Karaoke Forums

OK experts.  I had a singer ask for some barbershop quartet music for karaoke tonight.  Does it exist?  Thanks in advance!

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Spreading the karaoke gospel

Big Mike,

  When I was involved with Barbershop, and Glee club, Barbershop ALWAYS meant A Cappella. Although at times folks might cheat and do association and popular type arrangments.. Traditionally Barbershop "Quartet" is Bass-Baritone-2nd and 1st tenor voices... ALthough I've seen Falsetto voices tossed in...(Quintet), Quartet means four voices...

  It WOULD be interesting, and I wouldn't doubt it, if an A Cappella voice range can get backing that might have just Bass, Baritone, and 2nd tenor.... hence the 1st tenor would sing along with the trio or overdubbing containing "Karaoke" format backing vocalists only.  Usually Karaoke refers to backing "instrumentals' "Orchestral arrangements" etc..  The term means "Empty Orchestra" HOWEVER, I would not doubt it if a voice (as with Guitaraoke) can get backing voices only, since in barbershop and glee the vocals act as instrumental fill-in too..

It's fun to attempt barbershop alone on a Tascam or Fostex recorder btw... .. Sort've the same principle... THat'd be a great practice tool for vocalist doing just A cappella "barbershop Karaoke"...  Might pay to do a websearch.... I'm sure Yale Alleycats and a few of the other better known glee clubs and quartets have done a few backing arrangements for soloists to use as session tools

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

You speak truth swami, but he was wondering if the tracks existed so he could sing as a quartet by himself with the other three voices as the backing track.

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Spreading the karaoke gospel

I'm going to check right now

Added In:


THis is where I'm searching Big Mike.  My guess is this site would make mention of such a tool..

http://www.singers.com/

I think there might be something listed here... BRB

http://www.musicbackingtracks.co.uk/

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Mmmmmmmm..I was able to find the theme from the movie "Barbershop" if that helps! But all seriousness aside, what I do know from my searchings is that a title search of many of those old Americana type songs will probably yield an arrangement best suited to that style of harmonizing (for example, I just located "By the Shade of the Old Apple Tree").  There must be a disc out there somewhere that contains this type of stuff! Good luck.

MJK,  As we speak,  I'm doing title searches for "Nagasaki"  "I had a Dream dear", "Bring the Wagon home John", and other traditional barbershop arrangements. Also backing track searches using well known barbershop groups as the keyword.  This is a tad more obscured than I had hoped it to be..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Nagasaki!!!!!!!!!! Boy, if you find that one let me know Steve! I've been searching for ages on that title.  Money is no object!

I have an arrangement of it.  I directed and started my college mens a cappella group. Oh yeah,  I also forgot to mention "Coney Island Baby"..  <slapping self in head... How could I forget that one>

NAGASAKI !
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Hot ginger and dynamite'
That's what they drink at night
back in Nagasaki where the fella's chew tabacci
and the women make a wacky-woo

Besides "Bring the Wagon home John" that's one of the first easy song arrangements they have barbershop quartet singers do.  very easy stable harmonies that don't move in a complex way.


(or is it the women that chew the tobacci.... I need to get out the charts...NAH...they are downstairs)

Yeah should hear the nice rendition from Abbey Road (A medley) my college glee-club did !

You never give me your money--->

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Sometimes the women folk there wicky-wacky-woo as in addition to the aforementioned plain wacky-woo depending on which version you listen to.  I sometimes think the words to this song were never written, they were just there somehow....

Michael,  If you just want an arrangement to listen to..

THe Mills Brothers on Sweet Georgia Brown has alot of that type traditional a cappella

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Thanks Steven, I'm very familiar with their version; another great one was done by The Chenile Sisters.  One of the things about the Mills Bros. that was positively astonishing was their ability to imitate various instruments vocally...check out a version of "Caravan" by them and you hear some incredible voice imitations of a trumpet, trombone and a piccolo.  They were so good at this that the radio announcer presenting them would have to tell the home audience they were not listening to actual instruments being played.

I don't think there are enough instruments in existence to cover Bobby McFerrin's vocals  LMAO

I posted an a cappella site about a year ago on here.. The worlds best known a cappella groups.  What some of them did in terms of emulating orchestration vocally was amazing.  Percussion as well !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I've tried a mixture of bassoons and bagpipes to obfuscate McFerrin's vocals with measureable success--works on Rick Astley too.  In fact, any of the double reeds work excellently in conjunction with the bagpipes, but the latter is a prime ingredient.

Oh--okay, we are looking for barbershop quartet backings! Know of any, please write!

I'm looking Big Mike.  I can't find anything yet.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Contact a Barber Show Quartet Organization. (phone book)  There are many songs you can use.   They are all older songs.   Daisy, Bicycle Built for Two, etc.   Look in KJ Pro database at all of the standards and traditional songs.

Da Vinci's Notebook is a Barbershop Quartet on the dirty side.  They have a song "Enormous P**is" on the last Mama soundchoice disc.

I'm sure that's the song he's been looking for.........

I think you really need to search by song (and hope other songs pop up in the search).  I also recommend you search under Mitch Miller (the king of karaoke)

But try these

S0UND CHOCE REMINISCING SERIES --- SC7022
The on-screen lyrics on these discs are larger for seniors who have trouble reading smaller lyrics. Regular Reminiscing CDG’s are recorded in a slower tempo for those who may need a little extra help keeping up with the song. For original tempo arrangements, see the Reminiscing GOLD discs numbered SC1301–SC1307.


By The Light Of The Silvery Moon - Standard
Band Played On - Standard
Bye Bye Blackbird - Standard
You Are My Sunshine - Standard
Down By The Old Mill Stream - Standard
My Blue Heaven - Standard
My Wild Irish Rose - Irish
Bill Bailey - Standard

ALSO: CB90181 Mitch Miller Karaoke CDG

Hope this helps?!  It's is likely the best you can do.  To truly have a barbershop accompaniment, you would need a separate version for each voice: bass, baritone, 2nd and 1st tenor.  Even if available, who can afford that?