Today Minnesota Public Radio published my reflections on the rigors of barbershop singing:
“For musicians and non-musicians alike, “barbershop singing” recalls The Music Man‘s Ice Cream Quartet and the bright hum of a pitch pipe. Audiences won’t guess that participation in barbershop singing can entail three-hour rehearsals, vowel-matching, breath plans, lyric mapping, and international competition.
Barbershop is a cappella four-part harmony marked by elaborate slides, inverted chords, and attention to overtones. Its lighthearted performance often belies the musicianship needed to “ring the chords” — to sing with such accurate pitch and pronunciation that the chords create more notes than voices.”
On the Blink 