The Art of Backing Vocals PART 1: arrangement
BVs are the icing on the cake for songwriters and vocal producers who get a kick out of the performance and production power of the voice. In this month’s Session Notes blog, Pro7ect Songwriting Retreats founder and songwriter Lisa Fitzgibbon explains some of the options available when writing and arranging these top-line vocal shades.
“I feel like vocals are to music what portraits are to painting. They're the humanity. Landscapes are good and fine, but at the end of the day everyone loves the Mona Lisa.”
- Grimes
The BVs you add to a song are like the brush strokes painters use to shade, colour, and enhance their subject, and are typically used to build dynamics and energy to parts of a song, especially on hooks and choruses.
As with most contemporary music practices there are no hard and fast rules to writing and arranging backing vocals.I am a huge advocate of the ‘less-is-more’ school of BVs, as often a single vocal is far more impactive than an over-cooked harmony tsunami. It’s horses for courses though, and like most things, creating quality BV arrangements is all in the preparation.
For this month’s blog I’ll be staying in the lane of writing and arranging BV’s. The recording and mixing process requires a whole different skill set which I will write about in future blogs.
Arrangement First.
Start at the beginning - refine your process.
P72018: Levina Lueen - Featured Artist
I usually start each BV arrangement by setting up the track on my DAW. My happy place is in the throng, thump, and thrash of creating BVs, and I like to experiment with vocal sounds and layers, taking risks and finding options in a free and fluid way. It is so much easier to experiment when you’re working alone, and I’m a strong advocate for singers to liberate themselves by using their own DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). It’s the perfect gateway to audio production and Garageband is an easy starter, the software is included with every MAC computer, so there’s really no excuses.
It's only a demo – Remember, these ideas don’t need to be recorded perfectly, that comes later, a basic arrangement demo will prepare you for the actual recording or performance of the song. This suck-and-see scenario gives you total autonomy and creative control over your own artistry. But your first job as Backing Vocal arranger is to just get it all down. Other decisions apply when you are in the recording and mixing stage of the project, your job now is to enjoy experimenting with ideas.
Here are some things that you can try when you are arranging your BV’s:
1. Tracked vocals - layering the same part 2 or 3 times over the main vocal is a very simple but impactive way to improve the depth and drama of a vocal take.
2. Simple harmonies - above, or below (a nice change), the main melody is a traditional arrangement approach. This is quite often a 3rd or 5th above the melody line, but sometimes I like to use a mix of the two creating a counter-melody harmony that moves around the lead vocal.
3. Add octaves - if a section is feeling a bit flat but doesn’t need a harmony why not track in an octave above or below? I use this technique often to thicken up the spread of the main vocals.
4. Vocal pads - try building lush layered vocal harmonies and stack them like a string section. This can be a load of fun, especially if you use vocal sounds rather than words.
5. Short BV stabs or sounds - you can also play with stacking the BVs like a horn section, like in Aretha Franklins ‘Respect’ BV’s. Again, you can make the voice sound like a trumpet or saxophone and play with phonics and pitch tones. Add claps or whoops or any other sound you can think of.
“I grew up writing songs in my room on GarageBand, and I would make the beats just out of layering my vocals over and over again.” – Ariana Grande
P72019: Elle Exxe - Featured Artist
6. Repeat, repeat, repeat - if you wish to highlight a lyric section of a song, or create a familiar vocal pattern inside the song, then a simple and affective arrangement idea is to repeat a line, or word or phrase. The ‘Just a little bit’ BV lyric in Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ helps build momentum and attitude in the song. This repeated melodic and rhythmic idea that occurs consistently through a piece of music is called “ostinato” and is fun technique to try.
7. Back to scratch - never forget the power of a simple, single voice. When I’ve been working on a vocal arrangement for a while, my hearing start to get woolly and I can lose perspective. To remedy this I peel everything away, go back to the single vocal and re-build it differently. It’s incredible the number of options you can come up with when you strip it back to the drawing board.
8. Ahhh’s not ooo’s - One of the many top tips I’ve acquired whilst collaborating with international artists and producers at Pro7ect Songwriting Retreats is from Headline Producer Stew Jackson from Massive Attack. Stew always uses the open ahhh sound when tracking BV pads, rather than the harsher sounding ooo. He prefers the wider, smoother blend and tonal spread of the ahhh sound, finding the sharp cornered ooo sound gets in the way of other instruments in a mix. Try it.
9. Fill in the spaces - find vocal passes and phrases that fit into the musical gaps in a song if you want to give the BV’s space and autonomy. I recommend that you find a part that doesn’t stick out, but rather blends with the overall vibe of the song.
10. Leave gaps - the art of leaving space in any arrangement is another practical option. It’s a fun technique to try, especially when you mix the track, you can use these gaps to highlight any vocal delay or reverb FX. I will dig a little deeper into this side of the song in my recording and mixing BV’s blog, but it is an interesting option to keep in mind at the arrangement stage of the project.
P72018: Paul Edwards - Featured Artist
11. Ad-lib’s - some backing vocalists can just let-loose and totally improvise over a song, adding that extra sparkle that can totally lift it. I’ve had the privilege to work with some incredibly gifted singers in my career, including the extraordinary vocalist and musician Lily Dior. Lily’s ability to not only sing, and arrange BVs on the hoof, but to ad-lib takes the art of BVs to the top floor. Personally, I prefer to ad-lib in the privacy of my home studio so that I can try lines out. I will create a structure to take to a session and improve on that when we track the vocals. This helps me save time, money, and face, as the pressure to deliver in a studio environment can be overwhelming and I am an artist who likes to be prepared. It’s horses for courses though and you could argue that the magic happens when the reins come off and we let it all flow.
12. Breathe - Use the breath and be aware where your breathing points are. This will help with the groove and flow of a song. Breath can also be utilised as a unique sound by using reverbs and effects or building percussive breaths, pushing through the song.
13. Just a touch - BVs are a great tool to emphasize little moments in a song. Try arranging a floating BV part, that comes in every now and then, or a line that lands on a single word. This helps create a focus and adds intention to a moment.
14. Choose a timbre - hard or soft? Open or closed? Close or distant? There are so many vocal timbres that can be applied to BVs. Again, the do what’s right for the song rule applies but it’s a fun experiment to try.
15. Blending - Fact: your voice will always blend better with your own voice. When working with other artists it’s your job to find a tone that suits their voice.
Whatever way you approach it the most important thing to remember when you are writing and arranging backing vocals is to do what’s right for the song… and to have fun, of course.
Since its launch in 2013, Pro7ect has brought together over 120 artists, songwriters, musicians, and producers. These collaborations have resulted in nearly 100 tracks written and recorded, 18 of which have been released. There have also been four syncs, three albums produced by P7 artist collaborators and many production opportunities for participating Headline Producers through the P7 Alumni.
Pro7ect’s success lies in its ability to pair artists and songwriters with internationally acclaimed producers who are there to guide the recording process and capture the collaborative efforts of our writing teams. Limited places are available so apply today…
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Fee includes four nights’ accommodation (twin share), three writing days and all meals, studios and equipment. Artists are asked to bring any essential equipment with them.
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The price includes studio, equipment and lunch. The Masterclass is open to anyone. No previous songwriting experience required.
“A friend suggested I go on a songwriting retreat
…and it changed my life!”
- Lisa Fitzgibbon (singer, songwriter, music producer)
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P7 Headline producers include Stew Jackson (Massive Attack), Youth (Sir Paul McCartney, The Verve, The Orb), Roni Size (Reprazent), John Fortis (Razorlight, Ellie Goulding), Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers), Iain Archer (Snow Patrol, James Bay), Andrew Levy (Brand New Heavies) and Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh, just to name a few.