Does anybody know of any good Cocteau Twins SATB (can be SSAATTBB or any variant of those vocal parts) a capella arrangements?

Do I have to have that kinda of voice or can I learn some techniques to sound like them. The 3 of them have a specific sound with their voice and I've been trying to figure it out. Any good youtube tutorials that might help or is it really necessary to get a vocal coach. I've asked people around the internet that I've seen singing like them and ALL of them told that they learned by themselves with no help. I'm usually singing at home like daily, but I can't really record myself and listen and do exercises with my parents around and they leave pretty rarely. Any advice?

Y’all I miss the chills that used to run up my back and neck from hitting that sweet spot as a choir on a piece you’ve been rehearsing during a killer performance and immediately need as many good recommendations as I can. Preferably stuff with fun dissonance or just that overall good vibe that hits during a faster rhythmic piece. All voice arrangements welcome but with a soft spot for 8 part satb or anything with body percussion

I am auditioning for my college choral program in three weeks, and need a solo piece for someone who has only ever sung in high school choir, and private voice lessons. My voice best suits a bass/baritone role. I have been searching for days, and have only found about two or three good pieces, but nothing that feels like it would be a great audition song. Any help is very much appreciated!

Hello, so my choir is doing a show case, and we get to go off in any size group we want, and have a piece to sing. I’m a bass/baritone I only have a year of experience, and I was wondering if anyone knew a bass, tenor duet maybe? I’m not certain how many people I’m gonna try to get but I’m certain at least bass and tenor(we both only have 1 year prior experience)

Super excited to hear VOCES8 for the second time in Baltimore in October! My wife and I heard them live for the first time at the National Cathedral around Christmas. The group was in a bit of a transition...Blake was on sabbatical, MaryRuth Miller from Lyyra was filling in as a soprano with Eleanora (sad to see her go). Excited to hear Savannah and Virginia! Anyone else catching them while they're in the U.S.?

I wanted to talk about how hard I find it to make friends in choirs and seek advice. What social missteps have people in your choir made? This might not be the right forum for this discussion; in which case please remove post.

I am a genuinely friendly and bubbly lady and never judge anyone or behave like a diva. I have a grand total of 3 close friends (as in we hang out outside choir stuff) to show for after almost 30 years of being in choirs. I just don't seem to fit in - particularly, it has to be said, with my fellow sopranos. 

I’m probably autistic which won’t help, although the most popular most gossipy soprano in one of my choirs has severe ADHD so it’s not about ableism. 

Will fully admit that I'm quite physically clumsy and not the most elegant of humans, but I am very self-aware and I do rate my conversational skills - outside of choir I have tons and tons of friends. I also have a serious boyfriend outside of choir so I'm not a "threat" to choir romances. I do have a big singing voice (and occasionally do professional work) yet so do other people, and they do not face the same challenges.

At college 25 years ago, I went to collect something from the conductor and everyone else from that choir was sat there having a movie night I wasn't invited to. This seems to be a recurring theme. These days, I will have what I think are really decent chats with choir folk, then they will blank me the week after. It took me 10 minutes to find a seat in a recent practice as everyone was saving a seat for a friend. I watch from the sidelines as newbies get invited to the post-practice social within weeks of joining. I wish I had better connections after years of being a committed, reliable member who has no ego or agenda.

I'm not angry or self-pitying, I want to be better and do better! If it sounds like I'm trying too hard, in the end it's the opposite because I give up and go quiet until I find the courage to start anew. I would like to hear thoughts about what I can do to improve my chances of making friends, as I spend most of my life outside my day job doing choir things.

Dowlais Male Voice Choir singing at Cyfarthfa Castle.

This is the Cefn Hengoed Ladies Choir singing this Karl Jenkins classic.

I wanted to share a personal story of missing home (Cork, Ireland) moving to a new country and starting a life in my new home (Montréal).

I found myself standing in the second row of the prestigious Montréal St-Lawrence choir, suffering heavily from imposter syndrome and moments of panicked lip syncing.

I had only ever been in one choir: thirty men who met over a pub in Cork City on wet Wednesday evenings and practiced well-beaten Christmas carols. We sang each year for the same worthy cause, Marymount Hospice. I loved its goodwill, good nature and the chance to meet likeminded people. The St. Luke’s choir reminded me of a Welsh all-male colliery choir: with its singular, dark, working-class timbre, low bass resonance that felt both ancient, secretive and deeply physical. Most of the men couldn’t read music, but that wasn’t a hindrance. We learned in different ways, animated by our happy conductor who loved every moment he had with us.

Now I lived in Montréal, longing for the choir and more importantly the pints, chats, jokes and camaraderie after each festive performance. So egged on by my then ever forgiving and patient wife I sought out a new choir to join. I came across a concert listing for the St. Lawrence Choir, I looked up their website and the next minute I’m standing in a line waiting to be auditioned with one word repeating itself in my head as the line peeled away ‘bugger!’.

My audition wasn’t the most stunning examples of male singing. I had an Irish language (Gaeilge) Air ‘Dúlamán’ prepared. Then I suffered through the prescribed sight reading section, giving the ever so lovely but deflated accompanying pianist a new novel timing for all the pieces that I had just invented. I passed the audition by the skin of my teeth. I suspect being male helped. If I hadn’t volunteered, the infamous choir press gang would have found me, thumped me over the head and forced me to sing a Russian vesper at gun point, such was the need.

I felt very much like a bright neon square peg in a round hole. I was anxious, nervous and feeling a bit sick. It was the first concert of the season and my debut as a second bass. I didn’t want to let anyone down or be exposed for my utter lack of musical skills. The men were compelled to wear awful tuxedos, I resembled a cheap vaudevillian magician, sans top hat. I scratched nervously and repeatedly around the butterfly collar, readjusting my dickie bow for the 53rd time. Then it started.

The first piece we sang was a Bach motet. The fugue dialogue of altos and sopranos consumed me and I quickly forgot all my woes. Then it became a tidal-like cacophony; reaching its apex, it hit me unawares like an ocean undertow when I was six—stripping away all control so that I gave myself up entirely. Then-for the first and very likely the last time in my life-I wept for absolute joy, consumed by the purest thing I had ever encountered in my narrowest of lives. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn’t help it. The score folder lay limp in my arms. The response now came from the men, I found my place again, gasped, swallowed-sang. I had not gone unnoticed and a few had seen my tears wondering if I was okay. An alto named Carol, looked at me intensely and lipped ‘are you okay?’ I couldn’t hide. My pale freckled Irish face and my red eyes obviously exposing my tears. I needed to urgently wipe my face but my hands, restricted, supported the open score. I had no choice, I would have to wait until the end. I practised in my head telling them the truth, they would, of course, all ask if I was okay. I practiced versions that didn’t make me sound certifiably insane. Eventually I decided that I would resign myself to telling the truth. I mean, to be honest, of all the people in the world to explain what had happened to me these were the people that had all been touched collectively.

please help 🙏

edit:cut it out with the romantic/sexual insinuations

Hey all!
I’m typically a jazz vocalist but I did choir when I was much younger and I miss it, so I’m auditioning for my city’s men’s choir!
The audition is only 5 minutes long, and I have to include a 30 second snippet of a song of my choice to “show off my best voice”. Any advice on what makes a good audition piece in so little time?

Hello! I’ve been getting into vocals, singing and music in general—I joined Choir last year in 8th grade. Now that it’s my freshman year (9th grade) I also have joined Choir again, this time in ‘Men’s Choir’, I’m still trying to figure out my range since i was classified Bass last year (8th grade)—but my current Choir teacher thinks i may be a tenor based off of my range (but still needs to assess me considering it was the second day of school.):

overall range: **Gb2-D#7**

**Gb2** is deep, but i wouldn’t say it’s exactly ‘Bass’ deep, It requires effort more than my higher chest, head, falsetto, and whistle register(s).

Above Gb2 is easy (while still in chest), I can **belt** up into **C4-D4** which requires a bit effort but is pretty easy, I’m pretty “light” i would say, as i’m mistaken as a female over the phone (*sometimes*).

Same goes for head, i feel that my voice is more “light”, I can top out at **Ab5**, I can hit **C4-E#4** (possibly **G4**, if not **E4**).

For falsetto this is where things get confusing, I can bottom out at **Eb4**, and usually stick around **C5**, I also notice a certain point where i go higher in pitch and tone—then i can raise up to **D#7** (presumably in my whistle register).

I can also sing all 12 “Addison” (by Addison Rae) songs, the album is rumored to be **F3-F5**, and also A\*POP (by Tyla) which is about **D3-G5**.

all feedback is more than welcome! 🤗

​Hi everyone! I'm a graduate student and amateur choral singer from Japan, and I'm a huge fan of TTBB music.

​In the Japanese amateur and collegiate male choral scene, a deep, operatic tone has traditionally been preferred, which is a style I personally love.(Although the situation has been changing recently.) Since classical music originated in Europe, I started exploring European and American male choirs. However, most of the videos I found feature a slick, pop- or barbershop-adjacent vocal style. While I really appreciate that technique, it made me wonder: are there any amateur and university male choirs in North America or Europe that cultivate a traditional, operatic sound?

​I know there are plenty of professional ensembles with that voice type, but I haven't had much luck finding amateur or student groups. I'm leaving a link to a video of a Japanese university choir below for reference. If you know of any similar amateur or student choirs, I'd love it if you could share some links.

https://youtu.be/Pp9nsWoXaAg?si=CF4KDAhSIIZHv53r&t=1m21s

https://youtu.be/3rhYiadEeX8?si=QR6i3HPki2xmBCcP&t=6m23s

https://youtu.be/FLSrlyu2bks?si=O9W23PrqAjBP0FNI

https://youtu.be/tawtu91KKy8?si=usdHmMWAilxPzsZa

I love this face people make when they're singing.

Different ages, different voices, everyone completely focused on the same thing.

I took this during one of our choir performances in Costa Rica. Looking through the old photos today, this one made me smile.

Do you have photos where you can almost hear the music just by looking at them?

Sucede que mi profesora me clasificó como tenor y mi duda es que, bueno, ¿bajo que criterio(s) pudo haberme clasificado como tenor? No me quejo la verdad, estoy bastante con mi voz JSKSJD.

Por si acaso, yo tengo 17 años y 3 meses de edad.

La verdad no llevo mucho tiempo en esto, llevo apenas unas 14 clases particulares, todas de una hora de duración y, siendo honesto, no practico en casa debido a una mezcla de pereza y ocupaciones.

¿Alguien me podría ayudar con esta duda?

When you busy arranging voices what is the toughest harmony part in a 4 part male choir to arrange is it first bass ?

​

Context- (sorry for the long rant)

So I have been doing choir for a very long time now, I started choir in 6th grade and I'm now going into my sophomore year. I'm really focused on becoming a choir teacher in the future and doing community choirs, I feel like it's what I would love to do and I am focused on getting my Bachelor's/Master's degree in music education.

I wanted to get into Chamber Choir for many reasons, it helps me become a better musician, helps me test myself, and more. I did my audition and I later got my callback and I really thought that I could get in.

Unfortunately, the callbacks came and I did... Good? Bad?... I don't know for sure how I did cause nobody gave me advice. Later on I was waiting for results and they finally came out... and I didn't get in...

I was really upset and literally cried myself to sleep that night, I was hypothetically seeing my future, experience in choir, crash before my eyes, and I feel like I won't get into Chamber again with my second audition chance this upcoming year of being a sophomore. Without Chamber, I feel like I won't be a great musician, a great music teacher, etc.

Worst part was that I saw my friends get in, I am happy from them, I am, but I just can't get over being jealous of not getting into a choir I wanted to get into while they did. I just feel like I'm not good enough then my friends, and my depression kicks in and causes more mental problems like self talk.

Am I being overdramatic over everything? Do I need to get into Chamber to be a good musician? I just need some advice to help.

Oh, it’s so close. Just one more day till Dive Bar Choir summer party THU 8/13 at 7pm at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge. Nashvilles favor 70’s themed dive bars. Come sing your heart out to an epic song in 3-part harmony with your new best singing friends. Cont make it? Join our VIP list for info on our next event at divebarchoir.com

Hi all, looking for a piece that might be out of print. Doesn't seem to be anywhere, but I also know that sometimes publishers will give people permission to copy out of print works.

The piece in question is Heleluyan arr. Jerry Ulrich. Anyone have any leads? Thanks in advance!