I usualy can sing in tune with a certain amount of recordings. But with XTC's songs it's terribly difficult. I wonder, are the vocal parts special in any way in relation to the chords ? Is this a harmony theory/technique of some sort ?
With many, most songs the vocals feels like 'sitting' in the chords, which makes them easy to sing along With XTC they seem to be shifted somehow. They feel like hamonically propped. A bit like the Beatles in a way.
For instance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG3YTqOlIkI
Special vocal harmonies ?
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3645 posts since 3 Nov, 2015
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- KVRAF
- 25053 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
For me there are a couple of moments where the harmony vocals are kind of what's expected but what one of the guitarists is doing with the chords is unusual, and in places quite dissonant so there is an unstable feeling for short moments. Such as just before 2:20, the vocals tend to the I chord but that's not the whole story there. I don't have anything to say about what their thought was in these choices. To really get it you're going to have to get dirty and examine exactly what notes happen where, and particularly vis a vis the instrumental parts, to the extent that you can.
My quick take is that it's not the vocal harmonies that would be throwing you (it's rather Beach Boys/Beatles/10 cc and common afaic), it's what they collide with in the rest of the arrangement. I think you want to stick to what's there before you start adding your own harmony to these spots.
My quick take is that it's not the vocal harmonies that would be throwing you (it's rather Beach Boys/Beatles/10 cc and common afaic), it's what they collide with in the rest of the arrangement. I think you want to stick to what's there before you start adding your own harmony to these spots.
