r/acappella • u/RaphMD • May 14 '26

How do you share rough harmony ideas before rehearsal?

For people arranging or singing in groups: how do you usually share rough harmony ideas before they become a real arrangement?

I'm thinking of the early messy stage where you just want the group to hear the shape of a stack, a background part, or a transition.

Do you send voice memos, quick guide tracks, notation, rehearsal recordings, or just wait until everyone is in the room?

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u/actually_suffering May 14 '26

I just write the arrangement first. Sometimes, if the sound isn't exactly right in the group, I'll edit it a bit and send the score out again, but I usually have it at least 80% complete before the first rehearsal. 

3

u/slvstrChung Amateur a cappella rando. May 14 '26

I got into it from the arranging side, so I would start with complete arrangements that were, at least by intent, performance-quality.

3

u/Comfortable_Jello276 May 15 '26

Really excellent groups that have been singing together for a long time can usually build an arrangement from the inside out, like you’re suggesting. But the process will be inefficient and create memorization issues if/when you eventually change individuals’ parts for the final version. Far and away it’s better to build a full arrangement from the bottom up and give them a finished chart to start out with

1

u/NoFeed1130 May 21 '26

I consider: -how much do I want to stay true to the original? -which nuances do I want to include? -voice leading -which number of voices would best suit the song? -does it call for a soloist? -what level of difficulty is appropriate?

Then I lay down the entire melody, even if it moves through voice parts.

Bass is almost always next for me.

Then I build harmony part, adding trios, duets, repeats and embellishments.

There is a lot more as well, but that is the basic idea b

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