Album Notes

We love to sing harmony and we want to share the joy of harmony singing with you! On our 2-Disk CD set, How to Sing Harmony the Natural Way, you’ll learn to sing harmony, the fast, fun, easy way, by ear.
• No note reading needed.
• No memorizing numbers or scales.
• No bogging down in music theory.
You’ll learn how to:
• Hear intuitively what notes to sing.
• Figure out your own harmony parts to hundreds of songs by ear.
• Get started singing harmony even if you're a complete beginner.
• Sing harmony above and below the melody.
• Sing harmony "on-the-fly" even when hearing a song for the first time.

How Can I Learn to Sing Harmony the Natural Way?

Have you ever noticed how some singers can add harmony to a song, even the first time they hear it, without needing anyone to teach them their part and without stoppin to analyze the music? For them, harmony seems to come intuitively. This is what we call Singing Harmony the Natural Way, and you can learn how to do it!
• More than just a lecture or demonstration.
• We guide you step-by-step as you train your ear and your voice.
• You learn by singing along with us.
• You’ll get tools and techniques to figure out your own high and low harmony to 100’s of songs.
• We’ve used this powerful approach to teach hundreds of people how to sing harmony in workshops, classes and private lessons.

Each Lesson in Our Two-Disk CD Course has four parts:
1. We briefly explain the harmony singing skill you’re learning.
2. We sing several examples. You’ll hear the examples sung by both high and low voices.
3. You learn the skill by singing with us. We sing each exercise in several different keys, so whether your voice is high or low, there’ll be a key that’s comfortable for you.
4. You hear us sing the part correctly once more, so you can check and see how well you’ve learned each skill.

Lesson Plan
Disk One: First Steps—Harmony ABOVE the Melody
Lesson 1: Quick-Start Harmony Skills for Beginners
Lesson 2: How to Hear and Sing HIGH Harmony Notes
Lesson 3: Using Your Ear to Figure Out HIGH Harmony to a Song
Lesson 4: Songs for Practicing Your HIGH Harmony

Disk 2: Next Steps—Harmony BELOW the Melody
Lesson 1: Quick-Start Skills For LOW Harmony Singing
Lesson 2: How To Hear and Sing LOW Harmony Notes
Lesson 3: Using Your Ear to Figure Out LOW Harmony to a Song
Lesson 4: Songs for Practicing Your LOW Harmony

Your Harmony Teachers
Sue Thompson is a noted vocalist, guitarist and teacher with a lifelong passion for traditional music. An ace harmony singer and vocal arranger, she is also a powerful and soulful lead singer. Her recordings include Mike Seeger’s GRAMMY-nominated Third Annual Farewell Reunion, The Washington Traditional Fiddler's Project, Volume 2— Generations, and the recent Western music extravaganza, Tall Boots,” where her fellow musicians nicknamed her “Harmony Part Wizard.” Sue is one of a small number of accomplished women flatpickers, and is also appreciated for her rock solid, yet innovative rhythm guitar work. Sue has taught at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, California Coast Music Camp, British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop, and Port Townsend's renowned Fiddle Tunes festival.

Keith Little is a nationally acclaimed bluegrass singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He’s considered one of the finest harmony singers in the country. He toured with Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton, and performed on two of Parton’s GRAMMY award winning albums. His songs have been recorded by Claire Lynch, Tim O’Brien, Crystal Gayle, and the Whites. Keith is a dedicated teacher who has taught at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop and the Sore Fingers School in England. He also teaches and coaches privately in California.

Don Share has been a highly regarded singer and guitarist in the Northwest music scene for over two decades, and is especially recognized as a harmony vocalist. He was a founding member of the Who’s Driving? and Rainy Pass bluegrass bands, and currently performs with the Seattle-based Downtown Mountain Boys. Don has performed and taught harmony singing at the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop and dozens of festivals. HIs lead and harmony vocals can be heard on the Downtown Mountain Boys’ album, Big Darlin.’

Students’ Comments About Singing Harmony the Natural Way

“It gave me a lot to think about for both harmony singing, and when singing with a choir.”
“Another eye-opening concept - harmonizing for the "important" notes. Very freeing and allows a quicker grasp and application.”
“To have both a male and female voice really helped me.”
“A workable concept for vocal harmonies without the need for theory, scales, chords. Many thanks.”
“Thanks again for a fantastic learning experience!”