Best Examples of Vocal Harmonies and How to Write Them
December 19, 2024 - In this article, we discuss the great vocal harmony examples, both new and old, as well as give you ideas on how to write your own.
In music, harmony is when two or more notes are working together to create a distinct texture or feeling. These notes are often complementary, but they don’t always have to be. Many times, vocal harmonies improve a song by underscoring the tension and resolution. If you already have a tune with a great chord structure and clever motifs, consider adding some vocal harmonies to make it even better.
What Are Vocal Harmonies?
In music, harmony is when two or more notes are working together to create a distinct texture or feeling. These notes are often complementary, but they don’t always have to be. Many times, vocal harmonies improve a song by underscoring the tension and resolution. If you already have a tune with a great chord structure and clever motifs, consider adding some vocal harmonies to make it even better.
In general and regarding vocals, I think of harmony as intervals of notes that interact with or supplement the melody.
Famous Examples of Songs with Great Vocal Harmonies
Timeless Tunes
Whether you discovered this tune from the game Bioshock, or just love a good oldie, “God Only Knows” showcases a lush vocal stack that has stood the test of time. Something about the combination of inverted and non-diatonic chords, along with the triplet rhythms and barbershop-esque lushness is wonderful.
On a similar note, the tune “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes creates a thick wall of sound with backing vocals. The lead vocal is turned up significantly over the layers of harmonies, which provides a strong focal point.
Finally, would it even be a vocal harmony article if we didn’t mention “The Sound of Silence”? This song utilizes a ‘backdoor’ chord progression/resolution, which makes the vocals feel more mysterious and hard-hitting. There’s a low pedal tone in the voice for a time, while the other voice moves in an upward direction….This song has noticeable dissonances, but they are used very tastefully and sparingly.
You may notice, as you continue to listen and study music, that older pop music tends to use more dissonances in harmonies and chord progressions than new music. Now, onto some more recent examples.
Newer & Popular Songs
As I was driving down the road to the grocery store, I heard the Beyonce and Miley collab for the first time: "II Most Wanted". It struck me: this new country-pop song features stark harmonies between the two vocalists. Surprisingly, these harmonizations go on for much longer than your ‘average’ pop song. The song's central vocal harmony focuses on the interval of a fifth, which makes it catchy and easy to listen to.
If you go back ways to 2012, Pink’s emotive “Just Give Me A Reason” pulls a similar move with the interval of a fifth. Somehow, this song makes it feel less raw, and more polished, though.
Then there’s “Cr33ks” by Bon Iver, which is on another sonic planet entirely. This three-part harmony was performed by only one person (Justin Vernon) and in real-time, on tour. How does he do it? It’s a sort of vocoder-ish mechanic.
"Onstage, Justin is singing a song, and he’s playing a keyboard that can create harmonies simultaneously,” he said. “Normally, you record something first and then add harmonies later. But Justin wanted to not only harmonize in real time but also be able to do it with another person and another instrument. The result is one thing sounding like a lot of things. It creates this huge, choral sound."...Basically, we used things the way they’re not normally intended, and we put them together. That’s how we get the sound.” -WMA Magazine
Disney Vocal Harmonies: A Treasure Trove
Aladdins’ “A Whole New World” features a surprisingly crunchy male lead line. If you notice, both vocal lines descend during this ‘key point’ resulting in a parallel harmony. “Love is an Open Door” in Frozen is another example of a vocal duet.
No matter if it’s old or new, Disney songs are a wonderful way to practice unexpected harmonies and a way to find inspiration.
When to Use Vocal Harmony
Key moments like choruses and bridges
Use them more often for an older-school feel
In the context of pop music, vocal harmonies are often reserved for the choruses and are sometimes used in the bridge as well. Personally? I say, stack it all up if you like the sound.
Even since the 90s and forward, the more standard focus has been on single lines. If you go back in time to groups like barbershop quartets, or the music of the Ronettes, you’ll notice that the vocal harmonies are much more present. No matter if you prefer sparse or thick harmony, it’s worth giving it a go. If you don’t know where to start, try some of the below ideas.
Types of Vocal Harmonies to Use in Your Writing
If you’re new to writing harmonies, try out one of these intervals to start.
Fifths During the Chorus
If you pop back up to the video at the beginning of this article and listen closely, you’ll notice that the interval that sticks out the most is the recording of a fifth. In popular music, fifths are the meat and potatoes of harmonies. Think: Pop-punk. The All-American Rejects used fifths almost exclusively. (That’s why I can harmonize with their songs that I’ve never even heard before!).
Pros and Cons: The fifth has been something that’s been argued over for centuries in music. It’s an easy harmony to hear and sing. However, there’s a chance that the line may feel ‘empty’ because there are so many notes between the two voices,
A Closer Harmony: Thirds
Another common harmony that is often sung parallel to the melody is a third. By keeping the notes going in the same direction, listeners may feel a sense of continuity. I find that thirds are a bit tricker than fifths, so you may want to get out a keyboard and play it before you sing it.
Pros and Cons: Less open feeling, slightly harder to sing
Octaves
Some consider this a harmony, and others don’t. As for me, when I hear octaves, I don’t really ‘feel’ like I’m listening to a harmony. For the best result, try stacking multiple. You can even do a combination of thirds, fifths, and an octave line. In that case, you’re basically re-building the chords with your voice.
Pros and Cons: Using octaves alone can feel very empty. However, they’re usually easy to find.
Non-Parallel Harmonies & Other Tips to Add Interest
Another way to think about harmonies while writing is the direction in which they move.
While the above examples of harmonies are most often used in parallel motion to the melody, you don’t always have to do that. If you want that old-school lush vocal sound, you may be better of varying the types of intervals you use.
Don’t use the same interval all the way across
Vibe out some peaks and valleys (tensions and release)
Explore the different motions
In order to perform parallel harmony, you need to have a good sense of where the chords are moving to, and when.
Contrary Harmony and More
One satisfying sound is when the melody and harmony are going in opposite directions. This is known as contrary harmony or melodic contrary motion. It works because it’s a type of counterpoint.
Feel free to explore harmony, and think about it in different ways. Another type you may run into is ‘oblique’ motion, where one voice acts as a pedal tone (and stays the same) while the other(s) move around.
Adding Harmonies in Post Production
Parallel harmonies can be added quickly using transform
5ths work great
Sneak in a low, quiet octave for extra ‘umph’
If you don’t have time to rerecord and layer vocals, try adding harmonies afterward. Things like the vocal transform tool can help you add a nice 5th above the melody. The big plus to this method is that the vocals will be perfectly in line.
For the most natural feel, I’d recommend recording them over top of the main vocal. And, if you find it hard to hear the harmony you wrote in real-time, use vocal transform as a tool to practice listening to your intervals.
However, in a pinch, doubling and transposing a track can result in a squeaky-clean and awesome harmony. This can be done quickly and easily in Soundtrap with vocal transform. All you do is choose the type of interval you like and add it in. For an extra-rich effect, try adding a very quiet layer one octave down from the main melody.
Vocal Harmonies: Conclusion
Spice up your song with some vocal harmonies. Whether you want to add more layers with vocal transpose, or do it all from scratch, check out Soundtrap a free trial of vocal production tools today.
About the author
Aleah Fitzwater is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music journalist, and blogger from Temperance, United States. Aleah holds a Pk-12 instrumental music education degree. Her main instruments are flute, piano, drums, bass, and guitar.
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