
5

3
5
5

3
5
Bb
3
5

3 3

For the harmony, we’re going to11 choose

MELODY
to 1
1
HARMONY OPTIONS
C 1D E
MELODY
F G A B C D
HARMONY OPTIONS
E F1 G A B C

MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS

start on the 1, 3, or 8.
8 8

  5 5
Bb
3 3

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 7 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE
 

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 8 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONY 1

DOT EXERCISE: 
MELODY

HARMONY 2

THIS IS AMAZING GRACE That you woul

 
MELODY

HARMONY 1

HARMONY 2

This is amazing grace This is unfailing love

That you would take my place

That you would bear my cross

You would lay down your life That I would be set free

Oh, Jesus I sing for all that you’ve done for me

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 9 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
Root Chord (Key of A)
A major 

8 8 8

Melody Starting Point 5 5 5

3 3 3
The melody starts on the 1 (the root note of
1 1 1 1
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
the chord). MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARM
MELODY

8 8

5 5

Harmony Options
8 3 8 3 8 8

1 1
5 5 5 5
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
For the harmony, we’re going to choose3 to 3 3
C#
3

start on the major 3rd or the 5th1 (remember, 1

C D
1
E F G A B C D E F
1
G A B C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
the 8 is not an option for the harmony HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS

because it’s the same note as the 1). 8

8
8
8
8 8

  5
5
5
5
5 5

3
3
3
3
3 C# 3

1 1 1 1
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS C D E FMELODY
G A B C D E F HARMONY
G A B OPTIONS
C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS
8 8

5 5

NOTES
3 3

1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 10 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
 

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 11 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONY 1

DOT EXERCISE: 
MELODY

HARMONY 2

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD That you woul

 
MELODY

HARMONY 1

HARMONY 2

What can wash away my sin Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again Nothing but the blood of Jesus

O precious is the flow That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 12 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
LION AND THE LAMB
8 8 8

Root Chord (Key of A)

5 5 5

A major 3 3 3 3

1 1 1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARM

Melody Starting Point 8

8
8 8
8
8

5 5

The melody starts on the perfect 5th interval

5
3
5
3
5 5

3 3 3 3
of the chord. 1
C D
1
E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1 1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

8 8 8 8
8 8

5 5 5 5

Harmony Options 3
3
5

3
3
5

3
C#
3

5 5
C#
3 3

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 13 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
LION AND THE LAMB
 

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 14 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONY 1

DOT EXERCISE: 
MELODY

HARMONY 2

LION AND THE LAMB That you woul

 
MELODY

HARMONY 1

HARMONY 2

Our God is the lion The Lion of Judah

He's roaring with power And fighting our battles

Every knee will bow before Him

Our God is the lamb The lamb that was slain

For the sins of the world His blood breaks the chains

Every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb

Every knee will bow before him

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 15 / 18
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG CHEAT SHEET: 
HOLY SPIRIT

Root Chord (Key of D)

D major

8 8 8 8

Melody Starting Point 5 5 5 5

3 3 3 3 F#

The melody starts

1 on the major 3rd
1 interval of 1 1
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
the chord. MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY

8 8
8 8 8 8

5 5

Harmony Options
5
3
5
3
5 5

3 3 3 3
1 1
1
For the harmony, we’re
1
MELODY going to choose
1
to
HARMONY OPTIONS
1 C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
HARMONY OPTIONS - GUYS
start on the 1, 5, or 8.
8
8 8
8 8 8

  5
5 5
5 5 5

3
3 3
3 3 3

11 11 1 1 C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
MELODY HARMONY
HARMONY OPTIONS MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS
MELODY OPTIONS HARMONY OPTIONS - GIRLS

8 8

5 5

3 3

1 NOTES 1
MELODY HARMONY OPTIONS

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 16 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
HOLY SPIRIT
 

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 17 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONY 1

DOT EXERCISE: 
MELODY

HARMONY 2

HOLY SPIRIT That you woul

MELODY

HARMONY 1

HARMONY 2

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

06 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART ONE 18 / 18

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 1 / 20
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONIC MOVEMENT

Most people tend to gravitate towards harmony lines that move parallel (or very similar)
to the melody. They often seem the most fun and the most satisfying to sing, because
there’s more movement!

But, another type of harmony you can sing is called oblique harmony, which stays mainly
on one note.

In the parallel harmony, the interval between the melody and harmony lines consistently
stays at a major third or perfect fourth apart, but notice how in the oblique harmony line,
the intervals between the melody and harmony notes are always changing.

Because of this unique sound, oblique harmony is not a good option for every song;
however, it’s an interesting choice for some songs in order to create a dynamic build!  

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 2 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SIMPLIFY YOUR HARMONY LINE

Most of the time, we start singing our harmony line at the same time as the melody line,
but sometimes it’s better to leave out the very beginning of a phrase and just begin
singing the harmony part on the more dominant syllable or word in the line. Most of the
time, it’s a small word like “and”, “it’s”, “my”, or “so” that we leave out. It’s not only easier
to find the starting harmony note but it eliminates a lot of messy “s’s” on the stage— and
your harmony line will sound much more clean and contemporary.
 

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 3 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
HARMONIC MOVEMENT
EXERCISES
The accompanying audio exercises build on the previous lesson and include harmonies
for some new songs, as well as some simple oblique harmony parts for you to try out.
Unlike in previous exercises though, this time, there'll be no starting note given—we’re
just gonna jump right into the harmony!

For each song, I’ve recorded multiple harmony parts for you to learn. First, you’ll hear the
root chord and the harmony part demonstrated; then, you’ll try it out yourself, singing
along with just the melody. As always, try to sing along with each demonstration and try
out all the harmony parts, in whatever part of your range feels most comfortable!

As in the previous lesson, I’ve also included blank lyric sheets (for doing the “dot
exercise”) and lyric sheets showing the melodic and harmonic movement (for both
harmonies)for you to “check your work” and/or follow along with!

Good luck and have fun!

Got questions about harmonic movement? Make sure to post questions and
comments online as you have them so I can help you along this journey!

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 4 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
MAN OF SORROWS

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 5 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
MAN OF SORROWS

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
DOXOLOGY

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
DOXOLOGY
 

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE
 

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 9 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
THIS IS AMAZING GRACE
 

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME
 

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME
 

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 12 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
GREAT ARE YOU LORD

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 13 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
GREAT ARE YOU LORD

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 14 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 15 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD

What can wash away my sin Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can make me whole again Nothing but the blood of Jesus

O precious is the flow That makes me white as snow

No other fount I know Nothing but the blood of Jesus

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 16 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
LION AND THE LAMB
 

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 17 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
LION AND THE LAMB

 
Our God is the lion The Lion of Judah

He's roaring with power And fighting our battles

Every knee will bow before Him

Our God is the lamb The lamb that was slain

For the sins of the world His blood breaks the chains

Every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb

Every knee will bow before him

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 18 / 20
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
HOLY SPIRIT

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 19 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DOT EXERCISE: 
HOLY SPIRIT

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your presence, Lord

07 HARMONIC MOVEMENT – PART TWO 20 / 20

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
08 STAYING IN YOUR LANE 1/4
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
STAYING IN YOUR LANE

When it comes to singing harmony confidently in a worship set, it’s so important that we
not only know our harmony part, but that we be able to stick to it! It’s no use if you can
sing the harmony part on your own, but then you can’t stay on it in the context of the
worship set.

If you’re driving, you’ve gotta stay in your lane. If you’re singing harmony, you’ve gotta
stay in your lane. The better you know your part, the more you'll be able to stick to it.
However… make sure you don’t have tunnel vision in your harmony singing—it’s so
important to be listening and blending and moving with the worship leader who’s singing
melody! That’s what this lesson is all about!

TIP #1
Learn and memorize your harmony part so you know it as well as you know the melody
line.

TIP #2
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your fellow worship team members. If there are
strong harmony vocalists on your team, have them sing you the harmony part for the
song you want to learn. Or, ask your piano or keyboard player if the harmony notes are
written on their song lead sheet, so they can play the notes for you. In any case, make
sure you record it... don’t just assume you will remember it later!

TIP #3
As you’re learning, take every opportunity to try out singing harmony in places where it
doesn’t matter if you sound terrible or not. The stage on a Sunday morning is not a place
to experiment, because when the harmony is “off”, it can be very distracting for the
congregation! As you’re listening to worship music at home or songs on the radio in the
car, try to pick out a harmony part and sing along with it.

08 STAYING IN YOUR LANE 2/4

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
TIP #4
Do the harmony exercises provided for you in this course as often as you can. The
exercises in this lesson will build on the previous lessons by training your ear to hear
multiple things at once but be able to stick to your part!

Singing harmony is so rewarding when your ear becomes trained and you can find your
parts and sing them confidently! Harmony is a skill, so don’t forget that just like any other
skill, you have to do the drills over and over until it’s second nature. So keep doing the
interval and chord ear training exercises, the melody and harmony visualization
exercises… as well as memorizing the worship song harmonies that I’ve recorded for you.
Good luck and have fun!  

08 STAYING IN YOUR LANE 3/4

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
EXERCISES

Singing in a Round
It may seem juvenile… but singing in a round is a great harmony exercise! You’ll start off
as the first singer in the round, singing “Row Row Row Your Boat"… then you’ll be the
second singer… then you’ll be the third singer. The key here is to focus on singing your
part without getting thrown off by the other singers. As you’re singing, pay attention to
the natural harmonies that are being created by multiple singers singing the same
melody, but starting at different times.

Major Scale
This major scale exercise is a bit more advanced, so don’t worry if you don’t get it right
away! You’ll start off as the first singer, then, you’ll come in as the second singer—when
the first singer is singing the number 3, you’re going to start from 1.

Worship Songs
In the worship song exercises, you’re going to hear two other parts going on while you
sing—the melody AND another harmony line—and YOUR goal is to stick to your own
harmony part all the way through the song. If you’re having trouble finding your first
harmony note, go back to the previous lessons to review your harmony parts with the
starting note given!

Got questions about staying in your lane? Make sure to post questions and
comments online as you have them so I can help you along this journey!

08 STAYING IN YOUR LANE 4/4

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09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 1 / 13
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THE ROLE OF A  
BACKGROUND VOCALIST
Singing harmony is an amazing skill to have (and hopefully you're well on your way to
being confident in this skill if you’ve been going through this course!)… but as worship
team vocalists, more important than knowing how to sing harmony is knowing when to
sing harmony. It’s so crucial that we understand our role as supporting vocalists on the
team. There are some very specific things we're aiming to create in our sound as a team,
but also… your role goes so much further than just the sound! It’s about our whole
presence—our appearance and body language on stage—and the heart and attitude that
we bring to the team.

What is a background vocalist?

If you’re not the worship leader, you are a background vocalist! What does that mean?
You are in the background! You are there to assist and support the worship leader, the
overall sound, and the worship experience you are creating as a team.

Unfortunately, many background vocalists see their role as so “background" that they fail
to prepare properly for services… they arrive to rehearsal and services without knowing
the songs, the lyrics, the harmony parts… without warming up their voice or working to
improve their vocal skills. Some vocalists are shy and don’t know their parts well; others
sing loudly and heartily. As a result, the collective sound of the vocalists often ends up
being distractingly off-pitch, off-time, and not blended well.

As worship team vocalists, we must not be haphazard and unprepared. Planning and
process and details are in the very heart of God… our Father God is creative, immensely
detailed, strategic, and purposeful! And as children of God, we are created in His image…
made to be like Him! We are not created to settle for mediocrity. It matters that we sing
well! It matters that we are prepared and purposeful!

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 2 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even
more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

When we create something beautiful with our voices, we're not stealing from God’s
glory… we're reflecting His glory and His beauty. When we are creative, skilled, strategic,
and intentional… we are looking into a mirror and doing exactly what Scripture says…
we’re being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory!

“
When man's natural musical ability is whetted
and polished to the extent that it becomes an art,
then do we note with great surprise the great and
perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after
all, His product and His gift. — Martin Luther

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 3 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THE IMPORTANCE OF
PLANNING & PREPARATION
God doesn’t ask for perfection, but He does ask for humility, diligence to learn and grow,
and for us to be good stewards of our time and our talents. Life gets busy, yes! But that
just means we need to be creative and get practical about ways we can grow in our skills
and prepare more effectively for the times we’re scheduled on our worship team. Here
are a few ideas… and I’m sure you can come up with a few of your own as well!

‣ Schedule in your home practice time the week you are singing on your worship
team. If it doesn’t get scheduled in, it usually doesn’t happen!

‣ Once you receive the worship set list, begin listening to the songs every day to get
them in your head and your heart! Create a Youtube or iTunes playlist so the songs
play back-to-back.

‣ Use an online song transposer tool like transposr.com to transpose the songs to
the key they will be done in at your worship service, so you can practice most
effectively.
‣ Print out the song lyrics and have them in places you spend a lot of time, so you
can be memorizing them throughout the week.

‣ Ask your leader for direction on what harmony parts (if any) they want you to
specifically prepare for.

‣ Use the vocal warmup from The Worship Vocalist website before rehearsal and on
Sunday mornings so your voice is ready to go once you’re singing on stage!

‣ Use the vocal exercises and harmony exercises from The Worship Vocalist website
throughout the week (anything is better than nothing… commit to 1 vocal workout
per week… or 2… whatever you can manage!) so that you will see growth in your
vocal range and strength over time!
‣ ________________________________________________________________
‣ ________________________________________________________________

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 4 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SELF-ASSESSMENT

Have you settled for mediocrity in your skill level? What skills
and areas do you want/need to grow in, in order to better serve
your worship team and your congregation? What are some
practical things you can do to see growth in those areas?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Do you spend enough time preparing the weeks you are

scheduled on worship team? Do you know the song lyrics? Do
you know the parts you will be singing? What are some ways
you can commit to plan and prepare more effectively?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 5 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION

☑ Your job as a background vocalist is to blend your voice with the lead vocalist.
We must blend our vocal tone and match their phrasing, pronunciation and
timing. When we don’t, our voice sticks out awkwardly when it should be
blended in the background.

☑ Your job as a background vocalist is to sing in the style and genre that your
church/worship team is aiming for. For many vocalists (but not all!), this means
learning to sing in a current, contemporary style.

‣ A traditional style means singing with a head voice tone, vibrato, and many
harmonies.

‣ A contemporary style means singing with primarily chest/mix voice tone

(see the Discover Your Voice videos on www.theworshipvocalist.com for
more on that), subtle vibrato, and mostly unison, 2-part, and sometimes 3-
part harmony. The lead vocalist singing melody should be by far the most
prominent voice heard in the mix. The more vocals singing different
harmonies, and the louder all those harmonies are turned up, the less
“current” the sound will be. If you don’t know how to sing in a contemporary
style, I encourage you to go through the Discover Your Voice course on
www.theworshipvocalist.com.

☑ Your job as a background vocalist is to be a skilled, versatile harmony singer.

This means knowing when to sing harmony and what harmony part to sing, and
not getting stuck in the part you “always sing”.

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 6 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SELF-ASSESSMENT

Do you tend to sing in a more traditional or more contemporary

style? What is the style/genre of music that your worship team is
aiming for? If your style of singing differs from the vision of your
leaders, what can you commit to do in the upcoming months so
that your voice fits and blends in the best way?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Do you know how to sing harmony? Do you find yourself getting

“stuck” in old patterns and ways of doing things? What areas
can you commit to growing and improving in, so that you can be
a skilled, versatile background vocalist?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ 

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 7 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
KNOWING WHAT TO SING

So… what harmony part should I sing?

1. The one that you are asked to sing. If your worship leader or worship pastor
asks you to sing a specific harmony… sing it! Note: If you’re not sure, ask! If
you’re not given direction, follow guidelines #2 and #3 in this list!
2. Sing in a range where you can consistently hit the notes on pitch! Off-pitch
harmony (singing flat/sharp) is not harmony. Note: If you are asked to sing a part
that’s not in your range, ask (humbly) if (for this time) you could sing a different
part. It’s not your leader’s fault if some notes are out of your range! And then…
start working out your voice at home so that you eliminate range limitations!
3. Plan your harmony parts so that they create the best dynamic journey for
the song. Know that your voice is there to create moments, so be a student of
creating moments! Harmony creates moments by adding depth and drama.
But... if you start singing harmony too early in the song, peoples’ ears can’t
handle it. Subconsciously, our congregation loses interest because the sound
becomes stagnant. When harmony begins too early, we lose the potential to
build and create dynamic moments in that song. If we arrive at the destination
too soon, there’s no journey.

Which of these three areas do you need the most growth in? Do
you have a hard time following instruction? Do you tend to strain
your voice and sing out of your comfortable range? Do you need
to work at creating moments with your harmony parts, instead
of just singing whenever and wherever?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ 

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 8 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
CREATING A DYNAMIC
JOURNEY

Background vocalists should rarely sing the whole song into

their microphones.
If all the singers come in right from the beginning… where do you go from there? It’s
important to think about each song as a journey, and think about where that journey will
take us. How will it stay interesting and engaging? How will it build?

What are the big, dramatic moments we want to get to in a song? What will the vocalists
will be doing in those spots? Usually the biggest moments are the bridge and the
choruses later in the song. These sections will be most impactful when we have multiple
vocalists singing—some on harmony, some on melody—and when we bring in the highest
harmony lines.

What are the lowest moments in a song? What will the vocalists be doing in those spots?
Usually the lowest moments are the first verse, first chorus, and the first time through the
bridge. These sections will be the most impactful the more we strip away those extra
voices and harmonies, usually having only the worship leader on mic singing the melody.

The goal is to use our harmonies and the number of vocalists we have on stage to create
an intentional dynamic journey, with multiple rise and fall moments within our songs and
worship sets. As background vocalists, we need to be thinking about and planning out
when we’ll sing on mic and what harmony we’ll sing… we can’t just be singing in our mics
at all times if we want to create a dynamic journey! Harmony adds such a beautiful depth
and texture to a song, and waiting until later in the song is so important because that’s
when the song needs something added! That’s when it needs the build. The song
wouldn’t be as impactful if you weren’t there to sing your harmony part, and it wouldn’t
be as impactful if your harmony part was present for the whole song. By showing
restraint and choosing to be intentional, you actually bring more value to the sound…
wow!

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
By adding and taking away vocalists and instrumentalists, we create  
rise and fall moments for a dynamic journey.

How intentional are you about when you sing and what you
sing? How intentional is your vocal team overall about when you
sing and what you sing? How can you grow in this area? Are
there things you could suggest to your leader, or to your team,
about how you could do things differently?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 10 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
STAGE PRESENCE

The presence and life you bring to the platform through your stage presence is so
valuable. Your role as a background vocalist is so much more than what’s coming out of
your mouth! Your harmonies should be a support to the worship leader and to the overall
sound, and your body language should also be a support to the worship leader and to
the worship experience that you're creating as a team. As vocalists on stage, we should
be demonstrating the kind of engagement that we want to see in our congregations!

You may be called a “background vocalist”, but visibly, you are not in the background! We
are all worship leaders on stage! Which means… you never have an “off” moment. Even
at the times you’re not singing into your microphone, it’s still so important that you stay
engaged, keep singing, and be leading the congregation through your facial expression
and body language.

If the congregation sees you engaged in worship (mic up or mic down!), they will engage
in worship. But, if they see you looking nervous or bored… if you’re barely singing or
barely moving… if you always look like you’re waiting for your next time to come in… they
will do the same!

How would you describe the way you look on stage? Facial
expression, body language, movement? Have you seen a video
of yourself on stage? Have you asked for / received feedback on
your stage presence? How could you improve in this area?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 11 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
THE HEART OF A 
WORSHIP VOCALIST

“
Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be
humble, thinking of others as better than
yourselves. — Phil. 2:3

The worship team is a place for joy, passion, sincerity, unselfishness, humility,
encouragement, a love for worship and a desire to see people encounter Jesus! It’s a
place we can have fun, build healthy community, and grow in our musicianship and skill!

The worship team is not a place for:

☒ our love of singing ☒ staying at the same skill level

☒ showcasing our skills ☒ egos
☒ wanting to be turned up loud ☒ bad attitudes
☒ a low level of commitment ☒ negative talk
☒ showing up late ☒ jealousy
☒ needing practice to be done at a ☒ gossip
certain time ☒ offense
☒ getting stuck in the way you ☒ dishonouring leadership 
always do things

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 12 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SELF-ASSESSMENT

As difficult as it may be, I encourage you to do a self-assessment

of your heart and attitude! Are there things in the above list that
you know you struggle with? Are there people you need to
forgive? Are there people you need to apologize to? Are there
ways you know you need to commit to change? Ask God for
wisdom and help, and ask your leader to be honest with you
about ways you can improve your attitude!
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Let’s all commit to learn, grow, and strive to be passionate worshippers and ideal team
members!

Got questions about the role of a background vocalist? Make sure to post
questions and comments online as you have them so I can help you along this
journey!

09 THE ROLE OF A BACKGROUND VOCALIST 13 / 13

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
10 SONG MAPPING 1 / 14
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG MAPPING

In “The Role of a Background Vocalist”, we learned about:

☑ the role background vocalists have on the worship team

☑ why we need to be intentional about our harmony parts

☑ the importance of creating a dynamic journey in our songs

☑ how harmony is used in contemporary/current music

☑ stage presence and the heart and attitude we bring to the team

☑ how we are to be a reflection of the creative, dynamic nature of God

The guidelines in this lesson will help you learn to “map out” when each vocalist on your
team is going to sing into their microphone, and what part they’re going to sing—so that
you can create a beautiful, dynamic journey in your songs and worship sets! Remember
that there are always exceptions to every rule, so I encourage you to be creative and
think through what arrangement will be best for each song you’re doing!

10 SONG MAPPING 2 / 14
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Typical worship song structure:
Verse 1 (sometimes two verses)
(Prechorus) - only in some songs
Chorus 1
Verse 2
(Prechorus) - only in some songs
Chorus 2 - sometimes double chorus
Bridge - usually repeats several times
Final chorus (or multiple choruses)

Typically, the biggest and most dramatic points in the song will be the second chorus,
the final repeats of the bridge, and the final choruses. These are the places we’re
building to in our song journey, so these sections are where we want the most vocal
presence—multiple vocalists on mic, harmony parts added, etc.!

The more the merrier?! Sometimes! The more singers you have, the more you can really
build in the song to something dramatic! However, the more singers you have, the more
easily it can become problematic if the harmonies clash or if there’s not enough build up
to the dramatic moments. The more vocalists you have on stage, the more you should
think about spacing out where they enter in the song.

10 SONG MAPPING 3 / 14
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
FIRST VERSE AND CHORUS

At the beginning of a song, it’s almost always best to start with

the lead vocalist soloing the melody.
Why? A single vocal establishes the melody for the congregation and gives the greatest
room for building the song dynamically.

In the first chorus, there are a few different options you can
choose.
☑ Option #1: Lead vocalist keeps soloing the melody until the end of the first
chorus.

☑ Option #2: Another vocalist joins on melody (especially good if it’s a female-led
song and a male joins on melody an octave down from the female melody).

☑ Option #3: Another vocalist joins on harmony (make sure it’s harmony line that
sits lower in a vocalist’s range, and that the harmony comes in light and breathy
so as not to overpower the melody).

Notice how we’re leaving lots of room for the song to build dynamically! 

10 SONG MAPPING 4 / 14
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
LOW AND HIGH HARMONY
LINES
A note about low and high harmony lines before we continue! I don’t follow the typical
choir classifications of tenor, alto, and soprano because it’s not necessary for our
purposes. When I refer to low and high harmony lines, I’m talking about where the
harmony sits in the male or female voice.

For male voices:

A low harmony will typically sit right around a C-A note range.
A high harmony will typically sit around an A-F# note range.

For female voices:

A low harmony will typically sit around an A-F# note range.
A high harmony will typically sit around a G-D note range.

Notice how the high male harmony and the low female harmony sit in the exact same
note range. That’s because the “high and low” is not so much about what pitch you’re
singing—it’s about the placement in your range. The lower in a person’s range, the more
deep and dark it sounds, which is good to layer in behind the melody while the song is
still building. The higher a person is singing in their range, the more bright and powerful
resonant quality we get—which is amazing for the biggest, most dynamic parts of a
song because we get that passionate, emotional sound that comes from singing high in
the mix voice!

Low harmonies will typically sit down in your lower chest voice range; high harmonies will
almost always take you up into a mix voice/head voice range (check out my Discover
Your Voice course on www.theworshipvocalist.com for more on this)!

As a general rule of thumb for songs, we always want to start with lower harmonies
and save high harmonies for later on in a song. Once you introduce a high harmony,
you can never go back to that first dramatic moment where it entered!  

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SECOND VERSE AND CHORUS

In the second verse and chorus of the song, typically the band is more full and the song
is building dynamically. This is a good time to add in more vocalists and add harmony!

Options for Verse 2:

☑ Option #1: Worship leader soloing melody.

☑ Option #2: Two or more vocalists singing unison on melody.

☑ Option #3: Introduce a verse harmony in the final lines leading into the chorus.

In the second chorus, I recommend for most songs, sticking with

just one harmony line (not 3-part harmony).
This keeps it sounding contemporary and ensures that you leave room to build more
dramatically in the bridge and final choruses. If there are more vocalists on stage, have
them sing melody—the more vocalists you have on stage, the more people should be
singing the melody the whole song!

Notice how we’ve built dynamically from the first sections of the song, but we’re still
leaving room for the journey to come!

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BRIDGE AND FINAL CHORUSES

Typically, a bridge repeats several times, and essentially we want to treat this section like
we treated the beginning of the song—a solo melody to start, and every time the bridge
repeats, we layer on more vocalists singing melody, low harmonies, then high
harmonies.

The final chorus of a song either comes out of the bridge and stays big (think big drums
and wailing electric guitars!) or drops right down (think soft piano pad or light strumming
on the acoustic guitar!). If the chorus stays big coming from the bridge, continue with the
layered harmonies, and especially make sure to keep the high harmony in the mix so that
the energy stays up! If the chorus drops down, switch to either a solo melody or a melody
and a light, breathy harmony layered in behind.

A final note before we put this all together—some worship songs have octave jumps in
them, where the worship leader starts down the octave and later jumps up. This creates
so much dynamic in just the melody alone—so if a worship leader is doing an octave
jump, the background vocalists need to build their harmonies around that, so as not to
steal from that moment.  

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
STUDYING SONG
ARRANGEMENTS
I’ve recorded some videos for you where I’ve mapped out each song with multiple vocal
arrangements, so you get an idea of some different ways you could map a song! I’ve
chosen my arrangements based on 2, 3, and 5 vocalists on stage (if you have more than
that, have your extra vocalists double up on the melody or on a harmony part).

If you are the one doing the song mapping, make sure you are familiar with the singers’
voices on your team, so you can place them on the harmony or melody parts that will
play to their current strengths, not their weaknesses or range limitations. Make sure your
vocalists know the vision behind the song mapping (see previous lesson: “The Role of a
Background Vocalist”), and encourage them to always be singing and engaging the
congregation in worship with their body language and expression, even when they’re not
singing into their microphone!

If you’re a worship leader or vocal director or worship pastor, I really encourage you to
start making these kind of vocal maps. Plan out where your background vocalists will
enter in the song. Think through where you want the song to go and communicate as
detailed a song map as possible to your team, ideally before your rehearsal. This kind of
song map planning will take the excellence and sound of your team to a whole new level!

Remember… these options I’m giving you are certainly not the only options… I encourage
you to be creative! See the following pages for song map examples of exactly what I
would send out to my team if I was worship leading! 

Do you have a worship song where you’ve mapped it out in a certain way and
it’s gone really well... or maybe you tried something and it didn't go well at all?
Or, maybe there's a song that you’re going to be singing and you want some
advice from me on how to map it out vocally. I would love to hear your
questions and experiences from your worship team! Post them on the “Song
Mapping” lesson page at www.theworshipvocalist.com.

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG MAP STUDY #1:
2 VOCALISTS ON STAGE

Team Details:
Worship Leader: Charmaine
Male BV: Jason

Sample Team Email (sent out at least several days before

Thursday’s rehearsal):
Hey Jason! Just me and you on vocals this weekend! I’m really loving the songs on the
worship set—I’ve been worshipping with “Miracles” in my car all week and I’m believing
for… well… miracles to happen!!! Please see the attached song maps for details about
when to sing in your mic—and take note… I’ve given you a couple solo parts! ! Let’s be
really intentional about creating a dynamic journey in these songs! Your voice is sounding
so great these past few months and you’re killer at harmony so I’m sure you’re going to
do a fantastic job on these songs! Just let me know if you have any questions—prepare
your harmony parts as best you can and we can always tweak things on Thursday!

See you at Thursday rehearsal!

Charmaine

HOLY SPIRIT
Verse 1 - Jason solo
Chorus 1 - Charmaine join on melody
Verse 2 - Charmaine solo 1st half of verse, Jason add harmony for 2nd half (“I’ve
tasted…”)
Chorus 2 - Charmaine melody, Jason high harmony
Chorus 3 - same
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 3 - Jason add low harmony
Bridge 4 - Jason switch to high harmony
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine solo

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WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME
Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Charmaine solo
Verse 2 - Jason join on melody, switch to harmony at “my sin was great…"
Chorus 2 - Jason keep singing harmony
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 3 - Jason add harmony starting at “You have no rival..."
Bridge 4 - Jason stay on harmony
Chorus 3 - Jason sing high harmony for final big chorus
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine solo

MIRACLES
Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Jason join on melody
Verse 2 - Charmaine solo, Jason add harmony at final “His life is flowing…"
Chorus 2 - Jason stay on harmony
Chorus 3 - same
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Charmaine jump octave, Jason join on high harmony
Chorus 4 - Jason stay on harmony
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine solo

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SONG MAP STUDY #2:
3 VOCALISTS ON STAGE

Team Details:
Worship Leader: Charmaine
Female BV: Lisa
Male BV: Jason

Sample Team Email (sent out at least several days before

Thursday’s rehearsal):
Hey team! I’m so excited to spend this weekend with you and create an atmosphere
where people will encounter Jesus in a powerful way! I’m really loving the songs on the
worship set—I’ve been worshipping with “Miracles” in my car all week and I’m believing
for… well… miracles to happen!!! Please see the attached song maps for details about
when to sing in your mics. Let’s be really intentional about creating a dynamic journey in
these songs! You guys are killer at harmony so I’m sure you are going to do a fantastic
job. ! And let’s remember to always be super engaging with our body language and
facial expression, even when we’re not singing into our mics… it’s our job as a whole
team to lead people with our stage presence! Just let me know if you have any questions
—prepare your harmony parts as best you can and we can always tweak things on
Thursday!

Love you guys and see you at Thursday rehearsal!

Charmaine

HOLY SPIRIT
Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Jason add harmony
Verse 2 - Charmaine & Lisa on melody, Jason add harmony for 2nd half (“I’ve tasted and
seen…”)
Chorus 2 - Charmaine & Lisa on melody, Jason on low harmony
Chorus 3 - Charmaine & Lisa on melody, Jason jump to high harmony
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Bridge 2 - everyone on high melody (same pitch)
Bridge 3 - Charmaine & Jason on high melody, Lisa switch to high harmony
Bridge 4 - same
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine melody, Lisa switch to low harmony

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME

Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Charmaine melody, Lisa add low harmony
Verse 2 - Charmaine solo 1st half, Jason add harmony at “my sin was great…"
Chorus 2 - Charmaine melody, Jason switch to low (octave down) melody, Lisa on
harmony
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Jason join on melody
Bridge 3 - Charmaine & Jason continue on melody, Lisa add low harmony
Bridge 4 - Charmaine melody, Jason switch to high harmony (same as what Lisa was
singing), Lisa jump to high harmony
Chorus 3 - Charmaine melody, Jason & Lisa continue with high harmonies
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine solo

MIRACLES
Verse 1 - Jason solo
Chorus 1 - Charmaine join on melody
Verse 2 - Charmaine solo 1st half, Jason join on melody at “the one who put…”, then
switch to harmony at final “His life is flowing…"
Chorus 2 - Charmaine & Jason on melody, Lisa join on harmony
Chorus 3 - same
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Charmaine & Jason on melody, Lisa on harmony
Chorus 4 - Charmaine melody, Jason & Lisa on (different) harmonies
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine melody, Jason low harmony

10 SONG MAPPING 12 / 14
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SONG MAP STUDY #3:
5 VOCALISTS ON STAGE

Team Details:
Worship Leader: Charmaine
Female BV: Kaylee
Female BV: Lisa
Male BV: Peter
Male BV: Jason

Sample Team Email (sent out at least several days before

Love you guys and see you at Thursday rehearsal!

Charmaine

HOLY SPIRIT
Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Charmaine melody, Lisa join on harmony
Verse 2 - Charmaine melody, Lisa continue on harmony for 1st half, Peter join on Lisa’s
same harmony at “I’ve tasted and seen"
Chorus 2 - Charmaine, Kaylee & Jason on melody, Lisa & Peter on same harmony

10 SONG MAPPING 13 / 14
HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Chorus 3 - same, except Jason switch from melody to low harmony
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Charmaine, Peter, and Kaylee on high melody
Bridge 3 - same on melody, Lisa & Jason join on low (different) harmonies
Bridge 4 - same on melody, Lisa & Jason jump to high (different) harmonies
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine & Jason on melody

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL NAME

Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Jason join on melody
Verse 2 - Charmaine, Jason & Kaylee on melody for 1st half, Peter add harmony at “my sin
was great…"
Chorus 2 - everyone on melody except Lisa on harmony
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - everyone join on melody, except Peter on harmony
Bridge 3 - Charmaine & Jason on melody, Lisa add harmony (different than Peter), Kaylee
switch to high harmony (an octave above Peter’s harmony)
Bridge 4 - same
Chorus 3 - same
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine on melody, Lisa on low harmony

MIRACLES
Verse 1 - Charmaine solo
Chorus 1 - Charmaine melody, Jason add low harmony
Verse 2 - Charmaine solo 1st half, Jason & Lisa join on melody at “the one who put
death…”, Lisa switch to harmony at final “His life is flowing…"
Chorus 2 - everyone on melody except Lisa on harmony
Chorus 3 - Charmaine, Jason & Kaylee on melody, Lisa & Peter on (different) harmonies
Bridge 1 - Charmaine solo
Bridge 2 - Charmaine jump octave, Kaylee, Jason & Peter join on melody, Lisa on
harmony, but Peter switch to (different) harmony at “The God who brings…"
Chorus 4 - Charmaine, Kaylee & Jason on melody, Peter & Lisa on high (different)
harmonies
Final chorus (down) - Charmaine on melody, Lisa on harmony

10 SONG MAPPING 14 / 14
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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
YOUR ROLE AND YOUR GOAL

2 Chronicles 5:13 NLT

[They] performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied
by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the
Lord with these words: “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” At that moment a
thick cloud filled the temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their service
because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the temple of God.

God loves unity. On a worship team, singing in unity doesn’t just happen. We must know
our role and define our goals within that role!

If you are a worship leader, you should:

☑ be heard above everything else ☑ sing skillfully

☑ sing with a distinctive vocal tone ☑ be humble

so people can follow you
☑ be intentional about everything
☑ lead authentically, confidently, you do 
and passionately

If you are a background vocalist, you should:

☑ not be heard above the worship ☑ sing skillfully

leader
☑ be humble
☑ sing with a vocal tone that blends
☑ be intentional about everything
with the worship leader’s voice you do
☑ sing confidently and
passionately, with the goal of
creating the sound of one voice
as a team

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
What is your role on your worship team? Are there any of the
above areas that you know you need to work on?
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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
TO BLEND OR NOT TO BLEND

“
When man's natural ability is whetted and
polished to the extent that it becomes an art,
then do we note with great surprise the great and
perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after
all, His product and His gift. - Martin Luther

Blending is the “coming together” of two or more vocal sounds and styles.

When family members sing together, their voices often blend together so beautifully even
with very little practice or planning! Why? Because the sound of our voices has so much
to do with the resonant spaces inside our face… so for family members, naturally and
genetically, their voices line up so well because their facial structure and bodies are so
similar. In the context of a worship team, most of us do not have the opportunity to sing
with family members, so we have to be way more intentional about our voices blending!

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
When worship team vocalists are intentional about blending
their voice, we:
☑ create a beautiful sound

☑ more easily create an engaging, distraction-free worship environment

☑ harness the innate emotional power of music

☑ harness the power of community and harmony

☑ become more skillful the more we do it!

When worship team vocalists are NOT intentional about

blending their voice, the sound is:
☒ chaotic
☒ messy
☒ distracting
☒ not contemporary/current
☒ not conducive for engaging a congregation in worship

A lot of worship teams work hard at getting their harmonies right, but stop short of
making them tight... actually blending them together so that it sounds good. Blend is one
of the most difficult things to do really well, but one of the most fulfilling and beautiful
things when you can do it! It brings a worship team to a whole new level of excellence.

Have you had an experience where you’ve sung with a family

member and found it easy to blend your voices together? Have
you had an experience singing with a non-family member where
your voices blended easily together, or did not blend together at
all? Share your experience!
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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
PITCH

We all need to sing in the centre of the pitch, not sharp or flat. Remember that sound is
created by frequencies (speed of vibration), so if even one vocalist is a little bit flat or a
little bit sharp, that slightly off pitch melody or harmony clashes so much with the
instruments and other vocalists singing in tune.

When you sing flat, you are not completely on the wrong note, but perhaps a quarter-
tone under the centre of the pitch. When you sing sharp, you are slightly above the
centre of the pitch. Any deviation from the centre of the pitch messes with the
frequencies, resulting in an “out-of-tune” sound.

Some tips to improve your pitch!

‣ Do exercises to expand your range and develop your chest voice, head voice,
pharyngeal and mix voice. Vocal training helps you to hit all the notes in your range
as efficiently as possible! When your voice is healthy and working efficiently, pitch
is a byproduct… it comes easily! Check out the Discover Your Voice vocal training
videos on www.theworshipvocalist.com if you haven’t already.

‣ If you’re a worship leader, don’t choose a song that’s out of your range.
‣ Don’t push your chest voice too high—the notes tend to go flat, because you’re
muscling up to the pitches.

‣ Don’t pull your head voice too low—the notes tend to go sharp, because you’re
bringing an inefficient coordination into the low notes.

‣ If you’re a background vocalist and you’re asked to sing a harmony part that is out
of your comfortable range, either work really hard on it so you can sing on pitch, or
ask if you can sing a different part that’s more comfortable for you.

‣ Make sure you can hear yourself in your monitors. When singers can’t hear
themselves properly, they tend to over-sing, causing our voices to go off pitch.

‣ Make sure you can hear the lead vocalist in your monitors. When we can't hear the
lead vocalist, we don’t have enough of a pitch reference to sing the harmony to.

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
TONE

Tone refers to the characteristic sound of a person's voice. As background vocalists, we

have to listen very carefully to the worship leader and try to match their tone quality as
much as possible.

Ask yourself: what does the worship leader sound like?

‣ Is there brightness or depth in the sound?
‣ How pointed or breathy is their tone?
‣ How aggressive or light are they singing?
‣ What resonance are they primarily using?

THE THREE RESONATORS

Head voice resonates in the head and top of the nasal cavity. Head
voice produces a lighter tone, which can be used in more delicate
moments in a song to create contrast and dynamics.

Pharyngeal voice resonates in the nasal cavity and pharynx. The

pharyngeal tone has a bright, edgy quality to it, and helps to add
power and emotion to our sound.

Chest voice resonates in the chest cavity and mouth. Chest voice
produces a rich, deep tone and is the foundation of the commercial,
pop-sounding tone we’re aiming for in contemporary worship music.

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
BLENDING YOUR TONE

In the context of our individual voice, the goal is to mix these three qualities together to
get the sound of one voice from top to bottom in our range—resulting in what’s called the
mix voice.

“OO”
FREEDOM
EASE

HEAD

MIX AL
GE
CH

YN
ES

AR
T

“YEAH” “WAH”
PH

RICHNESS POWER
DEPTH PUNCH

In the context of our worship team, the goal is to listen intently

to the worship leader, and ask yourself: what resonance is the
worship leader using?
‣ Are they singing in chest voice?
‣ Head voice?
‣ A mixed resonance?
‣ Is there nasality in the tone? If so, how much?
‣ Etc.

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Then, aim to intentionally mimic that resonance in your own voice as much as possible
in order to blend. This may mean adding the depth of chest voice, the lightness of head
voice, and/or the nasality of the pharyngeal to your tone… or, stripping a certain tone
quality away from your voice!

Time to be a chameleon! If you can only sing with one quality, you will have major
difficulty blending. The more voice you have, the greater skill and excellence you bring to
the table. The more you are able to lay down your own preferences and stylistic
tendencies, the more your voice will blend. We have to be willing to yield our individuality
in order to blend!

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
DYNAMICS

As background vocalists, we should always match or stay under the volume of the
worship leader. Some parts of the song might be loud and powerful, other parts are soft
and gentle, and we must constantly adjust our voices to fit the moment. If your voice is
constantly loud and powerful, that creates issues in the quiet moments in a song. If your
voice is constantly quiet and breathy, that becomes an issue for the big moments.

Tips for quiet moments in a song:

☑ Sing quietly! Be careful that your volume isn't overpowering and drawing undue
attention.

☑ Hold your microphone slightly further from your mouth in those moments.

☑ Add extra air to your tone to achieve a quiet, layering effect.

To add air to your tone, we need to sing with slightly open vocal
cords in order to let more air come through in the sound. Try
these exercises to learn to sing with more air in your tone:
‣ Breathy “V” sound on a 3-note scale.
‣ Breathy open vowel sound (OH or AH) on a 3-note scale.

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
Tips for loud, powerful moments in a song:
☑ Sing loudly! Don’t be afraid to bring your voice to a powerful, passionate place
along with the worship leader.

☑ Add clarity to your tone to achieve more volume and power.

To add clarity to your tone, we need to sing with closed vocal

cords in order to prevent extra breathiness from coming through
in the sound. Try these exercises to learn to sing in a louder,
more powerful tone:
‣ Clear, resonant BUH sound on a 3-note scale.
‣ Clear, resonant GO sound on a 3-note scale.
‣ Any pharyngeal exercise from the Discover Your Voice vocal workouts!

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
VIBRATO

Vibrato is a rapid oscillation between pitches.

SINGING WITH VIBRATO SINGING STRAIGHT

Vibrato is a beautiful stylistic tool, and absolutely right in certain contexts and genres. In
classical settings, traditional church music, and gospel music, wide vibrato is acceptable
and appropriate; but these days, many churches have transitioned to a modern style of
worship. In this current style, an excessively wide vibrato doesn’t fit—the goal is to use
a much more subtle vibrato… often no vibrato at all.

If you listen to current worship recordings, you’ll hear the phrasing is tight and there’s
usually little to no vibrato. When vibrato is present, it’s subtle and vibey. The sound of
contemporary music is very conversational—as close to the sound of our speaking
voice as possible. Since we don’t speak with vibrato, we don’t want too much of it in our
singing either.

On a worship team, vibrato can easily mess up a good blend and make your voice stick
out way more than it should. Supporting vocalists must learn to limit their vibrato and be
able to sing in a completely straight tone in order to blend.

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
A lot of people think that vibrato is something they cannot change in their voice. This is a
myth! Vibrato is just a stylistic tool that can be added or taken away. If you can talk
without vibrato you can sing without vibrato, because singing is just speaking on pitch.

Here are some exercises to practice limiting your vibrato:

‣ Try holding notes in a completely straight tone on an OOO sound.
‣ Try moving the OOO sound on a scale, keeping your tone straight!
‣ Take that straight tone into your harmony part, focusing on a conversational-
sounding straight tone.

How much vibrato do you use when you sing?

What sound is your church leadership aiming for? Traditional?

Contemporary? How can you submit to that? Do you need to
start limiting your vibrato?
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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
PHRASING & PRONUNCIATION

Phrasing is so important because it tells the story of the song.

We can:
‣ Hold notes or cut them short.
‣ Emphasize certain words or phrases to bring out the emotion.
‣ Hit notes softly or aggressively.
‣ Etc...

Every worship leader sings differently, which means as background vocalists, we’ve got
to be on our game and listening intently. Our rhythmic phrasing should be as identical
to the worship leader as possible—we must enter and exit our words and phrases at
the same time as the worship leader!

Many vocalists pay little attention to their phrasing, and they’re not aware of how messy
and distracting it sounds. Certain consonants, especially s’s and hard consonants like p, t,
and d, (especially when they're at the end of the words) stick out when multiple vocalists
are singing because every singer voices the consonant in a slightly different spot.

Some tips to blend your phrasing:

‣ Listen, listen, listen to the worship leader’s phrasing!
‣ Let the leader close off the consonant by themselves.
‣ Soften your enunciation.
‣ Make sure you don’t hold your words beyond when the leader has cut them off.
‣ Don't hold to your own stylistic tendencies of how you would normally pronounce
words.

‣ Be listening and ready to adjust your phrasing if the worship leader sings certain
lines differently. 

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
CLOSING THOUGHTS

As a worship leader, you’re called to lead your congregation and you’re responsible
to lead your team! Here are a few tips for leading your background vocalists well!

☑ Learn to communicate well with your background vocalists! Don’t be afraid to be

clear and direct about what you’re hoping for in a song.

☑ Make sure to love and affirm your team on the “off-stage” moments. When they
feel loved and valued, they won’t mind taking your direction when you have
something to say or you want a song done in a certain way. When your vocalists
feel valued, they come more prepared and they take their role more seriously.

☑ Be intentional about casting vision with your team. Share the purpose and
intention behind why you're making certain decisions about the vocal sound.

☑ Ask God for wisdom on when and how to communicate with vocalists who need
to change how they’re singing.

As a supporting vocalist, your job is to support your leader! There's blessing poured out

when we make unity our goal! Your church will reap the benefits of a worship team that is
in sync, where the team members are honouring one another and honouring authority! A
few tips!

☑ Listen and submit to your worship leader and worship pastor.

☑ Be teachable. Learn to receive feedback and direction well.

☑ Choose to follow where you’re led.

☑ Even when you don’t feel valued by your leader or when you don’t agree with
decisions that are being made, put your preferences aside for the sake of unity.

☑ If your sound is not “current”, make it a priority to pursue vocal training to

change your sound.

☑ The more you listen, the better your voice will sound. Listen intently, then yield
and adjust your vocal tone, your volume, your vibrato, and your phrasing—until
your voice is blended into the sound and not sticking out awkwardly.  

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HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
SELF-ASSESSMENT

When we undergo the process of examining ourselves, examining our songs and
worship sets, and being intentional… not only do we get to a place of greater excellence
as a team, but in doing so… we create beautiful, dynamic worship moments in our
churches that reflect and point to the beauty and the glory of our amazing God!

Think about one of the worship leaders that you sing with. How
would you describe the way they sing? Pitch? Dynamics? Tone?
Vibrato? Phrasing? How can you adjust your singing to blend
best with this individual?
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Don’t underestimate the power of making small, manageable

changes! Start looking at how you do things individually and as
a team of vocalists, why you do things certain ways… is it
intentional, or is it just what you've always done! Do you feel like
you are stuck in a rut? Is your team actively growing and
pursuing higher levels of excellence? What small, manageable
changes can you make? Where would you like to see yourself
and your team in a year? 5 years?
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_____________________________________________________________________

11 ACHIEVING VOCAL BLEND 16 / 17

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP
"When man's natural ability is whetted and polished to the
extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great
surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is,
after all, His product and His gift.” To “whet” means to "sharpen
the blade of (a tool or weapon).” Our voice is a tool and an
instrument! What have you learned in this course that is helping
you to whet and polish your tool? What would you most like to
improve on so you can be most effective in your worship
services and your role on your worship team?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Got questions about achieving vocal blend? Make sure to post questions and
comments online as you have them so I can help you along this journey!

11 ACHIEVING VOCAL BLEND 17 / 17

HARMONY ESSENTIALS FOR WORSHIP

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