How to Form a Singing Quartet
- 1). Decide what type of music you wish to perform. Several configurations are possible when you have a group of 4 singers. Some music will have parts for Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass. Barbershop quartets tend to use music scored for all male or all female voices. A male Barbershop quartet is made up of Tenor I, Tenor II, Bass I and Bass II. In a women's quartet for Barbershop there are Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass parts, but they are written in a range suitable for women's voices. A wide variety of music exists for singing quartets in both popular and classical music styles.
- 2). Find singers for your group. If you sing with a larger group, such as a community choir, ask the director if you can make an announcement at the beginning of rehearsal that you are looking for singers for a quartet. You could also try posting an ad on craigslist.org or other similar website. In either case, be very clear about the type of singers you are looking for and the objective of the group. You may also want to consider finding an accompanist who can play the piano.
- 3). Have an initial group meeting. Once you have found three other singers, get together to discuss the specifics. Talk about group expectations and possible rehearsal locations. Decide upon the length and frequency of rehearsals. Figure out a few pieces to try at your first official rehearsal.
- 4). Find a rehearsal location. After the initial group meeting, you should have decided upon an ideal time to rehearse. Look for a location that is available at the time you need. One advantage to a quartet is because of its small size, having rehearsals in a group member's home is do-able option.
- 5). Obtain music. You can usually find music for a singing quartet in stores that sell sheet music. The internet can also be a great resource for finding music. Or perhaps one of your group members has a collection you could borrow from.
- 6). Hold your first rehearsal. Once all the details have been worked out with rehearsal time and place and music, get together to sing. Realize that any group will have its ups and downs, but after a few rehearsals things will probably start to come together. You are now on your way to being a solid singing quartet.
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