How I Write Barbershop Tags

[@keetonfoust]

That clap after you finished on the keyboard was so powerful.

[@scottski51]

Has anyone mentioned this tune is actually the old folk song, "Clementine" ?? A standard from the days when you gathered 'round the piano as a family and sang the Old Chestnuts?!?!

[@rday710]

Oh My Darling Clementine tune.

[@oldschoolsinger]

The melody is from Clementine that Huckleberry Hound used to sing.

[@doubleagentred5322]

Oo I really loved this video! I’m an aspiring musician and I’ve been trying my hand at composing/arranging, and I really liked seeing the full process- beginning to end- as it has shown me a new perspective of how people can do it. I’m also a new barbershop enthusiast, so I find you whole channel very informative, interesting, and all around wonderful to watch! Finally, I incredibly enjoy all of your performances, thank you for creating them.

[@barbershopjohn]

ooh that's so awesome! Glad you're here :D

[@GroovyDominoes]

I love the technical in-depth videos, keep doing what you do

[@bacondoesthings123]

hey groovy!

[@ondrejbudvesel9457]

Could you please make video where you describe more harmony rules that you have to think about when writing TAGs? It would really help me :-)

[@nicklavigne1017]

I second this, in case there are some things special to barbershop. Thanks!

[@erniedelafe1229]

Yes, John. Please do get into more basics of arranging. I'm sure that even lessons in the most basic of music theory, in the context of Barbershop, would be quite beneficial to many of us who love singing Barbershop but did not have the advantage of being exposed to it at an early age. We, who can learn and benefit from your teaching, your style and your clarity, don't all have to go on to become master arrangers. We can, however, experience the joy and satisfaction of putting two or three chords together correctly, and thereby gain a whole new level of fulfillment in our great hobby.

[@efrenmartinez6138]

I love singing barbershop and I’m new to it and kinda want to start a quartet at my school. I can read bass clef due to 2 years of trombone playing but I mainly use learning tracks to record my own stuff because I’m not good enough yet. Your channel gives me inspiration to keep trying!

[@barbershopjohn]

That's so awesome! Definitely start a quartet, you'll love it. No need to wait until you're "good enough"... It's all about having fun!

[@josephferrer8780]

I learned a lot from this vid(like chord progressions, music theory etc.) I would love more videos like this, it's educational and fun at the same time.

[@SweetSpotGuitar]

Really on a barbershop kick right now, and I'm blown away by how many 6/4 (2nd inversion) chords there are. It makes sense sometimes due to the bass's range, but I'm guessing that over time, it seems to have become a part of the "barbershop sound." It's a cool thing, and you went to it right away on the 3rd chord. :)

[@gileshanover4986]

I'm a new guy here. This was really great to see how you work. Thanks!

[@ronjames-music]

Great job John. It's so nice to see that you have a thriving business making music. My suggestion for another video would be for you to show the steps you use to record a four-part one man acappella arrangement. I've tried this myself with mild success and find it quite difficult to get it perfect. Congrats on reaching 1000... way to go!

[@barbershopjohn]

Thanks for the kind words, Ron! I think your suggestion is a great one. I'll definitely think about how best to execute that one 😃

[@marriottbattle8468]

Stunning song!! Loved seeing the behind the scenes!

[@xus75]

Hello Barbershop John! I was wondering if you have any softwarre / app recommendation to notate, change, play around for barbeshop composing. Best regrads!

[@duskmallow]

Thank you! That's all, just thank you

[@sagabe]

more videos like this please!

[@benson3955]

I’d love to see you give some insight into beginning arranging, I’m struggling with chord structure. Also identifying certain tricks like the Hollywood tag would be nice lol, that’s me

[@TamraPerez]

Would love to hear more about tag progressions for the big ring at the end.

[@redstrat1234]

Brilliant

[@Thirdkoopa]

I'd personally love to learn more about making/arranging barbershop. Thank you for taking some time out of your job for this awesome video!

[@emilyrln]

Ooh dang, now I'm wondering what it would sound like to literally not use ANY of his chords and not resolve to I at all… Ngl I'd love to hear the tenor ringing out on the high 1 at the very end, but having the lead hold it down at the bottom of the octave is nice and mellow, which I think fits the mood of the piece better, so imo you made the right choice. I just love drama XD Also, it'd be super helpful to see the sheet music along with your recording of the final track so anyone who reads music can follow along! Also also, am I hallucinating or is the OG chord under "bracha" I(add7), not V(add7) as you played it?

[@noblenotes27]

Barbershop John: My sister was Connie L Noble . 50 years in the Sweet Adelines, the only tenor with 4 crowns. she was with The Forth Edition, High Society ,Savvy , Fanatix . I miss the wonder sounds of the quartet. Check her out. Cheers! Like your blog tons. Barbershop so different from commercial four part. Freshman .Four Tops, New York Voices, Etc.

[@backfromearth5242]

Incredible

[@RobNewcomer]

A video on how to sing harmonies for beginners would be sweet! Great work bro, you're amazing...

[@barbershopjohn]

Thanks Robert! :D great idea for a video

[@Reticulan_Techno]

Would love to see a more beginners music theory version🙌🏻

[@edwardwiegand6925]

You should have 10,000 subscribers. You have such talent, personality and "stage" presence.

[@tomneumann6498]

short, sweet and very informative.Thanks

[@carolsosebee9032]

The melody is My Darling Clementine

[@donutpanic]

Thanks John - really interesting.

[@mikeyeldey]

thank you! you made it super easy to understand. I'd love a video on tips & tricks for writing swipes, especially the really ornate ones with chromatic notes and stuff

[@Graham_M]

Great job man! I had a quick question about when you’re recording multitracks, of course to properly tune a good “ringing” chord some of the notes turn slightly flat or sharp. How do you do that by ear when you’re recording one part at a time? Of course in an ensemble of people it’s easier to find that and lock in, but when it’s just you how do you make those changes by ear? Thanks for your answer!

[@barbershopjohn]

Hey Graham! Great question - that is by far the most difficult thing about multitracking, because there is really no good way to do it. Recording part by part is so non-organic it's hard to make it sound like it would in a real quartet. If you're able, the easiest way is to manually tune your vocals in something like melodyne, but if you don't have the software or aren't versed in tuning theory, then here's a good way to do it by ear: record each part one by one (Lead, Bass, Tenor, Bari) and aim to get close. THEN, delete the Lead and record it again while listening to the other parts. Do the same thing with the Bass, Tenor, and Bari, and you should be left with something pretty well tuned.

[@Graham_M]

@@barbershopjohn oh okay that’s good to know! Thanks for the advice and keep the amazing videos up!

[@emilyrln]

@@barbershopjohn Okay I'm copying this advice! (But in my range… I can barely hit the low 5 in your Ab arrangement of Clementine, and I probably shouldn't lol. No bass out of these pipes!)

[@valkoln8436]

Thank you, currently very interested in barbershop, and trying to right my own stuff (like to make a barbershop version of my alma mater), but I’m no good at it (yet). I find this video very neat and useful, thank you for the upload.

[@EdaliaDayCreative]

Fascinating.

[@modoperandi2020]

Wonderful video and equally wonderful illustration of how to make quartet adaptations, John.

[@yehudanajman2151]

Hi, I just happened upon this video recently, and absolutely love it!

[@erikwiebe333]

Wow that was amazing to see! I haven't checked all your videos out yet, but I am quite interested with the mechanics of a barbershop quartet, for example, why is listening to the base part the most important? How to match intonation? What are the vowels used? How do you take breaths quick enough and how does the staggered breathing work within the group? Those are some questions I'm hoping to get answered somewhere, thanks!

[@matthewmedina3461]

This was super informative and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge! If possible I would like to ask if you could share your process too during recording, like what software you use, how you balance the different tracks to achieve a balanced ringing etc.

[@calviajante]

Liked and subscribed. Thanks, youtube algorithm

[@HackerHaus]

If you made 1,000 videos on how to write barbershop harmony, I'd watch every one of them.

[@Tuxster3]

The melody sounds like the melody to the song "Miner '49er"...

[@clarekirste]

Well done John! And super congrats on 1k subs!!!

[@barbershopjohn]

Thanks Clare!!! :D

[@dgb5784]

Awesome video - really great insight into how you do it.

[@Jesusllerena21]

Good job man! Never stop doing this🌟

[@antoniolorusso2941]

Sounds...more wonderful sounds... Please!

[@GabeVMusic]

Very helpful, thanks for the vid👌🏽

[@fivetimesyo]

These videos are great, John. It would be very useful to see how you can come up with more complex progressions to get between the "checkpoints" as you very well called them. Like for example why did you go to the vi before coming back to the I7, or why IVadd2, etc. Is it just experience and you can just hear it or is there a technical method/logic that you use? I understand this could get very technical and you might rather be looking for a more general audience but I thought I would mention it in case you'd consider it. Thanks!

[@IlDottoreCt]

PLEASE tell us more. Way more. Incredibly more.

[@DanielLeoSimpson]

Loved that thank you!

[@hectormayoral443]

Excellent work, I'm curious do you use any principal for chord substitution? Where did you learn these little "cheesy" tricks that you mention at the end for the closing? Is it just analyzing barber shop harmonies in general?

[@Joe-ge4tf]

The client-supplied melody sounds as if it is a traditional American folk song known as My Darling Clementine.

[@benson3955]

NO WAY I thought no one used musescore! Lol I used it to transcribe how could you ever know and it took forever

[@barbershopjohn]

Haha yes!! I've tried other softwares but I just keep coming back to musescore because I already know all the hotkeys xD they've got me hostage!

[@benson3955]

Barbershop John yeah hot keys make all the difference. I know Kyle Kitzmiller uses it as well so maybe we’re right haha.

[@joelmilburn6146]

What prerequisites would one need to start to compose these songs?

[@TheTurnipTop]

Hi John my name is Mark from Nottingham UK I’m a barbershop arranger of many years but would love to improve my intros and tags can you do a video use more colour chords and dissonances and long posts. Many thanks

[@DrRaphaelPazo]

Nice job on this Rosh Hashanah song. I just found this video and subscribed to your channel. Please let me know if you ever need any help with Hebrew text/lyrics. All the best!

[@YoNoMeVeoAsi]

omg! 420 views! (8 blaze it!... nice content and interesting process! :D subscribed!

[@xlr8r3VA]

Just saw this and really like your work. The chord arranging went a little fast for me. I am in a quartet at church and would like to arrange some hymns in a mild barbershop style. Would you have an interest in arranging or reviewing and making suggestions?

[@emilyricci2599]

All my homies love bVI 😤😤

[@adeekus]

Thanks Bshop John! Apologies if this was already answered, but question: Your arrangement in the video was written for four voices. Did you add a fifth voice or track on any of the chords in the recording? Because when I watch the frequency wave form image, there are times I see 5 or 6 waves instead of 4 and I'm curious if that's one of those "ringing overtones" in your voice or the chord... but dunno how that works multitracked.

[@Nicktrition]

I am trying to write a barbershop style 1 or 2 line jingle for my channel. I would love to know more about why you choose certain chords, whether there are "barbershop chords" or chord changes. Is it as simple as using each part of the harmony to create a chord?

[@barbershopjohn]

That's awesome! Barbershop chords follow the circle of fifths in a major key, with heavy emphasis on 7th chords. If you'd like me to help you with your jingle, I do that all the time over on Fiverr.com/barbershopjohn 😃

[@nishalfishal]

i love you

[@barbershopjohn]

🥰

[@braydengray520]

Hi! I love your stuff and I too would like to figure out how to make something similar to these. What recording software do you use?

[@anthonyzinno6757]

Is that an Italian horn I see paisano? 👀

[@EC2019]

A little bit of rubato would have brought this thing to life. As it stands it feels robotic and expressionless.

[@slandersir7255]

11:08

[@Thoracius]

bro that's oh my darling clementine.

[@AngelAndTheWolf]

Is your keyboard barbershop, or equal temperament?

[@davetollefson8719]

I just saw this, but am I the only one hearing Deputy Dawg singing Oh My Darlin' Clementine? Or am I the only one that missed that it was a joke from the front?

[@johntrotta5375]

Why did you not credit Percy Montross for having written the song, Clementine, that you used as an example of your tag writing process?

[@ArcataTaper]

Dippin' that Apple !!! 🍎🍏🍎

[@Skyworkz01]

What software do you use for writing out the sheet music? Did you sing the recorded part or it came from the application?

[@thomascherrington5963]

Have wanted to sing barbershop but can't figure out the base notes on my own and don't have a car for getting to barbershop society meetings.

[@inaminim2386]

Its O my darling Clementine tune i'm sure

[@k012957]

L'Shana Tova U'Mesuka (Hebrew for "For a good and sweet year")

[@_what._.]

I would love to become a barbershop quartet singer, but : I don't have courage in myself I'm not good at singing Not really good at music either I'm alone, but I need to be four I'm actually a child... And so on, and so on 😭

[@toptrump1499]

Swear I could hear a root in the bass in the final chord

[@barbershopjohn]

It's the second-to-last chord that's rootless (bVII9). The last chord is just a standard major chord. But if you listen closely you can hear the roots as undertones 😃😃

[@SkragaRooRoo]

Hate to be that guy but that's because the second to last chord isn't a rootles chord, and it most certainly isn't a "rootless bVII9 chord" (well it could be called that but 99% of people wouldn't percieve it to be that so it's kinda ridiculous to call it that) most people would percieve it as a IVm6 leading to the -> I. The Hollywood progression he's talking about could be described as a more triumphant progression (bVI > bVII > I) as opposed to this little more mellow (bVI > IVm6 > I) progression. Both progressions borrow heavily from the parallel minor key but the feel of the two different progressions are very different. Now given I don't know if the barbershop tradition of naming chord differs from jazz naming but seeing as there is so much overlap I doubt that that's the case.

[@SkragaRooRoo]

@@barbershopjohn Again don't wanna be that guy but that I, and I believe many others, wouldn't call that a rootless bVII9 chord but a IVm6 chord as stated in the reply above but I of course you didn't name the chord that because of some malicious intent! I love the arrangement, voicings and all and your sound is really pleasant to listen to! It kinda grinds my gears though when people just throw the word "undertones" around incorrectly like it's just common knowledge, especially if they're wrong about it. There should be no way that that chord has a resonant Gb as an undertone and after analyzing it with a spectrum analyzer I can assure you it doesn't. I really don't want to come off as a negative person as I really enjoy your content and what you're doing in the barbershop community, I just wanna help people get their facts straight. Great video John! Love your content.

[@toptrump1499]

@@SkragaRooRoo I agree with undertones thing. As someone who put aside quite a lot of time into studying acoustics and the harmonic series; it makes me cringe a bit when people randomly throw out the phrase, “listen to those overtones”

[@Jadonbutcooler]

im the 69th comment lets gooooooo

[@rodrodrigues5402]

Just sayin’. That was “My Darling Clementine”. But thanks really enjoyed this.

[@benson3955]

Man we gotta get another vid, lol talk about anything, I don’t care if it’s the most boring music theory talk about chord progressions (please) lol hope all is well.

[@barbershopjohn]

Haha this comment made my day. I'll be uploading a cover of Vocal Spectrum's "Believe" this weekend!

[@benson3955]

@@barbershopjohn Can’t wait!