My friend said
"Thank you for the Opportunity you've given me to take the lead of this song; ever since I came into this choir I have been a backup singer everytime".
Okay this is not the first time I am hearing this complaint. And it's always funny when I hear people complaining about being BGV's instead of the Lead singer.
In this short read I will discuss the importance of background vocalist to every music.
A background vocalist is a person that provides vocal support( harmony) to the lead singer. I find this job very tasky and difficult yet most times they are underrated.
In my own view, I appreciate Background vocalists and I see them as the skeletal system to every music. If the BGVs are bad the song will definitely Get wrecked on the way but if the background vocalists are excellent, the song will definitely sound good.
There are ethics that cover the BGV roles, which gives a lot of uniformity and beauty to the song.
Every Lead singer relies on His or Her BGV to complement or complete the song.
As a Background vocalist, you must know all the rudiments of music, like sight reading, vibrato's, crescendos, articulations and all those things that makes music Good.
Anybody can be a lead singer but not everybody can be a BGV because this part of music requires strong singing abilities and competence, control over your voice etc.
There are tons of Attributes a good Bv must have but then here are the few vital attributes displayed by a good Bv.
A good Listener- A good BV MUST be a good listener to all the components of that song, the keys, note, time signatures etc.
Observant and smart: a good BV must be very conversant with his or her environment. Smart to understand the moves made by the lead••••••
Ability to pitch- the ability to sing in very low or high vocal ranges.
Learn, know, and memorize your vocal parts.
Good tone and voice texture
Good voice control
Versatility
Enunciation and Pronunciation. Singing out the words or lyrics properly and correctly.
Timing
The most important role of a backup vocalist is to complement the lead singer. The fact that the lead singer does stunts, like riffs and runs, modulations and other things doesn't make them better than you, you own the song. You are the support system of the song
Do's and don'ts of a good BGV
Don't overuse the singing techniques; we all know you know them very well, good a reasonable portion
Don't try to add ad libs or outstage the lead singer
Don't lose focus
Don't be louder than the rest.
Do blend the missing parts of Every song.
Background Vocalists are the essentials of good music, they have a greater and more difficult task of making sure that the music comes out Good and Beautiful. Never Underestimate a background Vocalist, a good one as Well.
There are also mouth-watering offers for a Good Background Vocalist.
